Policy

Atlanta Charter Schools Will Not Have to Help Pay for Pension Debts

Judge rules the school district cannot withhold fund from their budget

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Atlanta's charter schools will not be required to help fund the school district's unfunded pension liability, thanks to a Sept. 22 Georgia Supreme Court ruling.

The pension debt, which had been accumulating since the 1970s, was around $550 million, and in May, Atlanta Public Schools announced plans to deduct $38.6 million from the charter schools' portion of the budget before allotting it.

The school system does not have the authority to do that, the court ruled.

"This is a tremendous relief," said Nina Rubin, director of communications for the Georgia Charter School Association.