March 5th, 2012 
AT2W Staff Atlanta School District Offers Deal But Many Educators Renounce The Offers
It’s not going to be an easy road for APS school district to push Atlanta educators off the payroll. The educators accused of cheating are not convinced to resign because they have very little incentive to leave, says AJC news.
If this is the case, this means the taxpayers will ultimately be on the hook for the costly ‘firing process’. To get down to the real numbers, the district has spent $6.2 million in salaries for suspended teachers which comes up to $600,000 per month. Even the legal fees are astronomical at $700,000 and will increase as they work on building a case against nearly 120 educators still on the payroll.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported:
Last week, APS met with about 60 educators who face the most egregious allegations to put an offer on the table: Quit now and avoid receiving a “charge letter,” the first step in the firing process, and one that can stain an educator’s career. Five educators have taken the deal, according to APS.Other employees are considering the offer, said a district spokesman. APS said expected it would take some employees time to make a decision. In the meantime, the district plans to issue charge letters on a case-by-case basis. Superintendent Erroll Davis said Friday the district will start with those who confessed, and other egregious cases.“If in fact they have done these things, if in fact the conclusions are inevitable, I think the benefits of resigning would outweigh the benefits of staying on the payroll for a couple of months,” he said.
But it is unclear is why accused educators would quit rather than challenge APS to prove the charges against them.
Educators have job protection rights, meaning they can only be fired for eight reasons and it’s up to the school district to prove their guilt. They can request a hearing to challenge the firing and can appeal the decision up to the state Supreme Court. Members of teacher advocacy groups like the Georgia Association of Educators have access to legal aid, which covers attorney fees during this process.
Read more of the story at AJC News
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