With Gov. Sonny Perdue's signing Tuesday of a controversial new education law, local public school systems appear ready to head to the courts to fight it.

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"We will be a part of the lawsuit," said Decatur city school board Chairwoman Valarie Wilson. Herb Garrett, executive director of the Georgia School Superintendents Association, has also said other systems may want to pursue the matter in court, although he has so far declined to name them.

It is not clear how soon Decatur and the other systems will act. Decatur board members at a regular meeting Tuesday night said they were in consultation with their attorney and may talk with other systems in coming weeks.

The new law, called HB 881, allows a new state-appointed commission to authorize a charter school's use of a school system's per-pupil funding, including local money — even if the local board did not approve it.

Local and state education advocates say it squashes the concept of local control, which is constitutionally granted to entities such as a school board. Supporters of the legislation say the money should follow the student and that the law helps promote competition among public schools and increases accountability.

Currently, local school districts do not have to pass on full funding to charter schools and can hold back dollars for administrative and other costs. Also, state funding of education as a percentage has eroded, with local taxes making up the difference.

In Decatur, for example, city officials said state dollars comprise only about 30 percent of the system's general fund.