Cobb judge delays school turf installation

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Not all Cobb County high schools will have artificial turf fields by fall following a judge's injunction Tuesday.

Superior Court Judge Watson White has prohibited the school district from moving forward with plans to spend $16 million to install artificial turf until further notice, according to Jay Dillon, spokesman for the district.

"Delaying this initiative means not all fields will be installed by the start of school this fall, and when they are eventually installed the cost is likely to be higher," Superintendent Fred Sanderson told the AJC.

In September 2008, Cobb voters approved the turf as part of a special sales tax to benefit schools. The tax is expected to generate $586 million for the school system over five years.

The tax money is separate from the district's general fund, meaning money raised from the tax can't be used to offset teacher furloughs or makeup for budget shortfalls. The school board was expected to vote Thursday night to begin the turf installation across the district.

Other school districts, such as Fulton and DeKalb counties, have previously used tax proceeds to fund artificial turf.

On Feb. 9, a lawsuit was filed by Walter G. Borden in Cobb County Superior Court seeking to stop the turf installation. The lawsuit claims the playing fields are not an education-related expense, as required by law.

"For too long, our students have been denied participation in many educational activities because our fields are in disrepair or are unusable, and the community has been denied access to our fields because of their poor condition," Sanderson said.

All of the district's high school principals filed sworn affidavits attesting to the use of the fields for educational purposes, Dillon said.

Judge Stephen Schuster is scheduled to hear the case at a later date.