The Georgia Department of Education required Atlanta Public Schools to pay $50,739 following an investigation of how the city school system managed federal money for disadvantaged students.

A Jan. 13 letter from DOE Title Programs Director Margo DeLaune said the city school system showed a lack of oversight of federal Title I expenditures when it didn't comply with a requirement to ensure student services were comparable to those provided in schools that didn't receive Title I funds.

The fine represents the salary of one teacher at Coretta Scott King Academy whose funding source shouldn’t have been changed. Atlanta Public Schools has made the payment to the state, said DOE spokesman Matt Cardoza.

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(Illustration: Jessi Esparza / AJC)

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)