Education
Education

Atlanta school pension solution sought

By Mark Niesse
March 18, 2014

Atlanta’s school system could rid itself of a $550 million pension debt by raising taxes or changing its payment schedule, according to ideas discussed Monday.

Pension Fund Task Force Chairman Jason Esteves said options include asking voters to approve a taxpayer-funded 20-year bond issue, increasing taxes to pay off the debt over 13 years or carrying the debt into the future.

The bond issue could save the school system $300 million, but it could also cost $100 million if the economy falters, according to actuarial estimates.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Students walk toward the Tate Student Center on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. State data released Tuesday shows that the rate of international students enrolling in Georgia’s public universities dropped dramatically this semester. (Jason Getz/AJC 2024)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

International student enrollment slows at Georgia universities

It is not yet clear if the slowdown in Georgia is an anomaly or a sign of things to come.

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

The University of Georgia could soon limit the number of foreign workers it employs, a result of the $100,000 fee imposed on some H-1B visas.

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Due to lower enrollment and climbing costs, 16 school buildings would be repurposed under the plan, with several schools closing and their students rezoned for other schools.

The Latest

University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

International student enrollment slows at Georgia universities

Atlanta parents, residents object to plans to close some schools

Featured

University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

UGA to pay $100K H-1B visa fee only ‘in exceptional circumstances’

The University of Georgia could soon limit the number of foreign workers it employs, a result of the $100,000 fee imposed on some H-1B visas.

Georgia judges deal blow to ICE’s new mandatory detention policy

The ruling is a first-of-its-kind to come out of Georgia’s Middle District.

At the Cobb jail, a new kind of rehabilitation starts at the horse barn

Joshua Arp is one of two Cobb County jail detainees taking part of the sheriff’s office new equine therapy program meant to help him stay out of jail.