Morcease Beasley, superintendent of Clayton County Schools, says the south metro community should be at the table during discussions of a possible state takeover of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Beasley on Tuesday urged Clayton residents to contact state representatives to push them to include county leaders in the talks, which have gained momentum in recent days. Clayton should be included, he said, because a majority of the world’s busiest airport -- which is owned and operated by the city of Atlanta -- is in Clayton County.
“As the majority of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport is located in Clayton County, it is important for the residents of Clayton County to know this community is at the very center of this historic moment,” Beasley said in a release Tuesday.
“The stakeholders of Clayton County Public Schools, of Clayton County, and every city in the county need to realize that we are in this together and we all need to be part of any resolution to the actions that could take place,” he said.
Some Georgia legislative leaders are pushing for the state to control Hartsfield because of concerns about corruption and mismanagement by the city of Atlanta, which is embroiled in a bribery scandal that began under the tenure of former Mayor Kasim Reed.
A top issue for Clayton is the impact a possible takeover of the airport could have on future income the county and school system could get from the airport. Up until last year, Clayton Schools and the county government had split as much as $18 million annually from a fuel tax at the airport.
Former Gov. Nathan Deal ended the collections last summer after the Federal Aviation Authority said it would begin enforcing a policy prohibiting the use of taxes collected at airports for any purpose other than an airport. Clayton later lost an appeal of the FAA's enforcement in the 11th Circuit Court.
In an effort to give Clayton leaders time to find alternative funding for the fuel tax loss, the state gave Clayton government $26.8 million to make up for almost three years of collections. Delta Air Lines, which opposes the state takeover of the airport, gave Clayton Schools about $18 million to help the district through this year.
“We continue to seek a viable SPLOST revenue enhancement or supplement solution well after Dec. 31, 2019, when the replacement funding from the Delta Foundation is scheduled to end,” Beasley said.
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