School Systems Practice

Charles S. Johnson has provided assistance to the Atlanta Board of Education across a wide variety of specialized litigation and public policy issues, including the following:

Tax Allocation District Counsel.  Mr. Johnson negotiated an intergovernmental agreement with a major city and its development agency regarding the Beltline Tax Allocation (TIF) District, resulting in over $160,000,000 in cash for the Atlanta Public Schools; land to be developed for APS for recreational purposes; priority participation by APS employees in an Affordable Housing Trust Fund; and priority access to BeltLine transit facilities for Atlanta Public Schools students. He has since counseled and litigated on behalf of the Atlanta Public Schools in connection with the school system's involvement with all of the City of Atlanta's tax allocation districts
.

Atlanta-in-Dekalb Tax Litigation. Mr. Johnson obtained a declaratory judgment in favor of the Atlanta Public Schools against the City of Atlanta, setting aside a City ordinance which purportedly required the Atlanta Public Schools to rebate certain ad valorem taxes collected within that portion of the City of Atlanta situated in Dekalb County. Atlanta Independent School District v. City of Atlanta, Superior Court of Fulton County, No. 2000-CV-25044.
 

Olympic Vending Litigation. Mr. Johnson secured the dismissal of a third-party complaint seeking to hold APS liable for losses incurred by vendors who participated in the vending program associated with the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Myers v. Event Management and Marketing Associates, Superior Court of Fulton County, No. E-50116.

Cheney Stadium Lights. Mr. Johnson secured an agreement regarding the use of Olympic legacy (lighting) facilities at Cheney Stadium.
 

Private School Voucher Litigation. Mr. Johnson successfully obtained the dismissal of a class action which sought to require APS to fund private school tuition vouchers. Lowe v. State, 267 Ga. 754, 482 S.E.2d 344 (1997) (see briefs at 1996 WL 33482481, 33482482, 33482487, 33482491) .

School Closing Litigation. Mr. Johnson secured the dismissal of litigation seeking to enjoin the closure of several schools.