Georgia teacher sues school district that fired her and others because of budget shortfall

Ashley White, who was the only art teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School in Dublin, said the district violated the law when the director of human resources abruptly asked White to resign on Oct. 6, citing an inability to fulfill the district’s employment contracts.

A Dublin teacher laid off amid a financial crisis in her district is suing to get her job back. Getty Images/10'000 Hours

A Georgia elementary school teacher let go during a fiscal crisis in her district is suing to get her job back.

Ashley White, who was the only art teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School in Dublin, said the district violated the law when the director of human resources abruptly asked White to resign on Oct. 6, citing an inability to fulfill the district’s employment contracts.

When White reported to work Oct. 9, administrators told her to collect her belongings and turn in her keys, and on Oct. 14, the school board adopted a deficit reduction plan that reflected her dismissal effective the week before, according to her lawyers.

The state Department of Education has put Dublin City Schools, a charter system, on a financial improvement plan as million dollar budget shortfalls have come to light. According to reporting from the Courier Herald, the district’s books were in the red every month during the last school year, with the deficit growing as large as $7 million in December 2024, and as of August, the district owed nearly $5 million to the state health plan after not paying employer contributions for 12 months.

In response to the situation, state Superintendent Richard Woods is calling for what he says are sweeping new financial reforms when the state Legislature meets in January, including new financial training and reporting requirements for districts.

The Professional Association of Georgia Educators filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Dublin City Schools and the Dublin City Board of Education on White’s behalf in the Laurens County Superior Court last week.

The district and Dublin City Board of Education members did not respond to requests for comment on White’s case. According to press releases, the board’s deficit reduction plan includes cutting 10 school days, a temporary waiver of board member salaries and travel compensation as well as staffing adjustments across all schools and departments in the district.

But White’s lawyers argue that the district had no right to fire her because they say the portion of the state law that allowed for her to be let go does not apply to charter districts like Dublin City Schools.

State code allows schools to terminate contracts for reasons including “to reduce staff due to loss of students or cancellation of programs and due to no fault or performance issue,” according to state code.

“However, the Dublin City School District is a charter system, which means that it has a general waiver exempting it from many education statutes, including the Fair Dismissal Act,” said Ellen Schoolar, an attorney representing White. “Ms. White contends that because the Dublin City School District is a charter system, and because the district’s charter does not expressly allow the board to implement local rules or policies embracing the Fair Dismissal Act, the board cannot use the Fair Dismissal Act as authority to terminate her contract.”

Schoolar said the decision in the case could have ramifications for other Dublin City Schools employees who are set to be terminated before their contracts run out.

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