Ga. teachers sue for bonuses promised under law

ATLANTA - A group of Georgia teachers are suing the state for cutting the salary bonuses they received for getting extra certification.

The lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court last week demands that the 2,500 national board certified teachers in Georgia be given the 10 percent salary supplement they were promised by a law adopted more than a decade ago.

Earlier this year the state cut back the bonus from 10 percent of a teacher's salary to 10 percent of a starting salary for an educator to help fill a massive budget hole.

And the state has eliminated bonuses for teachers who applied for national board certification after March 1, 2009.

The lawsuit names state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox and the state Department of Education. A spokesman for the department declined comment.