Associated Press - June 18, 2009 4:04 PM ET

ATLANTA (AP) - A new state commission has ruled that two Georgia charter schools should get funding from their local school districts despite being denied money in the past.

The decision means the schools will get a windfall of thousands more in funding. But it could spark lawsuits from the Gwinnett County and Bulloch County school districts, which are being forced to hand over the money.

The schools - Ivy Preparatory Academy of Norcross and Statesboro's Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts & Technology - had previously received only state funding because they were specially approved by the Georgia Board of Education rather than the local school districts.

A new law allows the state's Charter Schools Commission to require local funding for charter schools, even if they've been turned down before.

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