Will A Macon Charter School Open Next Year After All?

Caption

Macon Charter Academy (photo courtesy of the Telegraph)

Story on whether a Macon charter school will open next fall.

Will there be classes at a troubled Macon charter school after all?

Last week the Macon Charter Academy announced it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A written statement from the school's attorney, Atlanta-based Joel Callins, said:

Macon Charter Academy is hopeful that the reorganization process will facilitate the removal of the school’s probation status with the State of Georgia Department of Education, and plans to resume normal recruitment and enrollment for the 2017-2018 school year.

Later in the statement, Callins writes:

Macon Charter Academy will continue to operate as normal for the 2015-2016 school year. However, there are no active plans or preparations to operate the school for the 2016-2017 school year.

On Tuesday the Bibb County School District met with charter school officials. On Thursday, Superintendent Curtis Jones issued his own statement:

During the meeting, they indicated they still plan on there being some type of operation and education going on at their school in the fall. They informed us more about their bankruptcy status, and we plan to have a representative present at the bankruptcy hearing next week to help us better understand the status.

Parent Kendria Clayton has two children attending Macon Charter Academy. She's taking a wait-and-see approach on the fate of the coming school year.

"It is kind of like I find out when it happens," said Clayton as she dropped off her children at the school. "I'm still optimistic that we're not going to close."

The school opened for business last fall, but ran afoul of the state Department of Education soon after...and was put on probation by the state.

The attorney for MCA did not respond to calls for clarification.

Bibb County school officials hope that a bankruptcy hearing for the school next Tuesday might provide more information about the school's operation.