DREAM charter school withdraws local petition, seeks state approval

The proposed DREAM Academy charter school has withdrawn its petition to the Bibb County school board and will instead apply through the State Charter Schools Commission in May.

The move will allow for a statewide attendance zone for the school, which will have a focus on the arts.

"As a board we have always been prepared and flexible to do whatever is needed to open the DREAM Academy," said DREAM Academy's Board Chair Karla Redding-Andrews in a news release. "We will continue working hard to make this innovative and exciting plan a reality to serve the youth of Middle Georgia."

If approved, the school would open for the 2017-18 school year.

DREAM's governing board applied to the Bibb County school board with the intention of using the Hutchings College and Career Academy facility. The release noted that during a recent meeting with the district's charter review committee, DREAM's board was informed that facility would not be available, which led to the decision to withdraw the petition.

To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter@MTJTimm.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "DREAM charter school withdraws local petition, seeks state approval ."