State commission approves arts charter school in Macon

DREAM Academy’s charter petition was approved unanimously Wednesday by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia.

The academy’s organizers withdrew a petition to the Bibb County school board in February, saying they would instead apply through the state commission. The move would allow for a statewide attendance zone for the school, which will have a focus on the arts.

“On behalf of the DREAM Academy Board of Directors we are pleased that SCSC has exhibited belief and confidence in our program integrating music and arts in a community whose mark is just that — music and the arts,” DREAM Academy board Chairwoman Karla Redding-Andrews said in a release. “We look forward to creating this opportunity for the students and families in middle Georgia and beyond.”

The school is expected to open as a school for kindergarten through sixth grade students in August 2017 and would add a grade each year until it serves students through the 12th grade. With the charter commission’s approval in hand, school leadership can begin enrolling students, acquiring or constructing buildings and hiring staff. It would be the third charter school in Macon.

The release didn’t indicate a potential location.

The state school board has the authority to overturn any SCSC approval, but that generally doesn’t happen. Matt Cardoza, the state Education Department’s chief communications officer, said the state board is expected to review and affirm the decision at its Sept. 22 meeting.

“We will be recommending the SBOE affirm today’s SCSC charter approvals,” Cardoza wrote in an email.

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 1:40 PM with the headline "State commission approves arts charter school in Macon."