2015 Stories of the Year: New charter school faces series of hurdles
No. 7 Story of the Year
January 1, 2016
2015 Stories of the Year: New charter school faces series of hurdles
Macon Charter Academy opened in August as Bibb County’s second charter school.
Touted as another public option for parents seeking better educations for their children, MCA was planned as a feeder program for Central High School’s International Baccalaureate program.
The school was set to open on Aug. 3 with the rest of Bibb County schools, but its building wasn’t yet ready. Instead, classes were held in the Macon Coliseum for the first three weeks of the school year.
The troubles didn’t end there, as the school was put on probation by the state, mostly for operational issues, and sought to part ways with founders Monya and Charles Rutland. Further, even though it has only been open for a few months, MCA has already been through three governing boards.
An entire five-member board and Principal Ron Boykins resigned in the span of four days in December. Those moves were connected to the school’s decision to work with Renaissance School Services, a school management firm known for turning around troubled schools.
The contract with Renaissance required an amendment to the school’s charter, which the newest board approved but also needed county school board and state approval.
That amendment had to be withdrawn from the Bibb County school board’s consideration, though, because MCA had already entered a contract with Renaissance prior to amending the charter.
MCA and state officials remain hopeful the school can get turned around in the new year.
This story was originally published January 1, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "2015 Stories of the Year: New charter school faces series of hurdles."