Bibb County Schools say no to charter with ‘ambitious’ vision. Here’s why

For the second consecutive academic year, the Bibb County Board of Education shot down The Infinity Academy’s bid to open a new charter school serving elementary students in Macon.

In a unanimous vote Thursday, the board rejected the academy’s petition, citing major concerns over financial viability and operational readiness.

The academy submitted its initial pre-petition on April 11, proposing a K-5 charter school to open in the 2029-2030 school year, according to Katika Lovett, deputy superintendent of Bibb County Schools. A revised version was submitted June 9 following district feedback.

While the district acknowledged several strengths in the proposal, including genuine community engagement through town halls and surveys, innovative instruction design featuring project-based learning and a commitment to small class sizes — the proposal fell short in key areas.

“While The Infinity Academy presents an ambitious and community-centered vision for public education, the petition in its current form fails to demonstrate operational readiness, statutory compliance, effective governance practices, and legal sufficiency,” Lovett said.

Budget, student safety at the core of rejection

One of the district’s concerns was the academy’s estimated $19,364 per-student budget, which included funding sources that the charter would likely be ineligible to receive or that had expired, Lovett said.

The charter also lacked clear plans for who would oversee safety protocols, required inspections and facilities, according to the district memo.

Lovett said the school’s proposed location at 606 Cherry St. raised multiple safety red flags for student transportation and daily operations. Students would be dropped off on a public sidewalk and share parking and access with other tenants—including a bank—in a five-story commercial building.

Because of that, “Physical safety of students and staff within the facility is also a concern,” she added.

The district also found that the building did not meet space or infrastructure requirements for a functioning elementary school. The 17,000-square-foot building is significantly smaller than the average elementary school in Bibb County, and the petition lacked a dedicated cafeteria space.

According to district estimates, converting the building into a compliant school that meets all state and local codes for instructional use would require extensive renovations. Fire-rated walls, plumbing and other mechanical upgrades could cost between $4.7 million and $5.7 million — roughly $275 to $330 per square foot — and would take four to six months of disruptive construction for existing tenants.

Other reasons for the denial included legal and compliance concerns, budget misalignment related to special education, confusion over governance and operational oversight, and more.

There was no board discussion of the action item following the vote.

Christopher Holmes, founder and head of Infinity Academy, said he did not have a comment on the district’s decision.

“However, we will refile with hopes for (Georgia Department of Education) approval via other avenues while still serving the students and teachers of Bibb,” Holmes said in an email to The Telegraph. “There is much work to be done to address many challenges, and we are committed to doing our part.”

Some of those challenges in the county include low reading and math scores and chronic absenteeism— two areas the district credited the charter for aiming to address.

More information on the board’s rejection was shared on the Bibb County School District’s website.