Macon Charter Academy waits for bankruptcy hearing before taking school closure vote

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon Charter Academy has postponed a voted to keep the school open or close it down.

MCA made the decision at its board meeting Wednesday night.

Governing Board Member Ed Grant said they want to wait until after the bankruptcy hearing to decide if they will close down for the upcoming school year.

The hearing is to see if the state can continue the process to close the school, which was started in March.

When MCA filed bankruptcy in May, that stopped the closing process, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

The Bibb BOE’s attorney explained once bankruptcy is filed, no one can take action against the organization that filed it except for a few reasons.

One of the reasons is “regulatory action by a governmental unit.”

The Bibb BOE and the state DOE submitted a motion earlier this month to prove the closure process is part of regulatory action by a governmental unit.

The motion for relief says “the continuation of the automatic stay will prevent the state board from seeking to protect the public and its education institutions through its regulatory powers,” and the possible charter revocation is a proceeding that “must take place immediately before the next academic year.”

The bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for June 22.

Bibb BOE President Lester Miller said whether the school closes could impact the district’s budget.

Miller explained if MCA doesn’t open then that money would come back into the school system.

This would give the district an additional $3 million.

The district would then have to allocate more teachers and staff.

The Bibb BOE has a public hearing on the budget Thursday night and on June 23.

The final vote will be after the public hearing on June 23.