Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Charter Schools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bibb County school board recommends denial of Infinity Academy charter petition citing safety, budget and legal compliance concerns
Summary
After a multi-stage review, district staff recommended the board not approve Infinity Academy’s revised start-up charter petition, citing budget assumptions, facilities and special-education and legal deficiencies; the board approved the recommendation unanimously on July 17, 2025.
The Bibb County Board of Education voted unanimously July 17 to accept staff’s recommendation not to approve Infinity Academy’s startup charter petition for a proposed K–5 elementary school.
District staff, led at the meeting by the staff presenter, outlined strengths in the petition—community engagement, a 1:15 student-teacher ratio and a project-based, multi-sensory instructional model—but concluded the petition “fails to demonstrate operational readiness, statutory compliance, effective governance practices, and legal sufficiency.”
Presenter Katika Lovett told the board staff found multiple budgetary and legal concerns: the petition’s budget used an estimated revenue per student figure (more than $19,000) that assumed funding sources the school “may be ineligible for,” and included references to funding or laws not applicable in Georgia. Lovett also said the petition proposed facilities at 606 Cherry Street (identified in the meeting as the former SunTrust/Truist building), which would require site waivers and appears to lack sufficient square footage, cafeteria space and safe ingress/egress for students.
Lovett also noted special-education concerns: the petition budgeted one special-education teacher by year two while projecting enrollment across multiple grades, a staffing level staff considered insufficient given district disability rates. Legal counsel flagged lack of required due-process guarantees for disciplinary procedures and inconsistent employment-termination language. Staff also found the petition’s enrollment forms sought immigration-status information, which district counsel said cannot be requested.
After staff presented the recommendation, Mr. Morton moved to approve the recommendation; Dr. Fickland seconded. The board voted in favor and the action was placed on the consent agenda.
What the board did not do: no approval was given to the charter petition, and staff recommended the petition be corrected and resubmitted if Infinity Academy chooses to address the deficiencies identified by the district.
Speakers at the discussion urged clarity on facilities and legal compliance, and board members asked staff to note the petition’s strengths in outreach and instructional design despite the conclusion that the packet as submitted carried significant compliance and sustainability risks.
