On Tuesday, September 22 at 6 p.m., the School Board of Madison County met for a special session regarding personnel changes, non-general fund staff trips, selection of Board Negotiator and finally, Madison Creative Arts Academy (MCAA). The discussion of the MCAA charter school, also known as Madison Academy, took up the majority of the meeting. At the meeting, the board voted whether or not to approve the charter school application filed by the MCAA Board of Directors. Much discussion was made by the public, and several citizens spoke both for and against the application. Ultimately, the School Board voted to deny the application 3-2.
The motion to deny the application was made by VeEtta Hagan and seconded by Susie Williamson. The motion was approved by majority vote of the School Board. Kenny Hall and Susie Williamson voted to deny the application, while Bart Alford and Karen Pickles voted against the denial. According to the Head of Madison Academy, Janna Barrs, at this time, the MCAA Board is patiently awaiting a receipt of denial from the county in order to fully assess the reason of the application denial before making any decisions; however, once the explanation for denial is received, the board will attempt to address the concerns at a local level or file an appeal with the state of Florida. Regardless, MCAA will adhere to Florida State Statutes.