It's been a rough start for a charter school in Macon. Meanwhile a Macon Action Plan is off to a great start. It's also a great start to another year of life for journalist and editorial page editor for the Telegraph Charles Richardson! Those are the hot topics of the week Richardson talks about with GPB Macon's Leah Fleming.

HOT TOPIC #1:
Macon Charter Academy got off to a rough start this academic year. Now an associate state superintendent responsible for charter schools says the Macon Charter Academy has made tremendous progress but still has a ways to go. Board members for Macon Charter Academy discussed updates about the school's probationary status at a board meeting Tuesday night. The Telegraph’s David Schick broke the story and has been keeping up with the developments. He reports that Principal Ron Boykins presented the board with a progress report on the school's enrollment, budget, academics and operations. Last month, state education officials placed MCA on probation following a report in The Telegraph, which highlighted serious concerns from teachers and parents over the school's overall operations. MCA's leadership was required to submit an improvement plan earlier this month to the Bibb County school district and the Georgia Department of Education. Since submitting its plan, MCA has begun collaborating with the Georgia Charter Schools Association to help correct its deficiencies.

HOT TOPIC #2:
The Macon Action Plan is now complete after a vote by the plan's Collaborative Steering Committee. Mill Hill and Clinton Street will be the first two projects started by the Macon Action Plan next month. The Macon Action Plan is a community-driven plan to envision the future for downtown and surrounding neighborhoods and guide change of the coming years.

HOT TOPIC #3
Thanks for Facebook we know Charles had a birthday on Tuesday! The older you get the faster these celebrations seem to come, but Charles says he's proud to be 64!

Tags: Leah Fleming, Charles Richardson The Telegraph of Macon, Macon&Eggs