The state's board of education has pulled the plug on the troubled Macon Charter Academy.
The 11-member board voted unanimously around 6 p.m. Thursday after a hearing that lasted about five hours.
State education officials says the second-year charter school's finances are a mess, that they disregarded student safety and failed to use the curriculum approved by the state.
"There were over 27 causes that anyone of them could have been reason for termination of the contract, but there was no one reason," State Board of Education chair Mike Royal said. "It was the overall picture of the stability, the financial stability, and how those kids were going to be served this year."
Founder Monya Rutland said they've made mistakes, but they deserve the chance to turn things around.
The school has the right to appeal, but the state board on Thursday said all 120-plus students should be out of the school by Aug. 31.
"Their education, their educational choice was worth fighting for, and it didn't matter if it was one or 164 students, it didn't matter the number, it was the principal, and they needed to see that fight," Rutland said.
For now, Rutland says they will take the lessons learned and move forward.
"It's not the end and it's never the end, particularly when children are involved, it can't be,"Rutland said.
Macon Charter started with nearly 600 students in August 2015, but it's spent most of the past year on state probation, due to dozens of health, safety, and academic violations cited by Bibb County inspectors.
It is privately-run but funded by the state and Bibb County.