In an extraordinary decision, the Georgia State Board of Education awarded Atlanta Public Schools’ charter schools the lion’s share of $1.4 million in facilities grant funds. Atlanta Neighborhood Charter Schools ($199,762), Charles R. Drew Charter School ($149,994), KIPP Strive Academy ($125,463), KIPP Vision Academy ($77,781), and The Kindezi School ($150,000) each received grants totaling more than $553,000. Confirmation of the decision was made December 10, 2015. Other state charter schools also received funding.
 
“This is a great accomplishment for our charter schools,” said Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Meria J. Carstarphen, Ed.D. “To be entrusted with administering grant funds of this magnitude shows the outstanding level of commitment to excellence in education this leadership has. And it further solidifies the strength we have as a system to deliver projects that directly contribute to the success of our students.”
 
ANCS was awarded nearly $200,000 in grant funds for facilities improvements in safety and aesthetics at its middle school building. While some of the funds were allocated for mortgage payments, each of the projects are scheduled for completion by June 2016.  According to BOE documents, the grantees had to meet rigorous compliance standards to “increase district, leader, and teacher effectiveness through high quality service and support; [demonstrate] substantial facilities need; and [receive] the highest scores of the 12 complete applications [viewed].”
 
The dedication to energy conservation exercised by the ANCS middle school students, faculty and staff, has earned their building the honor of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR certification for 2015.
According to a joint press release from ANCS and Southface Energy, “the middle school campus has seen more than a 25 percent reduction in energy and water usage this year as compared to 2014, and the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.”