Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School
Gabe is the finance chair on the governing board of directors for the Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School (ANCS). ANCS is an Atlanta Public Charter school that has an elementary campus in Grant Park and a middle campus in Ormewood Park.
A charter school is community organized and funded by local, state and federal sources. Charters typically evolve in communities that are not being served effectively by the traditional school system or in other cases where the community wants a schooling solution that is very innovative and not offered by the traditional system. ANCS was started because of the former and continues to thrive today for the later reasons stated above. Charters are subject to the same performance standards, rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other traditional public schools.
Over the last 10 years, numerous charter solutions have be started in the APS system. They have thrived in midst of the challenges faced by the traditional school system, offering communities an innovative public education option. Today, charters have been a huge driver of growth and innovation in APS; with the following accolades:
- APS Charter schools are 10% of student enrollment today.
- APS Charters have increased 70% over the last 4 years while traditional APS schools have declined 2%
- APS Charter Schools work: Five out of the top 12 elementary schools in APS are charters (out of 65 schools)
- APS Charter Schools serve a racially and socially diverse population, and are bringing thousands of Atlanta families back to public education.
Funding for Atlanta Charter Schools has been cut over the last several years and Gabe, (as the ANCS Finance Chair, Taxpayer and APS Student/Parent) has worked with local politicians, charter school leadership, ANCS school leadership, Attorneys and community leaders to help restore and facilitate continued funding to all charter schools. Additionally, ivision has made $10,500 in donations in Q1 2013 to help support ANCS.
