SCSC Board Awards $2.4 Million in

CSP SE Supplemental Subgrants 

The SCSC Board of Commissioners approved $2.4 million in supplemental Charter Schools Program (CSP) State Entity (SE) subgrant awards for 10 existing subgrantees at its June 30 meeting. The SCSC allowed existing CSP SE subgrantees to apply for supplemental funds after the U.S. Department of Education awarded the SCSC $12.5 million in supplemental CSP SE Grant funds and approved a waiver raising the maximum subgrant award per charter school from $1.5 million to $2 million.

New and replication charter school subgrantees that offer high school grades or are located in a priority community were eligible to apply for additional funding. The approved supplemental subgrant awards will support these schools as they continue planning, launching, and expanding their academic programs. Subgrantees were eligible for supplemental funds up to $300,000 for locating in a priority community and up to $100,000 for offering high school, based on their original subgrant award.

Schools were awarded subgrants by the SCSC previously under the SCSC’s FY2022 CSP State Entity Grant.

School Spotlight: BIA Charter School Showcases Strategies Behind Its Academic Success

BIA Charter School (BIA) Superintendent Neal Christian led a presentation to the SCSC Board of Commissioners at its June 30 meeting, joined by Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Bradley and Middle School Principal Eddie Lovett. The school was invited to present in recognition of its strong performance and recent honors.

During the presentation, the BIA team shared how intentional schoolwide practices have contributed to the school’s success, including monthly celebrations that recognize members of the school community and year-round staff engagement efforts. They also outlined the instructional strategies behind BIA’s progress, from daily collaborative learning teams and monthly vertical planning to instructional design built around coding, project-based learning, and personalized learning.

Christian's approach to school leadership has earned him recognition beyond the BIA community. He received the GCSA 2026 Charter School Leader of the Year award for building a culture of high expectations and whole-child development through rigorous instruction and data-driven decision-making. Under his leadership, BIA students have achieved Georgia Milestones performance above district and state averages.

The school exceeded standards in the academic component of the 2024-25 SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework and met standards in finance and operations. BIA was also named a finalist for the 2026 GCSA Charter School of the Year.

BIA Charter School is located in Norcross, GA, and serves students in grades K-8 with a statewide attendance zone.

Georgia's First Healthcare-Focused Charter School Unveils New Atlanta Home

The Academy for Innovation in Medicine (AIM), Georgia's first healthcare-focused charter school, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 22 at its new 30,000-square-foot school building in Uptown Atlanta. The location was selected for its proximity to MARTA, making the school accessible to students across Atlanta.

AIM’s primary partner, Grady Health System, celebrated with the school, noting the importance of building a healthcare workforce to meet the region’s growing needs. Representatives from AIM, Grady, RedefinED Atlanta, and the Bloomberg Family Foundation, a key financial contributor, participated in the program and helped cut the ribbon to open the school.

SCSC Executive Director Donovan Head, Senior Director of School Support & Outreach Michele Neely, and Communications Specialist Erica Acha-Morfaw attended the event. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens provided a video message welcoming the school to the city, and several other elected officials, enrolled families, charter school support advocates, community partners, representatives from local colleges and universities, and others filled the school to mark its opening. 

Following the ceremony, future students led guests on tours of AIM's fully equipped classrooms, which include anatomical models, skeletal displays, and a clinical simulation lab that mirrors the environment they will one day work in as healthcare professionals.

AIM is a CSP SE subgrant recipient and participant in the CSP-funded New School Leader Fellowship program. The school will offer a curriculum blending rigorous academics, dual-enrollment college credits, and hands-on work-based learning. Students at AIM will have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials and an associate degree with their high school diploma, preparing them to enter the healthcare workforce or pursue advanced healthcare degrees. Their partnership with Grady provides students with the opportunity to work at Grady Health System facilities before graduation, gaining real-world experience.

The Academy for Innovation in Medicine is located in Atlanta and will open in Fall 2026, serving grades 6 and 9. The school is authorized to serve students in grades 6-12 from Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton County, Cobb County, DeKalb County, and Fulton County.

Scintilla Charter Academy Becomes International Baccalaureate World School

Scintilla Charter Academy (SCA) has been authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School for the Diploma Programme (IB Diploma Programme), making it one of only two charter schools in Georgia to earn this designation. The authorization comes ahead of Scintilla’s first school year welcoming its high school seniors, completing the school’s growth plans.

"This authorization represents much more than the addition of an academic program," said Amanda Miller, Superintendent of SCA. "It reflects years of work, a shared vision, and a belief that children in our community deserve access to world-class opportunities."

The IB Diploma Programme is a rigorous, internationally recognized curriculum that emphasizes independent research, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning. Research shows that IB Diploma Programme students go on to university and higher education at higher rates than their non-IB peers. Universities across the United States and around the world recognize the IB Diploma, and many award college credit or advanced standing to students based on their IB course scores. The programme offers SCA students multiple pathways to engage with IB coursework. Students may pursue the full IB Diploma, take individual IB courses, combine IB coursework with dual enrollment, or choose electives such as Business Management, French or Spanish, Environmental Systems and Societies, Design Technology, and Visual Arts.

"What excites me most about the Diploma Programme is the way it develops students as thinkers and learners," said Brooke Knight, Assistant Superintendent and IB Diploma Programme Coordinator. "Students are asked to ask questions, conduct research, make connections across disciplines, and engage with real-world issues. The skills they develop through that process will serve them well beyond high school." The IB Diploma Programme spans two years of coursework, and Scintilla's first cohort of IB Diploma recipients will graduate with the Class of 2028.

Scintilla Charter Academy is located in Valdosta, Georgia, and serves grades PK-12 from Brooks County, Lowndes County, and Valdosta City School District.

Teacher Wins a Tony Award 

Freddie Hendricks, a middle school theatre teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts (UAFA), has received the 2026 Excellence in Theatre Education Award (EITEA), presented by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University. The award recognizes "exemplary impact on the lives of students" and comes with a $10,000 prize for the school, two tickets to the Tony ceremony in New York, and a visiting master class for Hendricks' students taught by Carnegie Mellon drama faculty.

Hendricks has worked as an arts educator for more than 30 years and founded the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, a theatre company that empowers young artists through socially conscious storytelling. One of his former Youth Ensemble students, Dr. Artesius Miller, went on to found Utopian Academy for the Arts, citing Hendricks as his inspiration for creating Georgia's first charter school for the performing arts. At UAFA, Hendricks trains students in a rigorous, ensemble-based program of acting, movement, and storytelling.

Hendricks centers his teaching on helping students build confidence before developing performance skills. "A lot of kids these days, they don't love themselves," he said. "They don't know who they are, for one thing. And I just kind of start with that and then go with loving themselves for who they are." He encourages students to build performances around issues they care about, such as poverty or gun violence, drawn from their own perspectives.

Utopian Academy for the Arts is a charter school in Ellenwood, GA, serving students in grades 6-8 and authorized by Clayton County Public Schools. It is part of the UAFA Charter Network, which also includes Utopian Academy for the Arts - Trilith, an SCSC-authorized charter school located in Fayetteville, GA, serving students in grades 6-8 with a statewide attendance zone.

Updated Legal Obligations Guidance Now Available for State Charter Schools

The SCSC has released an updated version of the Legal Obligations of a State Charter School – Local Educational Agency (LEA) guidance document. The update incorporates statutory references from the 2026 Georgia legislative session and additional revisions.

Access the updated guidance through the SCSC Operational Guidance page.

SCSC Board Approves Updates to CPF Finance Section

The SCSC Board of Commissioners approved updates to the Finance section of the Comprehensive Performance Framework (CPF), the SCSC's official accountability tool for evaluating state charter school performance, at its June 30 meeting. The changes take effect beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

The updates were developed based on feedback from SCSC schools and a staff review of the CPF's finance measures and calculations. Among the approved changes, Indicators 1 and 2 will be consolidated into a single combined financial score capped at 100 points, with greater emphasis placed on a school's independent financial audit. Additionally, schools that own at least one building and submit a clean, on-time audit will receive bonus points (total score not to exceed 100). Late audit submissions will no longer receive points unless the delay results from unforeseen circumstances. The allowable enrollment variance threshold also increases from 3 percent to 4 percent.



For complete details on the financial CPF changes, visit the CPF Updates page. To review the updated 2025-26 CPF, visit the Comprehensive Performance Framework page.

July Board Meeting

The next SCSC board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, 2026, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in the SCSC Board Room and streamed virtually on Zoom. 

Visit the SCSC public meeting portal for more details. 

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The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) is a state-level, independent charter school authorizing entity. The SCSC has the power to approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, nonrenew, or terminate state charter school contracts in accordance with Georgia law.

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