Raleigh Charter High SchoolRecognized for Excellence, Building Our

Future

The pursuit of a permanent home for our school.

Now is an ideal time to secure a permanent home for RCHS.

• Real Estate: the current lease is up in 2012, which gives us time to secure a new site.

• Financing: Banks look for a long-term charter and the RCHS charter was renewed for ten years in 2009.

• Fundraising: RCHS has formed a Development Office to build the school’s fundraising capacity.

Why do we seek a permanent home?

• RCHS is currently paying about $50,000 per month in rent which increases 3% each year.

• Ownership will stabilize facility costs.• Ownership allows the school to be in site that is

well-suited for a high school.• Additional classrooms and better sized

classrooms are needed.

Currently many rooms are too small.

400 sq. ft

300 sq. ft.

What were we seeking in an alternate site?

• A location near downtown Raleigh– Convenient access to government, arts, and

community organizations for daily instruction, speakers, Flex Days, Community Work Days, Ex Days and club activities.

• Central location in Wake County• 4-6 acres• 40,000-45,000 square feet• Close proximity to public parks and usable public

spaces

How was the site selected?

• About a dozen sites were visited; over thirty were presented.

• The site that met all criteria is

1307 Glenwood Avenue (formerly the Methodist Building.)

1307 Glenwood Avenue

Site and building highlights

• Building is suited for a school• Parking and carpool space• 6 to 10 additional “better” classrooms• Most teachers will have a dedicated classroom• Another computer lab• Larger classrooms and labs• Superior layout potential and less “wasted”

space• Close proximity to fields, a park and student

gathering spots.

Future Possibilities

• Space to add a large meeting room• Lower facility costs will allow investment in

faculty and programs.• Control over facilities, walls, and grounds

– What we lose in the charm of architecture could be overcome by the creativity and individuality of this process.

• Financial freedom and a strong and stable RCHS.

Future community meeting space might resemble this space which we currently rent.

What is the timeline?

• Due Diligence nearly complete– contractor bids, working with an architect,

traffic study, city approvals• Closing scheduled for September 23, 2010• Schedule

Fall 2010 Construction begins

Summer 2011 Move in

How will this undertaking be achieved?

• The building and renovations will cost about $10,000,000.

• The project is approved for bond financing of about $7,000,000.

• The balance will be met with capital campaign fundraising and seller financing.

• The campaign goal is $3,000,000 with a $1,250,000 goal for RCHS families.

Why is fundraising necessary?

• Charter schools are different from public schools in that our land and buildings are not provided. Facility costs must be paid from per pupil instructional funds.

• Charter schools are free public schools (without revenue from tuition.)

• The following graphs show the economic challenges of charter schools.

Note: The Wake County manager’s office estimates the shortfall is $1,224.Source: Thomas B. Fordham Institute, FY 2002-03

$7,465$7,051

$9,237

$6,510

$0$1,000$2,000$3,000$4,000$5,000$6,000$7,000$8,000$9,000

$10,000

Cost Per Student

North Carolina Wake County

NC Charter Schools Receive Less Money than NC Public Schools: in Wake County the

shortfall is $2,727 per student

Public School

Charter School

$7,513

$16,655 $16,417$17,750

$0

$2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

$12,000

$14,000

$16,000

$18,000

Per Student

RCHS Ravenscroft St. Mary's Cary Academy

RCHS succeeds on much lower revenue per student than local private schools

Raleigh Charter High School$3,000,000 Capital Campaign

Estimated Campaign Gift Pyramidas of August 18, 2010

Gift Level Needed Budgeted Current Current

(3 years) Number of Contributions Commitments Dollars

  Gifts at this Level   Committed$1,000,000 1 $ 1,000,000 1 $ 1,000,000

         $500,000-999,999 1 $ 500,000 0 $ -

         $250,000-499,999 1 $ 250,000 0 $ -

         $100,000-249,999 2 $ 200,000 0 $ -

         $50,000-99,999 3 $ 150,000 1 $ 50,000

         $25,000-49,999 5 $ 125,000 1 $ 31,482

         $10,000-24,999 25 $ 250,000 17 $ 210,025

          $5,000-9,999 40 $ 200,000 14 $ 73,080

          $3,000-4,999 45 $ 135,000 16 $ 51,960

         $2,000-2,999 60 $ 120,000 9 $ 20,910

         up to 1,999 many $ 70,000 66 $ 38,005

         

TOTALS 183 plus many $ 3,000,000 125 $ 1,475,462

Think big in small steps

Some examples…..• $25K gifts ($674/month for three years)• $10K gifts ($278/month for three years)• $5K gifts ($139/month for three years)• $3K gifts ($85/month for three years)

OR• Quarterly payments• Semi-annual payments• Annual payments

Raleigh Charter High School provides a quality education for our students by

• Educating students to become lifetime learners

• Focusing on citizenship and academics

• But we are hoping to do more …

What if we had…

• a classroom for every teacher?

• more time to focus on the needs of individual students and educational quality?

• smaller classes and more electives for our students?

• full-time teacher to work with struggling students?

• the opportunity for staff development – conferences, seminars, and workshops?

Our Second Founding

• Please join us in making this second founding a reality.• Contact us to talk about ideas and possibilities.

– Carolyn Jackson cjackson@raleighcharterhs.org• Think big. Stretch. Be creative.• Commit your support to this exciting opportunity.• Encourage others to support this effort.• If you are looking for a place where you can truly make a

difference, where you can leave your mark, consider this opportunity to join a worthy cause that will secure the RCHS experience for students and families of the future.