Dear Arco Iris Families,
Charter schools, like Arco Iris, are publicly funded but do not receive the same level of support as regular public schools. Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School receives 85% of the per pupil funding allocated by the state and we have to make up the remaining 15% through fundraising. In addition, charter schools like ours are required to cover expenses that traditional public schools do not, such as technology services, rent/mortgage, etc. As a result, we operate with a considerable shortfall per student, and thus fundraising is a must for schools like ours.
The fundraising target for the school year is $1000 per student. This amount covers the gap between our existing revenue and our operating budget, in addition to contributing a small amount to the long term financial sustainability of the school.
Arco Iris has set a goal of 100% family participation to close this gap, and we provide several fundraising opportunities throughout the year to enable families to donate: Move-A-thon in October, Annual Family Give Campaign in November, and our Spring Auction in 2026. We know that some families are able to contribute more than the $1000 contribution and some will need to contribute less. Regardless of the size of your contribution, we hope that all families will find a way to financially support our school. Arco Iris is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so contributions are tax deductible in accordance with tax laws.
Your contribution goes directly into our operational budget and supports the core academic program, BSD charter requirements, facilities costs and teacher salaries. Attracting and retaining great teachers is fundamental to providing a top notch program. In recognition of this, the Arco Iris Board works to raise teacher salaries, but we still are not at the level of our local public schools.. Our goal is to offer a pay rate that is commensurate with other bilingual programs in our area. In order to do this, we need to close our funding gap. All of our efforts contribute to supporting our students in the best environment possible!
