This is one of five case studies from the National Association of Independent Schools about schools that are making nontraditional funding models work for the benefit of low-income students. See the full set of case studies.
Profile: Community Partnership School (CPS) serves 90 to 95 students annually in pre-K–5th grade. Of these, 100 percent are African American or multiracial, and all qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
History: Community Partnership School began as a collaboration between Germantown Academy, which had trouble recruiting low-income students to its suburban location, and Project HOME, a nationally recognized nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness. The two organizations wanted to reach children in the 19121 and 19132 ZIP codes of north-central Philadelphia, an area characterized by high rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, CPS is the first private inner-city school created by another nonsectarian private school in partnership with a social service agency.
Community members from Germantown Academy and Project HOME organized the drive to raise the school’s seed money, around $1 million. The founders believed that a quality education combined with the energy and care of prepared and committed staff could allow inner-city students to elevate themselves and their community. The school opened its doors in 2006 to 34 children in pre-K through first grade and has grown since then.
Head of School Eric Jones, who’s been with the school since its second year, grew up in a low-income neighborhood and experienced firsthand the benefits of attending a quality independent school. His alma mater prepared him academically but also got him thinking about college, where he earned degrees in sociology and theology. His passion for helping other students and his empathy have been key to the school’s success.
Financial Model: The 2014–2015 budget was $1.7 million. Revenue came primarily from individuals, foundations, and corporations (76 percent); fund-raising events (17 percent); and tuition and fees (6 percent). The school has no endowment. Most students pay around $850 in annual tuition, but the cost is approximately $12,000 per student.
Although Germantown Academy and Project HOME opened numerous doors from the start, they are not able to offer significant ongoing financial support. The school’s board is critical to CPS’s success. It consists of more than two dozen individuals with ties to area religious, business, education, and higher education institutions.
Strengths:
• State initiatives that offer tax credits to companies that give to approved scholarship programs. Thirty percent of CPS’s funding comes from Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs. Enacted in 2001, these allow companies to donate their corporate state taxes to local schools.
• Relationships with area independent schools, corporations, and civic enterprises, which give CPS access to additional resources, support, and guidance.
Challenges:
• The lack of its own facility. CPS leases its space at a discount from Project HOME. But because rent still accounts for up to 15 percent of its operating costs, the school is eager to purchase or build its own facility and further solidify its presence as an independent entity. The school is in the quiet phase of a campaign to raise money for a facility and for endowment and to more than double in size.
• The demands inherent in serving students and families from difficult life circumstances. The school director of family life stays busy, and the school also has a psychologist and counselor on staff.
• The pressure to raise money. Jones commits around 50 percent of his time to fund-raising and says the board hopes to raise that amount of time to 75 percent.
More information: http://communitypartnershipschool.org/