What makes Fair Share essential to our school?

One of the elements of Pathfinder’s identity that makes it possible for us to be who we are is our status as an independent school. The crucial aspect of this identity is agility. Independent schools are characterized by their ability to reflect upon practice, upon the nature of learning, and upon the changing world our kids are in the process of inheriting—and, above all else, by their ability to respond to those reflections. This process is what makes independent schools powerful.

These days, reforms in larger school systems focus upon active engagement in worthwhile learning. Our involvement in larger reform efforts in the Grand Traverse region have shown that schools want more meaningful relationships between teachers and students; they want kids to frame the right questions and pursue interesting answers; they want children to love learning. But they find those goals difficult to attain.

A few months ago, one principal of a conventional public school said, “We’re all just trying to be more like Pathfinder.” I’d like to think that’s a noble goal. What will make it difficult in those environments is the lack of autonomy that most schools have.

We have that autonomy. But we can only maintain it as long as we remain financially sound. Our annual fund enables us to do that, and the Fair Share philanthropic program will enable us to support the annual fund and, in turn, the school’s endowment. No independent school can cover its costs through tuition alone. We’d all be priced out of the market. So we charge what we calculate to be a reasonable amount; we offer as much support as we can to families who can’t afford that; we pay teachers less than public systems, and try to keep them happy with the freedom and professional respect they deserve; and then we beg for money. As a business plan, it’s not very sexy, but it makes true independence possible.

We’ve set a goal of $325,000 for Fair Share in 2011-2012. To this point we have already raised pledges of $66,000—including 100% participation from our devoted Board of Trustees and Faculty. Within the Pathfinder community, an average, tax-deductible donation of $2,000 per family would bring us to our goal. But what is more important than the amount is the proportion of participation.