Endowment
UCDS Forever Endowment Campaign
In 2005, the UCDS Board produced a five-year strategic plan that established "Investing in Teachers" as its runaway top priority. The three primary sub-points:
- Increase Teacher Compensation. The data indicated that we trailed local peer schools by roughly $5,000 per teacher per year, a gap explained primarily by the expense of our unique Resident Program.
- Sustain the Teaching Culture. The Board remained committed to team teaching and to the Resident Program which anchors our 8:1 student-teacher ratios and individualized education.
- Access. The Board remained committed to need blind admission and our Financial Aid program.
After years of work, in 2009 the UCDS Forever Endowment Campaign addressed these goals head-on by increasing the UCDS Endowment to $10 million. Proceeds from the Endowment are already elevating teacher salaries to market levels without persistent upward pressure on tuition; preserve the Resident Program; and ensure access to our teachers' unique curriculum via Financial Aid.
Endowing an elementary school…is that common?
Not on the west coast. We're leading the pack. We are fortunate to have the Labyrinth paid off while peer schools fight rising interest rates on the bonds they used to finance their projects. With this Endowment we're trying to secure our people. Lots of east coast schools have done this and if we are successful here, we won't face the college-level tuitions that we see there. The more you look at it, the more a predictable, sustainable revenue source makes sense. This is something we're very proud of!
