THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHARITABLE TRUST Preliminary Request for Funding (PRF) Proposal For the Core Team Scoring TRINITY CLASSICAL ACADEMY FINANCIAL DETAILS (16-08211) REQUEST AMOUNT: $ 81500 PROJECT BUDGET: $ 81500 INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL PERCENT OF PROJECT REQUESTED: 100% Trinity Classical Academy in Santa Clarita, CA was founded in 2001 ORGANIZATION’S BUDGET: $ 6300000 with 28 students in kindergarten through second grade. Its mission and vision: to become a K-12 classical, Christian, college REQUEST DETAILS preparatory academy, to produce young men and women of PRIMARY CONTACT: CAMILLE FAY virtue, wisdom, purpose and courage. Sixteen years later, true to this mission and having exceeded its vision by adding Transitional CECT GIVING HISTORY HISTORICAL FUNDING AMOUNT: Kindergarten, Trinity has grown to 575 students in TK - 12th grade. NO PREVIOUS FUNDING. Additionally, six years ago Trinity opened the Imago Dei School (Latin for “In the image of God”) which is a one-of-a kind school PROJECTED TIMEFRAME: within a school for students with learning and developmental START DATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 disabilities. Students in Imago Dei benefit from individualized END DATE: MAY 25, 2018 instruction in core academics taught by passionate educators trained in academic remediation and mediated learning strategies. Trinity is among the largest and fastest growing classical, Christian schools in the country offering: • A Christian worldview taught through the integration of faith and learning with students representing 68 churches in Santa Clarita Valley and beyond • The classical tradition of teaching: a time-honored method and a staple in Western culture including the studies of Latin, logic and rhetoric • Outstanding faculty with numerous advanced degrees that truly love teaching and understand the goals of classical, Christian education • Fine Arts taught by faculty who are professionals in their field • Educational therapy for students with learning disabilities, auditory processing and language acquisition difficulties • Tuition assistance for families in need; serving the entire body of Christ socioeconomically • Dual Credit Enrollment through Colorado Christian University and The Master’s University (45 units) Despite Trinity’s consistent and accelerated growth, in recent years attrition has grown due to families choosing to homeschool for financial reasons. While the number of new families coming to Trinity increases each year, many of those families are replacing an existing Trinity family for whom tuition assistance simply cannot bridge the entire gap of the cost of tuition and what the family can afford. THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHARITABLE TRUST SUMMARY OF THE REQUEST As a result of an ever-growing home-based independent study community, Trinity is responding to a twofold need both internally and externally. Internally Trinity needs to address an increase in attrition from families who can no longer afford the high cost of tuition, even with tuition assistance. Externally, the homebased independent study community has an academic and cultural gap in its educational experience that parents seek to fill through Trinity. One creative solution addresses both of these needs, and for this reason Trinity Classical Academy seeks to pilot the Libertas School (Libertas). For Trinity, Libertas will allow us to creatively expand our enrollment base, increase revenue and sustainability and further develop our programs, curricular and co-curricular with like-minded families who are aligned with Trinity’s overall mission. At this time, no other school in Santa Clarita Valley offers such a program, making Libertas the flagship opportunity for the 3200 independent learners in our area. For the local independent learner, Libertas would function as a Private Satellite Program (PSP), allowing Christian families to participate in existing Trinity classes, athletics, fine arts and the vibrant student and family culture in an affordable fashion, allowing them the liberty to create and manage their own educational experience. The PSP provides many advantages similar to the University Model School (UMS) that is gaining popularity among home-based independent school families in other parts of the country. Both the PSP and the UMS models provide a bridge between the homeschool family and enrollment in the traditional classroom. All classes, grades and transcripts will be approved, monitored and assessed for the student. Consistent with Trinity’s general application process, these families would be expected to be a part of a local Christian fellowship with at least one parent with a profession of faith, vetted through a family interview process, and participate in certain levels of the larger Trinity culture and needs. The benefits allow for the independent learning community to be part of a larger thriving Christian educational community. It allows Trinity to sustain and grow by having more students in its upper school community to participate in athletics, fine arts and various classes. Students in the high school would be able to attend chapels and participate in Trinity's house system where houses compete with one another through academic competitions and spirit days. Trinity offers 40 different athletic teams and nearly 30 fine arts opportunities to students of all ages. With the ever-changing educational landscape, this allows Trinity to extend its excellent education to those who might not be able to afford it, but have a desire and a heart for classical, Christian education and want their children immersed in a Christ-centered student culture. Overall, Trinity’s Libertas School broadens the reach to our surrounding community and opens a new stream of revenue for Trinity without continuing to increase tuition at the conventional and unsustainable model of 7% each year. As the program grows and becomes fully sustainable, additional resources will be directed toward Trinity’s tuition assistance, developing new programs, hiring new faculty and expanding facilities. An initial outreach effort to former Trinity families who left to homeschool for financial reasons indicates the interest level is high. Trinity initiated a “micro-launch” of Libertas with one student this fall enrolled in a class and participating in a non-CIF sport. This one student allows Trinity to immediately implement a THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHARITABLE TRUST plan in an unofficial capacity, achieve proof of concept quickly and easily, and begin to collect feedback and therefore adapt solutions for the official launch of the pilot program. ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECT Consistent with the MVP approach, we view success by creating and implementing the following plan: 1. Research three schools already implementing a PSP to determine viability and best business practices in similar socioeconomic regions. 2. File necessary paperwork to establish ourselves as a PSP in the state of California. 3. Obtain appropriate documentation for students to participate in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) under the umbrella of Trinity athletics. 4. Craft internal procedural documents including: a. Acceptance requirements b. Enrollment application c. Parent Student Handbook d. Code of Conduct 5. Launch a marketing campaign in December 2016, including some of the following; a. Direct mail b. Radio advertising c. Newspaper/Magazine advertising 6. For the 2017/18 enrollment year, we have set a goal of enrolling 15 to 20 upper school students in grades 7-12. a. 5 of whom will take one or more existing Trinity upper school classes on campus. b. 10 of whom take two or more existing Trinity upper school classes on campus c. The remaining 5 will be 100% independent; d. 3 of 20 students will contract college advisement services e. 5 of 20 students will contract SAT Prep services 7. For the 2018/19 year, we are hoping for a 20% enrollment growth. 8. Students receive a separate diploma from Libertas School. Test the solution or product: Participating families will have multiple opportunities throughout the school year to ask questions or give feedback regarding their student’s experience. Libertas School Program Coordinator and Trinity administrators will solicit feedback from student participants directly. 1. Existing opportunities include: a. Trinity’s Head of School, Upper School Principal and Grammar School Principal host periodic question and answer coffee gatherings. Families fellowship with other parents and ask questions in an open forum. b. Parent/Teacher conferences provide both students and parents the opportunity to hear directly from teachers how they are doing, to ask questions and strategize goals for success. c. The New Family Liaison model of feedback affords parents the chance twice each year to gather with lead administrators and other families to fellowship, check in, share their experiences and ask questions. THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHARITABLE TRUST d. Monthly Parent Teacher Fellowship meetings are an open forum for questions and an opportunity for Libertas families to fellowship with Trinity families. e. Trinity’s Executives and Administrative team have an open door policy and are always responsive to scheduling a convenient time for appointments. 2. New opportunities to provide: a. Regularly scheduled team meetings for the Libertas Coordinator, Trinity’s Head of School, Director of Admissions and Trinity’s Upper School Principal b. Mid and end of year meetings with each participating parent and the Libertas Program Coordinator c. Mid and end of year meetings with each