Veritas Classical Academy has contracted with Crescendo Fundraising Professionals, LLC, to conduct a Campaign Readiness Study Summit on May 11 – 12, 2023, to determine the financial capacity, leadership potential, general interest and economic climate for a $6M campaign to begin summer/fall 2023. There will be a combination of online public survey, focus groups, and confidential interviews to inform the study recommendations for the Board of Directors.
VCA is a tuition-free, non-religious, public charter school that will seek to initially serve kindergarten through 5th-grade students in the fall of 2024, with a goal of expanding to serve grades K-12 within six years of opening. VCA will select students through a lottery system, which will guarantee equal opportunity to anyone wanting to attend. Veritas Classical Academy is open to everyone.
Initially, VCA will begin operations from an interim location, and then, after five or six years, will transition to a permanent location. Neither location is yet determined but ideally both will be centrally located in the Chippewa Valley. VCA intends to serve students living within a 20-mile radius of the initial location, which includes portions of nine school districts (Altoona, Eau Claire, Fall Creek, Augusta, Elk Mound, Colfax, Chippewa Falls, Cadott and Bloomer) and three counties, all of which have similar community needs.
VCA will be funded through CAM (Charter Asset Management) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) per student aid. Currently, charter schools receive approximately two-thirds of the state-allotted amount per student. The student’s home district retains the other one-third. VCA will not utilize funds from local districts but will receive taxpayer and grant funding. Additional private and public grant, transportation, special education service, and food service funding will support Veritas Classical Academy as well as private donations.
“VCA began in January 2020 when a group of community members with diverse backgrounds identified a need in the community for additional education choices that help students develop academically and personally. At Veritas, we’re focused on redefining success to include academics as well as a child’s character. We’re excited about placing specific focus on partnering with parents to create whole, ethically responsible, and well-educated thinkers through the use of a classical curriculum in a free public non-denominational based school,” said Kim Senn, interim Veritas Board President.
VCA is a licensed user of and will follow the Hillsdale K-12 Charter School Initiative’s curriculum that provides a classical education that is content-rich across math, science, English language arts and history — with emphasis on music, art and foreign language. The Hillsdale K-12 Charter School Initiative curriculum seeks to educate not just for the sake of learning but creating a lifelong learner. The model encourages training the person, instead of training the brain to memorize information. Mind, body and soul/spirit are of extreme value in the Hillsdale K-12 Charter School Initiative curriculum. Teachers focus on modelling and guiding these areas each day.
The school will employ a unique approach to education by emphasizing individual wellness and challenging students to both excel in the classroom and in humanity. The teachers and staff devoted to VCA students will know the significance of diving deeper to identify and address challenges that may be a barrier to learning. Veritas Classical Academy’s education model focuses on three core pillars: A classical curriculum, an integrated, whole-person wellness approach and targeted aspects of the Finnish Education Model.
The May Study Summit will outline the most effective fundraising strategy, identify top leadership, evaluate the current and short-term economic climate, recommend a campaign goal and preliminary campaign timetable, cultivate prospective contributors and volunteers, identify possible challenges and provide the opportunity for area residents to voice their opinions.
The public is invited to provide your feedback on the project and potential campaign by completing a short online survey. Please complete the survey located on the Home Page of the website at veritasclassical.com. The deadline to complete the survey is May 31st, 2023. For more information, please email Kim at info@veritasclassical.com.
Crescendo Fundraising Professionals, LLC has widespread and successful experience assisting nonprofits in fundraising studies and capital campaigns for new facility project and improvements, expansion projects, and endowments. The firm has 25 years of experience and has completed over 46 successful campaigns.
Contact: Kim Senn, info@veritasclassical.com