The Foundation is a private, non-profit organization separate from Sebastopol Charter School.
The School is a public school created under California law governing the founding and operation of charter schools. The School’s sponsoring school district is the Sebastopol Union School District, which comprises the K-8 grades at Park Side, Pine Crest and Brookhaven schools. The Charter School maintains an independent relationship with the District and does not have access to any of the district facilities. Although the School receives the same funding per pupil from the state of California as other schools in the district, because it is a charter school it receives no support from the District toward its facilities and physical needs.
That’s where the Charter Foundation comes in. The Foundation is the private fundraising organization that supports the continued existence of the School. It owns the land and building which the School leases for its downtown campus, and since its inception has worked to bridge the gap between the financial needs of a Waldorf-inspired charter school and state financing.