As its own LEA or Local Educational Agency, IVA receives funds directly from the state of CA based on student attendance and creates its single-school, single-district budget with those funds that is reviewed by IVA's Board of Directors at regular meetings of the board.
IVA is not funded or educationally directed by LBUSD though does follow all state requirements for standards and testing and enjoys a strong and positive relationship with the district.
One distinction in funding for IVA as a charter schools from a district-run school is that charters receive no or significantly less facilities funding - most charter schools pay a significant portion of their operating funding for facilities, something districts almost never do. IVA does not benefit from ballot measures and must raise funds internally to make up for these significant costs. In addition, as a small charter school, IVA's staff wears many hats and lacks extensive central office staff required to tap complex federal funding programs or grants.
Support IVA!
Support from IVA parents and the wider community is critical to our success and we need our community more than ever so that we can maintain the quality that IVA is known for and maintain a small class size of 26:1. Annually, IVA relies on the communities' generous support to continue funding our unique educational model that focuses on the whole child through virtue-based curriculum with a small class size and raises approximately $250 per student. These funds do not come from individual families alone - we ask families to give at the level they are comfortable with and reach out to our community to fund the school further. IVA's Board of Directors, PTA, and school staff have worked together to create strong fundraising initiatives including the Annual Fund and Fit-A-Thon and have raised close to $60,000 annually to maintain our small class size and personalize program.