Woods Charter School Foundation benefit auction raises record-breaking amount

May 2, 2018

Chatham County, NC – The Woods Charter School Foundation held a benefit auction on Saturday, April 21 at the Briar Chapel clubhouse. The event raised over $130K to support Woods Charter School. More than $78,000 came from “Raise the Paddle” donations that will go directly to the school’s faculty in the form of an end-of-year supplement. The generosity of participants helped the foundation exceed their annual fund goal of $250,000.

The Wanderlust Raffle winner was Woods Charter School 7th/8th grade teacher Elizabeth Wood. She is going to Tuscany.

Wanderlust Raffle winner Woods Charter School 7th/8th grade teacher Elizabeth Wood.
(photo by Gene Galin)

Raffle Basket winners were:
Family Fun – Oscar Stapleton
Fun in the Sun – Jessica Bailey
Rainy Day – Joy Krawczel
Sports – James Lincoln
Take Me Away – Dan and Tanja Bauer
We Hope You Win A Lotto – James Farrell
Wine-O – Marschellina Ulrich

Woods Charter School was granted it’s founding charter in 1998. As a charter school, Woods must adhere to the same standards as traditional public schools, however, Woods is self-governed. This autonomy gives Woods the freedom to offer more creativity and flexibility in their curriculum, thereby offering tremendous options for students. Their dedicated faculty and active families are the main drivers in creating the vibrant learning environment and the school’s success is evident in the lively engagement you can see within the classrooms.

2018 Woods Charter School Foundation Auction Benefit at Briar Chapel clubhouse.
(photo by Gene Galin)

Woods Charter School is recognized as being among the best. For example, US News & World Report ranks Woods 4^th best public high school in North Carolina and 104^th best in the nation (top 0.5% in the country).

Charter schools are not eligible for North Carolina Education Lottery funds nor local bond funds. School districts must appropriate a per-pupil allocation of public school funds to charter schools, but they are not required to share capital expense appropriations. As a result, Woods Charter School’s regular local and state funding only covers approximately 83% of the school budget.

The Woods Charter School Foundation works to bridge the gap between the funding shortage and what is needed to make a Woods education a Woods education. Each year, the foundation raises money for an annual fund, which is used to support the school in three ways: curricular materials, professional development and an end-of-year faculty supplement.