WCS Principal Christine Smith still remembers her first visit to campus.  “The classroom environment was what it should be, the kids were engaged,” she said.

With 8 years as an elementary teacher and a new administrative credential under her belt, Smith was trying to decide whether to apply for the position of principal. “When I saw what the teachers were doing I felt this could work for me.”

Despite the idyllic classroom scenes, she knew from experience – including having her own three children attend charter schools – that being principal at WCS would bring challenges. And that’s exactly what she wanted.

During her teaching career, Smith gravitated toward leadership roles, serving on teacher committees, representing teachers to the administration and filling in as vice principal. She enjoyed guiding her classrooms as a teacher, but longed to guide an entire school.

“We’re off to a really good start,” she said. “I started talking with the board and finding out what we want to do. I realized we need a long-term plan. To get to where we really want to be, we need to step it up a notch. We want to be able to maintain our current state but also plan for the future. We’ll need to add staff, update computers and things like that.”

With limited public funding, all schools struggle to make ends meet, but charter schools make an even greater commitment to fund special programs and a curriculum that deliver what’s outlined in their charters.

Smith took the lead at WCS knowing she’d have the backing of the school community to accomplish the school’s goals.

“Charter schools give parents ownership in the school, and they’re more willing to do what it takes to make the school a quality school,” she said. “The teachers amaze me every day. They go above and beyond. Everyone’s kind of together building a dream and a vision.”

Building a dream and a vision involves crunching a lot of numbers. Smith manages the school budget, which is based on state and district funds, then draws on donations, grants and loans to pay for items off the “wish list” she asked teachers and parents to create when she arrived at WCS.

Smith takes the budget (which is prepared by a district finance consultant) to the WCS Board for approval. Then she approaches the WAVE parent committee to get support for the funding she’ll need – $300,000 for the 2007-08 school year.

“We came up with a fundraising goal of $300,000 by looking at how we’re currently running the school, and we have adequate supplies, but we’re operating with the grant money and loan proceeds.” That means starting now to plan for the future when grants and loans may not materialize.

To generate the required funds, the WCS Fundraising Committee develops a strategy that Smith and the WAVE must approve. The goal is to fund the budget, keep WCS financially healthy and show support from the school community.

“We don’t want to go into reserves,” she said. “When we apply for grants or when it’s time for charter renewal, it’s important to be financially stable. If we have support from outside the school, it shows people support the school.”

Supporting the school can mean many things and Smith is full of creative ideas. “Everybody can participate in some way,” she said. “Quite a few families might have trouble writing a check, but if you work somewhere maybe your entire office can donate its ink cartridges.”

She has seen families hold fundraisers, bake sales, yard sales and donate supplies or services from a family business, saving money that can be spent elsewhere.

At WCS donated funds help pay for Spanish every day, art and physical education, the International Primary Curriculum and a lot of little extras. One priority expressed by parents has been to retain quality teachers by providing a supportive school environment.

Smith says the extra help lets the teachers focus on teaching and in turn makes their work more rewarding. Parents can help teachers by volunteering the classroom or making copies in the office.

With WAVE support she created a classroom supply fund so teachers don’t have to dip into their own pockets like so many public school teachers. WAVE also helps support stipends for teachers who take on extra duties. WCS was also able to provide a small moving bonus for teachers this year.

Working together, Smith believes the WCS community can create an environment where students and teachers thrive and help her reach her five-year goal: seeing eighth graders graduate from WCS.

“I’m steering the ship,” she said. “But you guys – the parents and teachers – are the engine. I see the icebergs and you help me steer around them to reach our destination.”