School parents Jakeen and Garfield Johnson respond to the most common questions they received as chairs of the 2018-19 Annual Giving campaign. The following Q&A is abridged from an article that first appeared in the 2018-19 Report of Appreciation.
What is annual giving and why is it important?
Annual giving is a yearly fundraising effort to sustain operational expenses for the School. From teacher salaries to textbooks and classroom supplies, campus maintenance fees, field trips, and experiential learning opportunities, it costs about $22.4 million to run the School for one year. Tuition covers about 83 percent of that. That’s where philanthropy comes in, and annual giving accounts for about 5 percent of the full operating budget.
We already pay tuition, why does the School ask us to give more?
Tuition is a significant investment for ROBS families. As two working parents, we get it. We also realize that it costs more to educate each student than tuition covers. As we see it, there are two alternatives to fundraising. ROBS could either raise tuition to maintain program quality or it could cut costs. I can’t think of what I would cut from the budget because it would mean cutting something from our children’s experiences at ROBS.
I can’t think of what I would cut from the budget because it would mean cutting something from our children’s experiences at ROBS.
– JAKEEN AND GARFIELD JOHNSON
Why did you agree to chair the 2018-19 Annual Giving Campaign?
We believe ROBS does academics, character, and faith better than any other school in the city. Our children are our top priority, and we want them to continue to experience the blessing of a ROBS education this year and every year (until high school). Annual giving—among other things— makes that experience happen. Simply put, we think it’s worth it.
You can make your 2019-20 Annual Giving gift by visiting www.robs.org/giving.
