Residents in support of International Baccalaureate announced this week the forming of a nonprofit group to gather funds to helps its implementation in Incline's public schools.
According to a Tuesday press release from Incline resident Nancy Dey Porten, International Baccalaureate Incline Village (IBIV) is partnering with Washoe County School District to achieve the goal of “80 percent of Incline Village school students taking one or more AP or IB classes before graduation.”
The website — www.ibIncline.org — launched Tuesday.
“We've had to get our ducks in a row before we starting raising funds in earnest,” said Incline resident and IBIV founding member Tom Bruno. “When you approach individuals about donating to a cause, you need to demonstrate you have all the different components properly in place to be able to achieve your goals.”
Bruno continued: “We are serious about affording Incline students an all-around strong educational experience. Programs such as music, foreign language, the arts and athletics may need financial help from time to time, and my hope is that IBIV can provide that.”
Incline resident Nathan Hamilton is another member of IBIV.
“One of the main purposes of our IBIV website ... is to provide accurate and current information about IB in relations to our schools,” Hamilton said in the press release. “There has been a lot of speculation and misinformation about IB in the community, which we would like to clear up.”
Raising funds
The group is in the process of establishing itself as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Bruno said.
“We aren't in a position to reveal what we have raised to this point because we haven't fully pursued the fundraising portion,” Bruno said. “Once we've formed the nonprofit, have our website in order we can launch efforts to raise money.”
According to recent reports, WCSD Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez estimates the district will need an additional $150,000 for the upcoming year to cover the cost of two additional teacher allocations and application fees. The second year the district will need $210,000 for teacher allocations and fees associated with curriculum implementation.
Gary Lee announced during the Feb. 4 WCSD community seminar that residents had raised $75,000 at that point.
