A Family  Cooperative

We operate as a cooperative so we can serve students and families with varying levels of income, while also modeling to our children the importance of working together toward a common purpose despite the different backgrounds we represent. Diversity in education and cooperation across differences are core values of the school and of our family-integrated cooperative. Our cooperative model works because of the combined efforts of our participating families and the love and commitment they have for our community.

​

Annual Co-op Requirements:

• 80 co-op hours per year (40 hours per semester)

• 2 work days per year (1 per semester)

Read more about annual co-op requirements here.

 

General Co-op Meetings: General co-op meetings are scheduled throughout the year. Here, we conduct official school business—voting on our annual budget, holding elections—but these are also spaces for transparent communication and deliberation of all aspects of the operations of the school.

​

Committees: Additionally, co-op members serve on the committees that do key work in running our school, so they are directly involved in planning and communicating out to the co-op as a whole.

​

Fundraisers and Events: Fundraisers and events are organized by co-op members, both to financially support our school and to build awareness of our school and mission in the greater San Antonio community.

​

Our cooperative model is a unique example of democratic community in action: we equally value all members of our community and empower them to lead, collaborate, and work together for the good of our school. Our co-op runs in an almost entirely horizontal way, so that we are continuously and consciously co-leading.

​

Though each part of the school has areas of special focus, there is overlapping communication, collaboration, and consensus-building. Our teachers, staff, and parents/co-op members are deeply involved in plans, proposals, and policies at every stage: envisioning, organizing, and implementing.