Timothy Slater didn’t take the traditional path to headship. After 30 years as a university astronomy professor, he and his wife followed a clear call to relocate to the Dominican Republic and launch Cabrera Christian Classical Academy, which is now completing its third year. Today, the school serves students aged 4 to 14, with all classes in English and a truly international student body (native Spanish, English, German, and Portuguese speakers).
Founding a School from the Ground Up
Slater led the whole startup arc: securing community and government support, assembling facilities, and shaping an academic model rooted in classical Christian education. With his wife providing the K–12 curricular through-line, the school emphasizes wisdom, virtue, and academic rigor—designed so that what students learn at six scaffolds what they can do at sixteen.
Innovative Staffing & Funding Model
Operating in a context where philanthropy is rare locally, Slater built a donor network of about 100 U.S. partners and churches—relationships cultivated one conversation at a time. The result is a sustainable blend of almost 80% donor support and 20% tuition (about $200/month for families). On staffing, he created a pipeline of U.S. missionary teachers (who typically raise around $15,000 for a year of service) alongside gifted Dominican educators—ensuring both mission alignment and instructional quality.
Enrollment with Intentional Pace
Slater’s leadership balances mission and math: grow enrollment fast enough to sustain resources, but not so fast that quality or culture suffers. That discipline shows up in facilities planning, teacher recruitment, and program pacing—each step measured against what best serves students and families.
A Leadership Playbook Rooted in Focus
Asked for one practice every school leader should adopt, Slater is clear: time-blocking. Protect daily blocks for “important but not urgent” work—advancement campaigns, family engagement events, church partnerships—so mission-critical initiatives don’t get swallowed by the day’s emergencies.
From securing a campus to recruiting teachers, from donor development to curriculum design, Timothy Slater models what courageous, systems-minded school leadership looks like—anchored in faith, executed with discipline, and built for lasting impact.
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