Dear BCE Supporters,

Thank you for caring so much about the future of every TK–8 student in the Burlingame School District (BSD). Because of your generosity, BCE is proud to award $3.035 million for the 2025–26 school year. This is our largest grant in Foundation history. This incredible milestone includes $2.96 million raised through the Annual Campaign and, for the first time ever, an additional $75,000 contribution from the BCE Endowment Fund.

Reaching this moment took years of community commitment. The Endowment’s growth to over $2 million, stemming from work that began in 2017, allowed us to draw from it for the first time and increase our overall impact. This is a milestone not just for BCE, but for Burlingame, and a powerful sign of what we can achieve together.

This record-breaking grant will fund 20 essential teaching positions across BSD in music, performing arts, world language, physical education, wellness, and academic intervention. This investment provides our students with opportunities that simply do not exist in most public school districts in California. Rising costs and California’s structural funding limitations continue to widen the gap between what our schools receive and what it actually takes to offer a well-rounded education. BSD still operates with the lowest per-student funding in San Mateo County, making community support not just helpful, but vital.

And our community showed up!

This year, we saw increased participation across the board, with increased participation from families, alumni, grandparents, friends, and an especially strong showing from our Burlingame business community, which had its largest year of giving yet. Volunteers powered our events, rallied neighbors, and helped spread the word. BCE also supported the successful campaign for Measure GG, ensuring BSD will have incremental parcel tax funding to recruit and retain strong teachers. Every action, every donation, every shared conversation made a difference.

We are immensely proud of what we accomplished together in 2024–25. This is what makes Burlingame special. We are a community that refuses to accept less for its children and steps forward, time and again, to ensure our schools remain strong.

Even with this record grant, costs keep rising, staffing needs continue to grow, and funding formulas in California remain insufficient. To maintain current programs and to respond to new needs, we must keep reaching out, keep giving, and keep showing our collective belief in the power of great public schools.

As we look ahead, we hope you will continue to:

• Give early in the school year and at a level that is meaningful to your family.

• Volunteer your time, skills, and leadership alongside our all-volunteer board and school leaders.

• Invite others to join you. We need neighbors, friends, alumni families, and community partners who share our commitment to supporting Burlingame’s students.

• Consider donating to the BCE Endowment which seeks to provide longer term stability to our district.

Together, we can continue to strengthen our district, uplift our teachers, and ensure that every Burlingame student has access to the rich, well-rounded education they deserve.

With heartfelt gratitude,

BCE Board of Directors