The kick-off reception featured a Q&A with elected leaders, focused on the challenges of public school funding in Burlingame.
On the evening of Wednesday, September 18, Burlingame’s public education advocates turned out for an exclusive Q&A with Mayor Donna Colson and School Board Trustee Doug Brown. Hosted at the Andra Norris Art Gallery, BCE organized the event as their inaugural Leadership Circle Reception. The night celebrated the generosity of top donors, giving attendees a chance to learn more about how BCE’s $2.8M grant, parcel taxes, and state funds are currently used by Burlingame School District, as well as a glimpse of what the future might hold for local school funding.
With BCE’s own VP of Business Development Christina Funk and BCE Treasurer Anthony Jones standing in as emcees, Mayor Colson and Trustee Brown fielded questions on housing and projected school enrollment, how new businesses in the city might support public schools, and upcoming Ballot Measure GG, which proposes a new parcel tax to support teacher salaries.
Mayor Colson urged the group to continue their support of BSD schools through donations to BCE, as well as voting yes on Measure GG in November. She was quick to point out that funds generated through BCE and the potential parcel tax stay in Burlingame, helping the city to grow and thrive. “I’m going to tell you right now, the best thing we can do is invest in our schools. When you invest in your schools, people buy houses. They want to live here, and businesses want to be here. Businesses are investing in our city because our schools are good,” she explained, citing a Culinary Arts program at Burlingame High School that has been attracting hotels and restaurateurs with the hireability of its graduates.
“In Burlingame, we are the envy of the Peninsula. Everywhere I go people call me… ‘Can I come to Burlingame? I want to see your schools!’” —Mayor Donna Colson
Trustee Brown hoped that attendees walked away from the reception with renewed commitment to support the school district through BCE donations and volunteering. “The best part of the night was seeing the high level of engagement from this very dedicated BSD community. Donors were able to learn how school funding works and why the BCE grant and parcel revenues are so critical to the District,” he said.
BCE President Jen Faber agreed. “It was one stop shopping for our Burlingame public school supporters. We were able to launch BCE’s new Leadership Circle with a fun and engaging conversation, and a lot of folks heard about Measure GG for the first time and picked up a lawn sign!” she said. Those signs will start appearing in yards across the city as volunteers work to sway voters to pass the new parcel tax at the November 5 General Election.
“Voting and activism are great ways to work on structural funding issues for our community's public schools. You can have immediate and significant local impact by voting yes on Measure GG and donating to BCE.” —BCE President Jen Faber
The crowd included passionate members from each BSD school community, including plenty of alumni and those who brought up their kids through Burlingame public schools. “I love that we were all in such a beautiful space learning about how the city and the schools work together and that it's not a one or the other situation, it's a both. We need to invest in things that support our schools, and that in turn supports the city,” said BCE Executive Director Meredith Dunn, reflecting on the night.
The BCE Leadership Circle celebrates our most generous donors who demonstrate unparalleled commitment through their substantial contributions of $10,000 or more annually. These top donors inspire others to join in the BCE mission and set the tone for the impact philanthropy can have on our Burlingame School District Community. Leadership Circle donors enjoy all the benefits of a Scholar’s Circle donor while also gaining access to exclusive Leadership circle events twice a year. These events are created to connect our most generous donors, BSD school leadership as well as influential people in our community to foster communication, understanding and idea sharing, as we strive to create excellent Burlingame public schools.
A huge thank you goes out to Mayor Colson and Trustee Brown, the Andra Norris Art Gallery for hosting the event, as well as Twelvemonth for donating a gift certificate as a raffle prize for the reception. We’re grateful for wine donations from Hand of God Wines.
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