School Funding 101: Why Do Burlingame Schools Need BCE?
Updated: Oct 18
Do you have questions about why our schools never seem to have enough funding? You're not the only one!
If you’re a parent in the Burlingame School District (BSD), you may have wondered: We live in one of the most expensive places in California, so why do our public schools need an education foundation to help pay for teachers and programs?
It’s a fair question. The answer is a little more complicated than you might expect. The way California funds public education isn’t always straightforward, and living in a community with high property values doesn’t necessarily mean more money for local schools. Burlingame is in a somewhat unusual position compared with many of our neighboring districts.
Here’s how the funding system works, where Burlingame fits in, and why BCE is an important part of the picture.
First, a Little Background on California School Funding
California has come a long way in funding public education, but there’s still a gap between what schools receive and what it costs to educate students in a high-cost area like ours. Following the Great Recession, California school funding fell to historic lows. In 2011–12, the state ranked 44th nationally in per-student spending. Districts faced major cuts, teacher layoffs, and even shortened school years.
State investment has increased considerably since then. California now ranks 16th nationally in per-student spending. That sounds encouraging, but there’s a catch: when you account for regional labor and living costs, California falls to 31st. In other words, education dollars don’t go nearly as far here as they might elsewhere, especially when districts must compete to attract and retain great teachers.
Why Doesn’t Our Property Tax Revenue Cover More?
To understand property tax limitations, we have to go back to 1978, when California voters passed Proposition 13. Proposition 13 generally limited property taxes to one percent of assessed value and capped annual increases in assessed value at two percent until a property changes ownership. Proposition 13 also changed the relationship between local property taxes and school funding.
Today, California districts generally fall into two categories:
State-Funded Districts (LCFF)
Most districts receive funding through the state’s Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF. You can think of it as a funding bucket. The state calculates a district’s entitlement based on factors including student attendance and demographics, such as the number of English learners, foster youth, and low-income students. Local property taxes help fill the bucket first. If they don’t reach the calculated amount, the state makes up the difference.
Community-Funded Districts (Basic Aid)
Some districts collect more in local property taxes than the state formula would otherwise provide. These districts, often called Basic Aid or community-funded districts, generally retain that additional local revenue. As a result, some can spend significantly more per student than districts that depend on the state formula.
Statewide, only about 13 percent of districts are Basic Aid. In San Mateo County, however, approximately 74 percent, or 17 of 23 districts, fall into this category. That makes our county a little unusual, and it helps explain why neighboring school districts can have very different resources.
So Where Does Burlingame Fit In?
BSD serves approximately 3,500 TK–8 students at six elementary schools and one middle school. Despite Burlingame’s strong property values, BSD is among the lowest-funded districts in San Mateo County on a per-student spending basis and depends on BCE's grant to provide five percent of its annual budget paying for teachers that wouldn’t otherwise be funded.
How can that be? Burlingame sits near the line between state-funded and Basic Aid status. Our local property tax revenue does not consistently exceed the amount calculated under the state formula, unlike the revenue in many neighboring districts. This means we are usually LCFF but can flip to Basic Aid should property tax revenues be slightly higher in a year.
One piece of the puzzle is our housing market. More than half of Burlingame’s housing stock consists of rental properties. Families may move in and out, but the buildings themselves often stay under the same ownership for many years. Under Proposition 13, assessed values on those properties generally rise by no more than two percent annually, even when market values increase much faster.
Meanwhile, we’re fortunate to have a growing school district, and the costs of providing an excellent education, from salaries to student services, continue to rise. Local property tax revenue doesn’t always keep pace.
BSD also does not receive the same level of additional state funding available to districts with higher concentrations of students who meet certain need-based criteria. The result is a funding picture that can look surprisingly different from those of our neighbors.
How Our Community Helps Close the Gap
The good news is that Burlingame has a long history of investing in its public schools. Through voter-approved parcel taxes and contributions to BCE, local funding provides approximately $8.5 million annually, which is about 14 percent of BSD’s operating budget. These dollars stay 100 percent local to Burlingame.
Parcel Taxes: Protecting the Essentials
Approximately $5.5 million annually | 9.1% of BSD’s budget
Voter-approved parcel taxes help protect essential staffing, manage class sizes across TK–8 classrooms, and preserve core instruction in math, science, reading, and writing. They provide an important foundation for our schools.
BCE: Supporting Additional Teachers and Programs
$3+ million annually | about 5% of BSD’s budget
BCE’s annual grant helps fund teaching and specialist positions that the district would not otherwise be able to support. These include credentialed educators who bring music, performing arts, physical education, world language and early intervention support into the Burlingame school experience. For students, these are meaningful parts of the school day, not simply line items in a budget.
What Does the BCE Grant Actually Support?
For the 2026–27 school year, BCE will provide a $3.21 million grant to BSD, supporting more than 20 additional teaching and specialist positions across our seven schools.
BCE follows a “raise this year, grant next year” model. Donations raised during one school year, from July 1 through June 30, support the grant made to the district the following Fall. That timing matters. As teacher salaries and other operating costs increase, BCE sometimes needs to raise more simply to sustain the positions and programs already in place.
The Bottom Line: How Burlingame Funds Strong Schools
California’s school funding system is complicated, and Burlingame’s place within it is somewhat unique. High property values don’t automatically translate into higher school funding. State funding, local parcel taxes, and BCE’s annual grant work together to support the well-rounded education our families value.
Understanding how those pieces fit together helps explain why community investment has been part of Burlingame public schools for decades. Strong schools are something our whole community helps make possible.
Ways to Get Involved
If you’d like to be part of that ongoing community effort, there are several ways to participate. Most importantly, please donate to BCE. Gifts at every level help support teaching positions and programs for Burlingame students. You can also support by:
Participating in community events. Join the BCE Read-a-thon, support the annual fundraising campaign, or attend the BCE Fundraising Soirée.
Taking advantage of employer matching. Many companies match eligible employee donations.
Volunteering! Get involved with BCE or your school’s PTA to support students and connect with other families.
We are grateful for the support from parents, businesses, community members and friends of BCE who make our annual grant possible each year. BCE’s grant benefits all students in the district and helps our Burlingame community and schools stay strong and desirable! Whether you give, volunteer, or simply take the time to learn how our schools are funded, thank you for being part of the Burlingame school community.
