Friendship Family,
This week, as we begin Phase II of virtual learning across our school community, I am anxious but also thankful.
Like many of you, I am anxious about the world in which we find ourselves. I am anxious that all of our family members and friends might not make it through and saddened by the emerging stories of how this crisis is effecting our community. I am filled with sorrow upon learning of the first loved ones of Friendship colleagues being lost to this terrible virus.
Yet, I am thankful too. Thankful for our teachers, school leaders and operational staff who are embracing this era of virtual teaching and learning with optimism, unity, innovation, humility and hard work. Thankful for our scholars and parents who are right there with us, learning and growing as we take the best of the Friendship school experience online.
I am especially thankful that the three staff members who informed us that they tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 are recovering well, with two no longer testing positive.
And I am grateful for the founder of our great organization, who didn’t know that this day would come, but prepared us to face it from a position of stability and strength.
For all of our years of existence, Friendship has operated in a very fiscally conservative manner. Starting in our fifth year, the Friendship Board of Trustees established formal reserves that set aside a portion of all operating revenue. Additionally, we established fiscal reserves for curriculum, facilities and technology. Now, in our 23rd year, we continue to maintain those reserves. While the reserves are not “rainy day” funds, our conservative approach over the years has enabled Friendship to weather storms better than most organizations.
There’s no denying the impact COVID-19 is having on our local and national economy. The robust commerce we’ve grown to expect in the District has temporarily stopped. Our District government is now reassessing its budget. Many of our peers in the public charter sector, who heavily depend on government funding for day-to-day operations, are contemplating if they should apply for federal bailout money aimed at helping small businesses and nonprofit organizations hurt by the crisis to avoid layoffs.
I know you see and feel the anxiety. I know you may have friends and loved ones who are facing financial hardship from the business shut down because of COVID-19. I know you may have seen recently articles on how charter schools are handling the financial crisis.
Here’s what you need to know. During this unprecedented time, Friendship
will
finish the 2019-20 school year strong! We are poised to start the new 2020-21 school year with confidence.
As always, we will be prudent and measure everything we do directly by our five strategic goals:
- Highest Performing
- Best Place to Work and Learn
- Every Graduate To and Through College
- Innovation and Ingenuity
- Student Voice and Agency
I’m so proud of the high standard of teaching, learning, compassion and creativity that we continue to set for public education in the nation’s capital. Anchored by our strong foundation, there’s nothing Friendship cannot accomplish together.
Virtually yours,
Patricia A. Brantley
CEO
