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If you are new to Burley, welcome. You have joined more than a school - you are now part of a unique, vibrant, generous community who takes great pride in supporting a great school with a long legacy of nurturing great kids.
Part of the Burley legacy is the Friends of Burley - an all volunteer group of parents who raise funds to be spent at the discretion of the Burley Administration to benefit all students. In a typical school year, these funds are raised through one large call to give (the Annual Fund) and a variety of other large and small events that together raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. But as with everything during COVID-19, this year will look different both in how we raise our funds, and what FOB funds are being spent on.
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ESSENTIAL STAFFING
Over 50% of our fundraising goal this year (reflects temporary spending reduction from a year without music).
The funding of essential staff represents over 68% of Friends of Burley's spending in a typical year. Burley's best-in-class curriculum and stellar reputation mean that the school attracts some of the most talented teachers in the Chicagoland area. Our school takes pride in investing in teacher growth and development with continuing educational opportunities, many funded by Friends of Burley (An anticipated additional expenditure of over $28,000 for professional development in both remote learning best practices and typical curriculum support). As a result, Burley attracts and retains talented teachers with years of experience, impeccable qualifications and a commitment to educational innovation. These are the reasons the entire teacher salary expense cannot be covered by a typical CPS budget.
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TECHNOLOGY
Estimated $50,000 Investment.
It's a great time to be a technology magnet school. Year after year of innovative thinking and a focus on using devices for creativity, collaboration, and communication has put Burley in an extraordinarily fortunate position as our school pivots to digital. The last 10 years of contributions to Friends of Burley has also left us an incredible legacy - thanks to this generosity, Burley now has a 1:1 device-to-student ratio. This means on day 1 of school each Burley student will be ready to learn with a Chromebook or iPad preloaded with tools needed to access curriculum and collaborate with their classes. The benefits of this technology legacy are innumerable - less class time spent troubleshooting tech problems, each and every student ready to learn and connect on day 1 of learning, and matching devices that streamline usage and make it easier for teachers to teach instead of troubleshoot. To protect and update FOB's investment in technology as these devices leave the building, FOB funds will be used to purchase protective cases for these devices and various tech subscriptions to help teachers recreate the classroom experience in a digital environment. These two items add up to an anticipated $20,000 in spending. An additional $30,000 will be spent on upgrading Burley teacher technology - replacing laptops and purchasing tools like microphones and document cameras that make teaching remotely more efficient and effective.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY UPGRADES ABOVE AND BEYOND CPS ALLOCATION
Estimated $40,000.
It is no easy feat to take a building built in 1896 and bring it up 2020 COVID-19 health and safety standards. But with the support and partnership of CPS and some innovative thinking on the part of our administrative team, many significant upgrades are being planned and implemented at this time in preparation for the safe return of students to the building for in person learning. Friends of Burley funds might possibly be needed to cover: social distancing supports and additional hand-washing stations to make frequent hand washing more accessible building-wide and relieve restroom congestion. As we continue to collaborate with CPS on health and safety upgrades to the building, we will keep the community updated on ways FOB funds will be needed to support this effort.
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ART AND STEAM KITS
Estimated $30,000 Investment.
Friends of Burley will be funding quarterly Art and Steam supply kits for each child to use at home while school is virtual. This will ensure each child has the tools needed to participate in these classes regardless of what can be found in their household and make teaching more effective giving each child access to identical materials.
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FRIENDS OF BURLEY NEEDS YOUR HELP
A legacy of giving has allowed Burley school to pivot to digital learning providing great stability in an uncertain time. This year we will be depending on our community to continue this legacy by engaging in fundraising that will look a little different than in previous years. The Annual Fund, FOB's single largest fundraiser which raises up over 50% of funds raised in a typical year, will be launching soon. We hope to replace our larger events with virtual opportunities that allow us to get together (got an idea? Get involved at friendsofburley.org), connect with one another and raise the funds that our school depends on.
This school year, many things will be different. But thanks to the caliber of the Burley staff, the legacy of parent investment and the commitment from you, the Burley School Community, the most important things never change. With gratitude, Mark McClain, President, Friends of Burley
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