Bradley-Cleveland Public Education Foundation reports more than $12.1 million in support and outlines fellowship funding

Representatives of the Bradley-Cleveland Public Education Foundation told the school board that private contributions and targeted grants continue to expand student and staff opportunities across Bradley County.

"We are now over $12,000,000 of private funding being brought into public education," BCPEF president Chris Anziano said during the midyear update. Executive director Lynn Volz said that the foundation has distributed teacher grants and supported professional development, telemedicine partnerships and STEM Hub programming in the district.

Volz provided financial details: teacher grants this year totaled $66,000 across 14 schools; grant-funded programming year-to-date surpassed $500,000; and targeted professional development funding grew from $2,000 in a previous brief to nearly $30,000 as of the presentation. Telemedicine partnerships were described as expanding: Anziano and Volz said 723 telemedicine visits had been offered and 431 visits completed as of two weeks before the meeting.

Volz also described the LEAD fellowship, now in its fourth cohort, and said two private foundations have provided multi-year support, including a renewed four-year commitment totaling $360,000 to sustain fellowship programming. The foundation said its investments support coursework, teacher awards and experiential programs such as BizTown and DECA.

Board members thanked BCPEF for its partnerships and for expanding opportunities such as BizTown and the planned Junior Achievement Innovation Hub. The foundation invited board members to Vision 100 and the spring "Gives, Gramma and Gratitude" luncheon, and noted upcoming fundraising events and donor outreach.

The presentation did not request new district funds; most items described were privately funded or supported by external grants and partners.