What is the Campus Enhancement Plan?

The Campus Enhancement Plan (CEP) is a master plan to renovate and enhance the Buckley campus. The Plan will be completed in multiple phases. The first phase is The Academic and Performing Arts Building, a two-story, 19,500 square foot building, with construction beginning spring 2011 and completed in fall 2012. The second planned phase is The Science and Mathematics Building, a two-story, approximate 14,000 square foot building, with construction scheduled to begin summer 2012 and to be completed in fall 2013.

Will any programs be eliminated as a result of the Campus Enhancement Plan?

No. In fact, the additional classrooms will provide opportunities for us to expand our curriculum. After construction is completed we will have added 16 classrooms. Additional spaces will also be gained through re-purposing vacated spaces as buildings open.

How will the school operate during construction?

There will be no operational changes to school during construction, including no temporary classrooms on Gilley Field as the previous version of the master plan indicated. The school has been planning construction operations so that our full program is maintained throughout the building process.

How will parents drop students off/how will the students arrive at school?

Drop off and pick up will remain unchanged during construction.

What about parking, carpooling and busing?

The school’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) mandates carpooling, busing and requires adherence to traffic counts. Over the last two years Buckley has reduced traffic, removed queing off Stansbury and increased carpools and bus ridership. Following new construction, additional parking spaces will be achieved through reconfiguration of spaces throughout the campus. However, these additional parking spaces will not eliminate our Transportation Demand Management (TDM) requirements by the city

How is Buckley handling the noise/dust that will be generated from the project?

Mitigation of sound and dust is strictly regulated, including such measures as hosing down of dust at regular intervals, using equipment with mufflers and erecting sound barrier fencing. Because school will be in session during construction, we will take every measure to maintain an undisturbed learning environment for our students. During construction the entire site will be fenced off with no student access permitted. The city strictly regulates construction mitigation measures and because we are a school, many additional measures are being taken to ensure the absolute safety of our students. A detailed power point presentation on this can be found on our website.

Will you be adding students when you expand your campus?

Yes. The Conditional Use Permit (CUP) the city approved in October 2008 allowed us to add 80 more students. We have already added the first 20 students allowed bringing our student population to 770. The remaining 60 students will be phased in over time in accordance with the CUP, and students will be added primarily to Middle and Upper School grades.

Will tuition be increased to pay for the Campus Enhancement Plan?

Tuition is not expected to be increased beyond the average annual increase to pay for the Campus Enhancement Plan. Costs of the CEP will be funded with a capital campaign that was announced in 2008, and bridge financing has been secured that will be re-paid by campaign receipts.

How much will parents be expected to contribute to the capital campaign?

Campaign gifts will vary in size depending on each family’s ability to give. We recognize these are challenging economic times but the school’s needs require us to move ahead with our campaign. While we have already received nine gifts of $1 million or more, we know the majority of gifts will be much smaller. Gifts to Buckley, of all sizes, are critical in making the Campus Enhancement Plan a reality. Our school thrives because we have a caring and committed community, and it will take many, many people for this campaign to succeed. All gifts are appreciated and acknowledged and will move us forward to meet our goal.

Why renovate the campus now?

There have been no major renovations or additions to the campus in more than three decades, and the last new building, The Roy E. Disney Family Pavilion, was constructed more than 30 years ago.  Additional classrooms are needed to support the growth of our programs particularly for students in the Middle and Upper School.  Our specialty classrooms for performing arts and sciences need updating, and larger classrooms are needed to support project based learning and enable students to work in small groups.

When the Stansbury campus was built in the 1960s, curricula was largely one-size-fits all.
Today’s curriculum offers many more options to tailor student schedules to their abilities and interests through greatly expanded options within our core subjects, such as honors and AP sections, four languages, as well an array of electives ranging from Brain and Behavior to Technical Theater to Advanced Journalism. Expanded offerings have created a need for more sections, more classrooms and more flexibility in scheduling.

Over the years, performing arts has become a hallmark of our school. Unfortunately, our current performing arts facilities do not equal the level of our program. Buckley’s exceptional faculty members create exceptional programs in our current facilities—but imagine what they will accomplish when their teaching spaces can inspire their vision!

Priorities for Buckley also include updating facilities for our science and liberal arts classes. The Science and Academic Building will address and allow for these priorities. It is also critical for Buckley to provide renovations and upgrades to our outstanding Lower School, and these improvements will take place throughout the course of the CEP.

Additionally, most of our peer schools have either completed, are undergoing or beginning major construction projects to upgrade their campus facilities. In order to remain competitive and continue recruiting and retaining the best students and faculty possible we need to improve our campus facilities.

What are the pro-environmental features of the plan and what are the sustainable design elements in the facilities?

Thanks to the leadership of our faculty and students who raised environmental consciousness on campus, the Campus Enhancement Plan facilities will be LEED certified. The plan establishes a thoughtful and efficient academic community primarily within the center of Buckley's beautiful 18-acre campus building on existing footprints and minimizing hardscape. Green building techniques and sustainable features include:

• Integrated building control system to manage and monitor building systems efficiently.
• Energy efficiency through compact fluorescent light bulbs, other low energy light fixtures and lighting control systems, natural lighting, low water flow devices in restrooms, Low-E windows and enhanced building insulation.
• Equipment improvements including new chillers and boilers and other new energy efficient equipment to reduce electricity and natural gas demands.
• Fewer vehicle miles traveled to and from campus through a continuation of aggressive carpooling and bussing.
• Environmentally sustainable landscaping emphasizing drought tolerance.
• Minimized construction-related trips by balancing cut and fill on-site.

What is the Campaign for Buckley?

The Campaign for Buckley is a $37.5 million comprehensive campaign to raise $35 million in capital funds for the Campus Enhancement Plan and $2.5 million to grow the school’s endowment.

How much has been raised?

As of summer 2011, $26 million toward our goal of $35 million in capital support, and $1.7 million toward our goal of $2.5 million in endowment support, has been raised in gifts and pledges.  In addition to a $1 million early lead gift from the Parents’ Association, there were eight other gifts of $1 million and above pledged during the first phase of the campaign. The board of trustees pledged over $18 million, setting a tremendous example and leading the way to inspire other donors for a successful campaign. Current campaign progress can be found on the campaign website.

Why does the school believe it can raise this much money?

While this is Buckley’s first major capital campaign, the school has a strong track record of philanthropic support from our families. A higher goal was announced in Fall 2008, and the subsequent economic changes and the revisions of our master plan have modified our goal to $37.5 million. The high level of early support from the board of trustees and a small group of lead donors gives us continued confidence. Just as other schools are in the midst of major capital campaigns and doing well, we know Buckley will also succeed.

All independent schools have capital campaigns to fund campus improvements. Strong annual funds and major campaigns are a necessary part of the independent school model and not unique to Buckley.

How much will the school ask us to give?

For the campaign, we are asking families to make stretch gifts that can be paid out over a five year period. Campaign gifts will of course vary in size depending on each family’s ability to give, and each gift will be important to helping us meet our goal. We recognize these are challenging economic times but the school’s needs require us to move ahead with our campaign.

While we have already received eight gifts over one million dollars, we know the majority of gifts will be much smaller. Gifts to Buckley, of all sizes, are critical to making Buckley the special school it is. Our school thrives because we have a caring and committed community and it will take many, many people for this campaign to succeed.

All gifts are appreciated and acknowledged and will be important to meeting our goals.

Who is asked to give?

Every member of the Buckley community will be asked to give—parents, grandparents, alumni, alumni parents, and faculty and staff.  Even students from the Classes of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 have supported the school’s efforts by directing part or their entire senior class gift to the endowment portion of the campaign. One hundred percent of the board of trustees and senior management group have already pledged their support. The Campaign takes into account the diverse range of our community’s ability to give and there will be a place for everyone to participate.

When will my family be asked to give and how do I pay?

Campaign gifts are being solicited over the next three school years and can be paid out in annual installments over a five year period. Gifts can be fulfilled with cash, stock, or, for some larger campaign gifts, to the endowment by utilizing planned giving techniques such as bequests, charitable remainder trusts, or real estate.

Will I still be expected to give to The Annual Fund if I make a campaign gift?

Yes. Donations to The Annual Fund provide critical dollars to the ongoing operations and make the economic model of outstanding faculty, small classrooms, and low student-to-faculty ratio possible. While capital campaigns have a beginning and end, The Annual Fund is a perpetual fundraising program that Buckley and all independent schools need every year.

Donations to the campaign separately fund the Campus Enhancement Plan.

What kind of donor recognition will there be?

Individual naming opportunities will be provided at the $200,000 level and above. Permanent recognition for donors will be provided at carefully selected places of honor and will blend aesthetically with the design of each building. This recognition will provide a lasting public expression of appreciation for the contributions that made possible the success of the Campus Enhancement Plan. Named recognition will not be allowed for any current student(s), and family names will be encouraged in keeping with the tradition of named recognition on campus, such as The Roy E. Disney Family Pavilion. Families will have an opportunity to combine their gifts to name a facility or part of a facility. However, the minimum gift by any family toward a naming opportunity is $50,000.

Campaign gifts at all levels will be recognized in electronic and print materials with donor approval in the Annual Report and special campaign publications.

Why should I give to The Campus Enhancement Plan if my child will have already graduated by the time the campus improvements are completed? Or what if I graduated
long ago?

Today’s students benefit from the generosity of previous generations who built the Stansbury campus. If every generation gave to only support their immediate needs, the school would quickly lose its ability to stay competitive and be unable to provide our students the best education possible. Every alumnus/alumna has a stake in ensuring the school’s perpetual excellence and has a responsibility to help the next generation thrive so Buckley can continue to achieve even greater levels of excellence. America’s best schools flourish because each generation does their part for future generations. But, for Buckley, the legacy of excellence will not be assured if we do not keep up with the changing needs of educational practices and address our aging facilities.

The Campus Enhancement Plan offers us an opportunity to provide a legacy that benefits future generations.

Who do I contact with questions?

Holly Bauer, Campaign Director, at (818) 461-6704 or hbauer@buckley.org, or Lindsay Newlove, Director of Advancement, at (818) 461-6747 or lnewlove@buckley.org.