Lee County Education Foundation

10/15/2026

It’s not new news, but it’s certainly news that deserves another shout-out!

At our most recent LCEF Board meeting, our board members were so pleased and excited about Lee County Schools’ historic academic performance that they wanted to recognize it publicly. We worked together to craft a letter of appreciation, which was read during public comments at this week’s Board of Education meeting.

There is so much good happening in our local public school system, and we are proud to celebrate. We're also proud to continue supporting our local public schools. We invite you to join us in investing in our students, educators, and schools. Making a donation is easy at www.leecef.com.

10/01/2026

October 1 may mean pumpkin spice and fall decorations to many, but to us, it means the opening of our 2027 Sloan Scholars application!

If you know a LCS high school senior who is interested in becoming a Lee County Schools educator, please encourage them to apply. We’re building a wonderful community of homegrown teachers, and we can’t wait to add to our crew!

The simple Google Form application is available now on our website. You can help us spread the word, so please share away! Join us, won't you?

09/17/2026

The importance of safe and reliable bus transportation for Lee County Schools students cannot be overstated. We enjoyed this morning’s groundbreaking ceremony, and we're grateful for this much-needed upgraded space for the hardworking Transportation Department team.

Pencil us in for the ribbon-cutting!

09/10/2026

We never take our partnership with Lee County Schools for granted. We’re grateful for leaders who give us a seat at the table... and for a superintendent and Board of Education who keep pushing for growth and excellence in our public schools.

We're in awe of the response from staff & students across our county... still smiling over the most recent data release and all it reflects about the hard work happening across the district!

There are so many exciting things in the works! We look forward to sharing more as we continue to stand beside Lee County Schools and support its positive direction & growth.

09/02/2026

We’re so proud to support Lee County Schools! A well laid plan & hard work and dedication from all stakeholders has resulted in a historic academic turnaround.

🎉 FIVE TO ZERO! A Historic Academic Turnaround for Lee County Schools

Lee County Schools is celebrating a major milestone as NCDPI released School Performance Grades today: all 14 graded schools improved, and the district now has ZERO schools designated as low-performing! 👏🎉

Just one year ago, five schools carried that designation. Today, all five have exited - making LCS one of just 24 public school districts in our state with no low-performing schools, and the only district in the Sandhills region to reach zero.

The progress goes even further:
📈 Six schools improved by at least one full letter grade.
⭐ 11 of 14 graded schools met or exceeded expected academic growth.
🚀 East Lee Middle School gained 14 points overall - the district’s largest increase.
🎓 The district’s graduation rate reached 89.2%, higher than the statewide rate.

These results reflect the dedication of students, teachers, staff, administrators, and families across Lee County. While this is an important milestone, the work continues in each of our local public schools.

Read the full story and see more about how we THRIVE in Lee! https://www.lee.k12.nc.us/article/3109290

08/27/2026

Sometimes a photo tells a bigger story than you realized when it was taken.

We love this photo from a visit last year to BT Bullock Elementary School, where students were participating in Beyond the Bell, an after-school tutoring pilot supported by the Lee County Education Foundation. We can't wait for the final data to see the impact this extra learning time had on students!

But when we looked back at this photo, we realized it represents so much more than one program.

Pictured is Dennis Wicker, former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor, longtime education advocate, and one of the founding (and still very active) members of the Lee County Education Foundation. Beside him is Board member Cynthia Reives, whose background in clinical rehabilitation and service to our community has helped shape her passion for strong public schools. She's one of our latest additions to LCEF, and we are so glad to have her as part of our team.

Together, they represent so much of the Foundation's story... where we've been, the strong leadership continuing that work today, and our commitment to the future of public education in Lee County.

And rounding out the photo is our Executive Director, Wendy Wicker Phillips, a relatively new addition to the LCEF story and a role that itself represents the growth and expansion of the Foundation and our many initiatives.

We certainly didn't plan to capture a little bit of LCEF's past, present, and future when we stopped by Beyond the Bell that day, but that's exactly what we got.

One photo. One Foundation. And more than two decades of people believing in the students and educators of Lee County Schools. We're pretty proud of that story, and even more excited about what's ahead.

08/20/2026

Lee County Schools' students aren't the only ones back in the school groove.

From the coast to the mountains, our Sloan Scholars are back on their college campuses, taking the next steps toward becoming the next generation of Lee County educators.

Seeing their smiles and watching this community of future teachers continue to grow is one of our favorite parts of the year.

We're so proud of each of our Sloan Scholars and look forward to celebrating and supporting them every step of the way. We wish each of these homegrown educators a wonderful school year!

08/11/2026

Happy First Day of School and best wishes to the students, teachers, and staff at Lee County Schools' traditional calendar schools from your friends at the Lee County Education Foundation!

And a special belated "Happy Back to School!" to our friends at Tramway Elementary School. While everyone else is celebrating the first day of school today, they're already well into another great school year.

We hope it's been a wonderful start for everyone!

08/06/2026

As Lee County Schools teachers and staff prepare for the 2026-2027 school year, we look forward to another year of supporting the hard-working students, educators, and schools that make our community so special.

From Head of Class and the Ruby & Ernest McSwain Middle School Head of Class, to Sloan Scholars, LocalLee, a soon-to-be-announced new chapter in our work with Durable Skills, and more... we're excited to continue investing in opportunities that make a difference for students from Pre-K through graduation... and beyond.

We can't wait to celebrate successes, recognize excellence, build new partnerships, and share the stories that make public education in Lee County so special.

If you'd like to join us in this work, we'd love to have you. Whether you're an individual, a business, or a community partner, your support helps make these opportunities possible for Lee County students and educators. Donating is easy through our website, and if you're interested in exploring partnership opportunities or supporting a specific initiative, we'd love to talk with you. Feel free to reach out to our Executive Director, Wendy Wicker Phillips, to learn more about how you or your business/organization can get involved.

Follow along with us this year as we celebrate the people, partnerships, and programs making a difference across Lee County Schools.

Here's to a fantastic 2026-27 school year!

07/20/2026

Last week was a great reminder that the Sloan Scholars program is about so much more than a scholarship.

We had lunch with four of our five Sloan Scholars (we missed you, Anna!) and Emily Hare, Executive Director of the Central Carolina Community College Foundation. Emily does so much to support our Scholars as they navigate college, but more importantly, she's another person in their corner, cheering them on every step of the way.

Emily said something today that I loved. She shared that these young women may one day teach her own daughters. She has a personal investment in their success... just like our entire community does.

Then, from just a few tables away, Lee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Chris Dossenbach stopped by to visit with the Scholars. It was another reminder of the incredible community of support surrounding these future educators.

We're so proud of the community we've built around our Sloan Scholars and can't wait to see the impact this growing group of homegrown teachers will have on Lee County for years to come.