“Daddy, when I grow up, I’m never going to stop anybody from getting an education.”
Two moments shaped Betty Burney’s lifelong passion for education: watching her State Governor on television during segregation deny Black Americans access to higher education, and seeing her parents’ steadfast determination to ensure their children received one anyway. From those early lessons, Betty learned that knowledge is power — and that education is one of the most powerful equalizers we can offer.
She recalls turning away from the television as a young girl and declaring to her father, “Daddy, when I grow up, I’m never going to stop anybody from getting an education.” That conviction became the foundation of her humanitarian journey.
Betty began her career in the 1970s as a city planner, helping to shape Jacksonville in the early stages of development into the city she knows and loves today. But after welcoming her first child in 1987, she realized her true calling was in shaping young minds. Determined to give her child — and others — the best possible start, she opened Kidsville Learning Center.
“The impetus for me was to make sure that every child who left Kidsville could do anything a first grader could do — so they had a leg up,” Betty said.
Her commitment quickly expanded beyond the classroom. When former Duval County School Board Chairman Jimmy Johnson asked her to help improve 33 academically challenged schools, they founded Project Reach — because, as she put it, “success was in reach” for every child. Betty coordinated volunteers and community liaisons for each struggling school, ensuring parents, neighbors, and teachers worked together for student success. Through their efforts, all 33 schools were removed from the state’s academic watch list.
Following that success, Betty ran for and won Duval County School Board Chair position after Johnson transitioned off the board, serving eight years and working with fellow board members to establish regional academic centers that opened up rigorous accelerated programs such as early college and IB opportunities to students across the county.
“I visited every school,” Betty recalled. “Some students were reading confidently and answering questions with clarity, while others struggled. That shouldn’t be. We’re educating the most creative, innovative generation — every student deserves the same opportunity to thrive.”
On the board, she found sisterhood among a group of like-minded colleagues who called themselves the “Board Babes.” Together, they sought to build bridges first among the adults, then among the children. Betty recalled the James Baldwin quote: “For these are all our children; we will either profit or pay for what they become.”
Guided by that philosophy, Betty founded the I’m a Star Foundation, empowering students from every corner of Duval County — public, private, and charter schools alike — to learn, lead, and lift one another up. In her program, she often sees students from rival schools show her that young people can rise above social and financial barriers to form real friendships and shared purpose.
“They come from different backgrounds, but most of them will never know it,” Betty said. “They just see each other for who they are.”
For Betty, humanitarianism begins with recognizing that the world doesn’t revolve around oneself. “A true humanitarian,” she said, “helps those who can’t even get on the playing field — helps them get there, and then helps them stay there.”
Through the I’m a Star Foundation’s initiative Jacksonville HELPS, Betty challenges her students to become philanthropists themselves. Each year, they research the number of unhoused students in Duval County, raise funds, and donate directly to the school district.
“We make them put themselves in those children’s shoes,” she said. “They learn empathy through action — that’s how we teach humanity.”
The foundation’s very first student cohort raised $30,000 for their unhoused peers, sparking a tradition of compassion and leadership that continues today. Alumni often return to mentor new students, proof of the ripple effect Betty has created through her work.
Betty spoke about an African tribe who upon returning from battle would first ask “How are the children?” That question measured the community’s wellbeing.
“This is because they understood that the children were the future,” she said. “When I leave this earth, I want to be asked, and how are the children? And I want to be able to say, all the children that I was able to touch are well, and then we watch them become world changing leaders.”
In recognition of her lifelong dedication to empowering youth, bridging divides, and building stronger communities through education, OneJax proudly honors Betty Burney with the 2026 Silver Medallion — awarded to individuals who exemplify the highest ideals of humanitarianism, respect, and understanding.
Betty Seabrook Burney is the founder and CEO of the “I’M A STAR” Foundation. A foundation committed to empowering and equipping youth to transform themselves into solution-oriented leaders in their schools and respective communities. Burney is most proud of the fact that students in the I’m A Star Foundation were invited by the White House (In 2024) to serve as
keynote speakers to address the issues of youth mental health and youth suicide. While in Washington, DC, the students addressed White House staff, Health and Human Services staff and Congressional leaders. The Foundation also won 1st place among America’s largest cities in the U. S. Conference of Mayor’s Childhood Obesity grant awards and was recognized by the NAACP for dedicated civic engagement. Burney is a former Duval County School Board member who joined the Duval County School Board in November 2004 and held the distinction of serving as a two-time Board Chairman (2006 and 2011) and a two-time Vice Chairman (2005 and 2010). At the end of her term as Chairman Duval County achieved the distinction of having all chronically low performing schools exit the state of Florida’s intervene list. Burney serves as a trainer for the Center for Reform of School Systems where she works with School Boards and Superintendents throughout the country to provide technical assistance on governance strategies and practices designed to impact student achievement and to narrow the academic achievement gap. Burney is the recipient of numerous education related awards including the WJCT Public Television’s American Graduate Champion Award and the United Negro College Funds Educator of the Year award. In September 2025, Burney was honored as a Jacksonville Jaguars Community Champion. Betty has served on numerous boards and currently serves on the Journey Forward Board and the Forward Empowerment Foundation Board. She is a proud graduate of the University of Miami where she earned her BA degree and a graduate of Northern Illinois University where she earned her Master of Arts in Public Administration.
