Working together to support BVSD schools

We hosted a Parent Partnership Summit last week and were thrilled to see so many schools in the Boulder Valley School District represented. This event brings together parent leaders from schools across the district to strengthen fundraising efforts and connect with other parent leaders to grow their impact in our schools.

Working together to support schools

PTO and PTA organizations across BVSD provide important resources to supplement the educational experience for students and help build community. Impact on Education convenes the leaders of these organizations each year to ensure they know how we can support their efforts and how we work each day to support the students and educators at their school.

After a brief update on our programs and recent happenings, we shared this new video about how we are supporting the mental health of BVSD students affected by the Marshall Fire.

An important part of supporting schools is making sure all families are included. To support parent leaders, we invited representatives from the NAACP Boulder County Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Collaborative to share resources and ideas for implementing or strengthening school DEI committees.

An update from the BVSD Superintendent

In addition to presenting information on and answering questions about the BVSD Facilities Critical Needs Plan and the All Together for All Students strategic plan, Dr. Anderson also spent over an hour with us discussing pressing current issues in the district including

• the labor shortage affecting special education and transportation
• safety and security in the district, including a debrief on the Fairview High School threat
• declining enrollment
• math acceleration pathways

We’re grateful that Dr. Anderson was able to spend so much time with BVSD’s parent leaders at the summit to share important and timely updates and answer questions.

BEFORE YOU GO …

Impact on Education is a nonprofit organization, and we depend on our community to help us put our mission into action. We need your help to to provide opportunity and resources to 30,000 students and 4,000 educators in the Boulder Valley School District.

Earlier this week, we gathered parent leaders of BVSD’s PTOs and PTAs for a Parent Partnership Summit. Nearly half of our 56 schools had a representative join the summit which was generously sponsored by Premier Members Credit Union.

We were fortunate to be joined by three BVSD leaders, including Dr. Rob Anderson, Superintendent; Dr. Lora de la Cruz, Deputy Superintendent and Dr. Sam Messier, Assistant Superintendent for Strategic Partnerships and Academic Supports.

All together for all students

Dr. Anderson shared some district updates with the group before sharing the three pillars of the BVSD strategic plan:

• Ignite: all students benefit from challenging and relevant educational opportunities
• Equip: reduce disparities in achievement
• Soar: ever student graduates empowered with the skills necessary for post-graduate success

As the newest member of the BVSD leadership team, Dr. de la Cruz introduced herself and shared her perspectives about the successes of the district and challenges that lie ahead. 

Our attendees asked relevant and informed questions about bringing volunteers back into schools, staffing and substitute constraints, funding for paraeducators in elementary schools, and declining enrollment across the district.

Building strategic partnerships

Next up was Dr. Messier, discussing her new role building systems to better support partnerships that are aligned to BVSD’s strategic goals. Attendees spent time in small groups discussing how their school group connects to the pillars of the strategic plan. From all of the conversations, three key themes emerged regarding ways parent groups can support BVSD’s progress towards its goals:

1. Supplementing school staff
2. Intentionally engaging families
3. Supporting educators

Working together

These school groups are each working hard to support their school, educators, and students. From providing funding for paraeducators to creating opportunities for all families to have a voice to hosting community events, we are grateful for their dedication to Boulder Valley School District. 

Attendees left the session with a deeper understanding of the School District’s strategic direction, the role of Impact on Education and the ways that other parent groups are supporting their schools. We hope they also left energized and encouraged and with some new connections.

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