As I think we all know by now, last week’s rally and subsequent storming of the U.S. Capitol were not isolated incidents nor are they a temporary problem that can quickly be resolved. 

It was interesting (and difficult) timing that we held a Board and staff conversation about race, equity and inclusion the very next night. The session was led by a talented facilitator who helped us understand and reconcile our own biases and develop tools to overcome them as individuals and as an organization. We left the meeting feeling empowered and hopeful that we were having the hard discussions that can really make a difference, and that our entire team is deeply committed to equity.

A focus on educational equity

As we reflected on the work we did that night, we realized that our work to embrace diversity, to champion equity, to become more inclusive and to ensure justice is finally poised to move beyond talk and into action.

For a long time in education, and especially in Boulder Valley, we’ve talked about our persistent achievement gap. Students of color fare worse in almost every conceivable way, scoring lower on standardized tests, enrolling in fewer advanced classes and offered fewer post-secondary options. Our students reflect similar realities along economic lines. 

Our affluent and middle income students perform well while their low income peers lag significantly behind. And despite all of the talk about the quantifiable facts that are laid bare when you look at student academic performance, very little action is taken to address this achievement gap. 

Putting our beliefs into actions

Last week, over 50 of BVSD’s talented professionals serving on the post-pandemic recovery task force met to discuss the robust recovery work that will address these persistent inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic. 

Educational equity was a priority when our organization was founded nearly 40 years ago. Since March, however, we’ve been particularly concerned about how disruptions to learning would impact students, especially those who are traditionally underserved. 

Meeting the critical needs of BVSD students

The pandemic shifted our funding priorities from addressing achievement and opportunity gaps to addressing newly identified critical needs of our students. In 2020, we raised $2.4 million to support students in the Boulder Valley School District. This funding allowed us to provide:

• 1,000,000 meals to BVSD families,
• 15,000 backpacks full of school supplies,
• 10,000 age-appropriate books to K-12 students,
• 1,500 students with internet access,
• 75 preschool students and their caregivers a virtual Summer Shuffle, and
• 53 families in financial need with child care 

Creating lasting change

Now, we are finally at a place where we can create targeted interventions to address both the academic and social-emotional well-being of students. I’m encouraged by the forthcoming BVSD plan and how it might create lasting change for students in our community.

While overcoming disparities and addressing inequities among local students will take time, we’re working to ensure that meaningful action is taken now to ensure changes that endure far beyond the pandemic. We are hopeful that this work may one day be seen as a turning point, and that a positive legacy of these trying times will be the way we finally moved beyond talking about equity to finally addressing it. 

For the holidays this year, I bought each member of our small staff team a 2021 wall calendar (purchased from a local business, of course!). While calendars may not always be a coveted gift, this year, they felt significant. There’s something special about wrapping up the challenges we faced this year and anticipating brighter days in the year to come.

As I reflect on 2020 and the work we accomplished at Impact on Education, I’ve found many reasons to be grateful. 

This year, with incredible supporters behind us and in partnership with some of the most committed professionals I’ve ever known, we helped students in our community in ways we could never have imagined a year ago. While the public health and economic crises created unbelievable hardship and loss for our community, we are fortunate they also allowed us to jump into action and respond in ways that I hope will be lasting.

Specifically, how incredible is it that 2020 was the year we eliminated the digital divide among students in BVSD, by providing home internet to all who needed it? The year when we finally understood the role that social emotional well-being plays in academic achievement? Or the year we recognized quite how many students don’t have enough to eat without the nourishment they receive at school? 

2020 is the year we responded more boldly, more completely and more rapidly to eliminate barriers faced by students in BVSD.

Many of our job descriptions changed this year while searching for innovative ways to engage students in learning. And while things were far from ideal for students, our community came together to support our public schools and stood in solidarity with our most impacted students.

I hope we all learned to identify and acknowledge our privilege this year. I certainly have plenty, but still had my struggles. As tough as some days are, as troubling as individual stories of struggle are for us to handle, it seems that as challenges grow, so does the generosity of this community. With new supporters joining us in record numbers, we were able to keep pace with the growing needs of our students and contribute in some incredibly meaningful ways. 

Moving into 2021, I hope this spirit of helping our neighbors, this commitment to equity, and the belief in the power of public education, stays with us.

Since 1983, we’ve been BVSD’s support system, providing supplemental funding and resources to expand what’s possible and promote equity in public education. This year, we were challenged in ways we have never been challenged before. And the fact that we’ve been able to rise to meet those challenges gives me hope. 

All of us here at Impact on Education appreciate the opportunity to do this work and all who help make it possible. We hope you feel confident in our ability to reach new heights in 2021 and share our anticipation of the brighter days ahead.

With gratitude,

Allison Billings
Executive Director

Thank you. Thank you.

Thanks to you, we are closing in on our Critical Needs Fund goal of $500,000. So far, Impact on Education and our entire community have raised nearly $470,000 from almost 750 donors. And both of those totals are growing because our impact continues to grow.

We’re continuing to partner with BVSD Food Services to distribute bags of fresh, local food to families at seven different school sites across the district twice a week, and that food distribution will continue into July.

We’re also providing grocery gift cards to families in need to supplement the meal bags from BVSD Food Services, and to date, school community liaisons have distributed over $40,000 in gift cards.

We’re so proud that BVSD has ensured internet access and devices to all BVSD families, and we’re now looking into how we can support the district in their professional development offered, so that all teachers are prepared and have the tools they need to support learning in the fall, whether that happens in person, remotely or in a blended format.

Finally, we know that our Critical Needs Fund will also address BVSD students’ significant academic gap as we move into the fall to ensure this temporary gap in in-person learning doesn’t translate to a longer-term overall knowledge and skill gap.

This “new normal”

More students will likely need interventions in some form and more continual food assistance; this situation is ever evolving and much is uncertain. Some needs can be foreseen and many cannot. Our Critical Needs Fund was established as support for both now and the future. And as the needs and our efforts grow, our community has stood with us, and we cannot thank you enough.

So, whether you’re someone in need of help or someone who can provide help, Impact on Education is here for you. We are committed to meeting the needs of the students and families in Boulder Valley’s public schools now and well after the COVID-19 crisis has ended.

Make a gift to the Critical Needs Fund.

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