Boulder Valley School District Connect: Community Engagement Key Takeaways

Boulder CO

25 May, 2022

3:22 AM

Description

Press release from the Boulder Valley School District: May 23, 2022 Thanks to all who made our first BVSD Connect community engagement events a success. BVSD hosted four (two English and two Spanish) events for families to engage in conversation with BVSD Superintendent Rob Anderson, other district leaders, and members of the BVSD Board of Education. BVSD offered to provide attendees with an update about the school district and discussed how district funding is allocated, building needs and improvements and ways BVSD can best support students and/or speak about topics they were interested in. Some of the most frequently discussed topics included: Enrollment Many families asked to discuss declining enrollment in our district. BVSD is experiencing a decline in enrollment, primarily in the Boulder area. Lack of affordable housing and declining birth rates are among the reasons behind the decrease. Declining enrollment unfortunately also affects teacher contract renewals. Parents requested this be communicated and clarified to avoid misinformation about why some teachers will not be returning. It was noted that Erie is expected to grow greatly within the next 10 years due to a new large housing development in the area; a need for another school in that community is anticipated. Enrollment impacts will continue to lead discussions as BVSD works to find solutions across the district. Bilingualism Parents expressed their desire for more robust bilingual programs and opportunities that extend into the community. They emphasized the importance of portraying bilingualism as something to be proud of and encouraged, not only within the schools but also at home. District leaders shared that some efforts are already underway to expand its current bilingual programs from elementary and middle schools into high schools and in areas of the district not currently served. In the 2022-2033 academic year, BVSD will identify the best bilingual program model to use in schools based on current research along with planning for expansion and updates to the program. Additionally, that the Seal of Biliteracy will be an integral part of BVSD's recently announced Grad Plus initiative. Students will be encouraged to seek the seal, which demonstrates to employers and colleges that a student is bilingual. Newcomers Families discussed their experiences as newcomers at BVSD and the challenges they faced. A more robust newcomer program was requested. Parents want to ensure there are resources available to support new families as they navigate the school system and any cultural differences. BVSD expressed intentions to expand the current newcomer program in schools and improve accessibility to families to ease the transition. Bullying It was made clear that there continues to be a misconception about the differences between bullying and conflict. Parents asked for annual communication to be shared in a variety of formats to address bullying, conflict, policies, and procedures. The goal would be to reduce confusion among parents and provide resources to use when faced with a bullying issue. All Together for All Students: BVSD Strategic Plan Previously, schools in the Boulder Valley School District have tended to be more autonomous. The All Together for All Students Strategic Plan is focused on bringing everyone in the district together to address achievement and opportunity gaps through these long term student outcomes: All students benefit from challenging and relevant educational opportunities Reduce disparities in achievement Every student graduates empowered with the skills necessary for post-graduate success We have been focused on fixing systemic issues by creating district wide academic standards, expectations and support structures, as well as differentiated funding. Over the past couple years, a lot has been accomplished towards these goals. Two examples are our equal school day and MTSS efforts. The BVSD equal school day, established in August 2021, is a part of that effort. It creates a uniform start time and allows for a weekly 1-hour late start for all schools to allow teachers time for professional development. Through Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS), students are provided with both academic and social-emotional support. The program ensures that all students receive universal instruction/support, along with flexible, individualized help as needed. BVSD Connects Moving Forward We are planning on holding BVSD Connects parent engagement sessions every fall and spring. While we did not want to miss the opportunity to hear from folks this school year and therefore scheduled these meetings in May this time around, we will aim to have the sessions early in the spring semester moving forward, knowing that this is a very busy time of the year. This press release was produced by the Boulder Valley School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.