Community Gathering: What is it time for now?

Robin Anselmi and Bill Boyar were joined by Sehba Ali, CEO of KIPP Texas Public Schools, for a conversation on the impact a leader can produce by always living in the question, “what is it time for now?”

KIPP Texas is an open-enrollment, public, tuition-free charter school network of 55 schools with more than 29,000 pre-K-12 students across the state of Texas. Faced with a host of challenges created by COVID-19, Sehba shares how the organization has only strengthened their commitment to the education and well-being of the students they serve, as well as to the staff and their families that make KIPP’s impact possible. By remaining present to what is needed and what is possible, they are able to focus on where there is meaningful work to be done, even in a climate of uncertainty.

Sehba’s story is a great example of how resilient a community can be when they have a shared purpose, shared values, and supportive culture guiding the way.

You can watch a recording of the full conversation here.

KIPP Texas shared the following examples of how they are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• We continue to provide Grab & Go breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to KIPP Texas families and other children in our communities and distribute roughly 9,000 meals a day to our schools and through bus routes in our neighborhoods.
• When we pivoted to distance learning, we provided more than 13,000 Chromebooks to our KIPPsters so they can continue their studies. We are working to distribute 5,000 mobile hot spots to our families who lack internet access.
• Our free, high-quality, distance learning website provides educational resources (curriculum, daily schedules, mental wellness resources and more) and has been accessed more than 200,000 times from families in the US and Mexico.
• Our KIPP Through College program has worked to help our KIPP Texas alumni with financial support to quickly and safely move out of their dorm rooms and return home while providing additional academic support to help our alumni successfully finish the semester.

How you can help: 

KIPP Texas Public Schools established the COVID-19 & Beyond Fund for KIPP students, alumni, and staff facing dire circumstances due to the impacts of COVID-19. Last week, they distributed over 2,900 electronic Walmart gift cards to provide immediate assistance with food and other essential items. They are raising additional funds to provide financial support to their most vulnerable families in the form of direct payments to vendors and creditors to help with food, utilities and other bills, and rental/mortgage assistance where necessary.

“No matter the crisis, no matter the circumstance, our promises to our KIPPsters are sacred – together, we will always find a way.”

Please click here to make a donation. Anything, no matter how small, can make a difference! And please feel free to send this along to anyone you think might want to contribute.

Find information about all our upcoming and past webinars on our Community Gatherings page.

What’s important for you and the people you serve right now? We would love to hear from you.

We will continue to explore this question and many others related to how we stay connected and keep creating value in challenging circumstances. To stay up-to-date, sign up for our newsletter where we will share more resources and reflections over the coming weeks.