Benefits of Effective PR

• Stabilizes leadership teams
• Increases student success
• Increases public support
• Increases awareness of vision and needs
• Increases employee morale, retention
• Increases ability to respond effectively to crises
• Saves time in the long run

PR professionals bring sound judgment, strategic thinking, and technical know-how to their roles. They often do work that isn’t highly visible such as:

• Preventing a crisis with strategic feedback
• Providing critical context for the media so that some things that don’t make the news
• Relationship building with a variety of audiences
• Communication research to ensure that the most effective methods are used
• Providing guidance across departments

Human Resources

• Recruitment - Communicators are skilled at marketing and can create campaigns that highlight the best an LEA has to offer to potential employees. They will also identify the most impactful communication methods, saving a district or county the resources that would be used on something less effective.
• Staff morale - Communicators look for ways to celebrate staff - from formal award ceremonies to social media highlights, these efforts matter. Staff that feel valued contribute at hgiher levels and stay longer, decreasing the resources needed to recruit.
• Labor relations - Communciators can ensure that staff are as satisfied as possible when negotiations come around, and help districts and counties provide context so that the public understands what the LEA is offering

Example - Poway USD found itself in an employee emergency a couple years ago when they saw a surge in staff retirements after being stretched thin and dealing with the pandemic for 18 months. They had never had to try so hard to get people to work for them, but when Chief Communications Officer Christine Piak put the word out, people responded. She developed an out-of-the box but highly effective lawn sign recruitement campaign complimented with a media campaign. They tripled the number of daily applications coming in and made it much easier to select high-qualified staff for the open positions.

Facilities

• Bonds - Communicators can set the stage for a successful bond campaign with consistent messaging about the LEA's needs, how they impact students, and emphasize the good stewardship that has taken place with previous bonds.
• Green projects - Communicators can convey the return on investment for green improvements, highlighting how these projects will benefit the school community for generations to come.

Example - Communicators around the state have helped thousands of school bond measures pass. Starting with a community poll early in the process, trained communicators can translate early opinions and attitudes into an effective campaign that demonstrates the need for facilties funding. They can also assist with getting positive stories out about how the funding is being used, making it far more likely that voters will approve bonds in the future.

Academic Services

• Framing academic initiatives - Communicators develop campaigns that help audiences understand the need for improvement and change.
• Contextualizing academic data - Communicators can create presentations and messaging that help audiences understand how student data compares, how it is improving, and the steps the LEA is taking to ensure it continues improving.
• Curriculum roll-outs - Communicators are skilled at creating a variety of feedback opportunities so that LEAs can confidently adopt new curriculum that meets their school community needs.
• Attendance Campaigns - Communicators are skilled at developing messaging and selecting platforms that resonates with audiences.

Example - The Stanislaus County Office of Education’s Attendance Campaign made a huge learning and financial impact. With the 20 districts reporting, Director of Communications Judy Boring reports their Every Day Counts campaign has increased attendance countywide by 1%. The 1% translates to over $10 million dollars for school districts. A few districts have increased by 2% or more, and one small district increased their attendance by 5%.

Example - The Menifee USD noticed a challenging trend developing in the post-COVID era - student attendance had not yet recovered and seemed to be going the wrong direction. Director of Communications & Community Engagement Josué Reyna led a multifaceted, No-Absence November, which surpassed their initial goal for a 5.2% increase in attendance. The $2,000 investment in the campaign resulted in a more than $413,000 funding increase.

Student Support Services

• Need for Mental Health Support - Communicators can develop messaging that demonstrate the need for support and encourage students to access help.
• Student Recognition - Communicators highlight the success stories of students throughout the school system.
• Awareness campaigns - Communicators can bring much-needed attention to important mental health initiatives.

Example - Rocklin USD's impactful "One Pill Can Kill Placer County Campaign." This initiative not only raised awareness but also educated the entire community about the dangers of Fentanyl. Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer Sundeep Dosanjh's ability to strategize and engage effectively resulted in numerous positive, proactive national media articles and resonated deeply with the school community. This work stretched beyond his school district and provided a platform for the entire county and state. Campaign link - https://1pillcankillplacer.com/

Example - When Menifee USD implemented the Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS), they wanted to ensure higher and higher levels of understanding MTSS within their staff. They developed a comprehensive campaign with the tagline, "All Students. All Needs. All the Time." The campaign messaging and digital and video materials appeared to be highly effective. Prior to the communications plan, the average score for understanding basic MTSS concepts was 73.30%. After the campaign, that score rose to 87.51%, a gain of more than 14%.

Facilities

• Documenting financial needs - Communicators can create videos and tell stories about how resources are spent and what students need to thrive.
• Presenting budget numbers - Communicators understand how to use simple language, graphics and analogies to make large numbers more accessible.
• Providing context on state funding - Communicators can help internal and external audiences understand how funding works and what steps are necessary when levels are decreased.
• Enrollment - Communicators can create successful marketing campaigns that increase enrollment and overall funding for schools.

Example - Oak Grove SD knew the percentage of families that qualified for Free and Reduced Lunch was much higher than originally documented, so Public Information Officer Sheetal Singh developed a campaign to increase the number of applications that were filled out. They were able to increase the Free and Reduced percentage rate from 23% to 45% - a huge increase in LCFF funding and they were able to bring in almost 4,000+ applications (previous averages were 900-1,000 applications). They are still seeing the huge ROI through that campaign with ongoing funding for the district and additional benefits for families (reduced internet, etc.)

Example - Folsom Cordova USD turned to Chief Communications & Community Engagement Officer Angela Griffin Ankhelyi, APR, to assist with increasing enrollment in their transitional kindergarten program (TK). Thanks to her multi-faceted campaign, they realized a 57.5% increase in TK enrollment in May 2023 compared to May 2022 and a 338.64% increase in TK enrollment in June 2023 compared to June 2022. This was a total increase of 153 students at $12K/student = $1.8 Million dollars to the district.

Governance

• Messaging - Communicators develop speeches that effectively frame issues for school leaders and talking points that can be shared district-wide, ensuring that everyone is on the same page
• Training - The media and social media spotlight can be incredibly unfair at times and things can go wrong fast if leaders make a misstep. Communicators can provide preventive training to ensure that district leaders and board members are prepared.
• Coaching - In the middle of a crisis, communicators can provide wise counsel on the best messaging, platforms and courses of action.