Strategic Communications — School Districts

Media Relations

In today's society, media relations are important for any organization, especially local school districts. Effective communication with media outlets is a necessity that is often misused or overlooked. And unfortunately for many school districts, media coverage only takes place during a period of strife.

At Communication Solutions, our media relations strategists are in daily contact with members of the press. Consequently, we are familiar with the deadlines of newspaper and local radio and television stations, while being sensitive to the requirements for the placement of stories. Our specialists are aware of the appropriate person to talk to in any given situation. Such an established network of relationships is also helpful when the firm acts as a school district spokesperson for less than positive occurrences or the arrangement of press conferences when major news must be explained.

It is important that the positive aspects of your school district are communicated to the general public. Communication Solutions uses knowledge of the media and our network of contacts to promote positive activities that take place frequently throughout the school district. These stories highlight outstanding students and other aspects about a school district that commonly go unnoticed. Our specialists at Communication Solutions will work to maintain balanced media exposure for your school district, highlighting special events that make your district unique.

Strike Situation Public Relations

Labor disputes and threats of employee strikes can be trying for school board members as well as school districts. While administrators and school board members are focused on resolving the conflict, the specialists at Communication Solutions are determined to keep the lines of communication open. Communication Solutions can act as the spokesperson for the district or coordinate between the appropriate spokesperson and media so that accurate statements can be disseminated to the public.

Communication Solutions has handled several strike situations and is experienced in understanding the delicate process of negotiations. It is always important to effectively communicate a balanced message and we work closely with the school board or district to convey these messages exactly. We are capable of producing high-quality publications that will express these ideas and reach the desired audience. Our specialists take an active role in these times to represent the school board with pro-active, balanced information.

In the unfortunate case of a work stoppage, Communications Solutions can work with a school district to ensure that a strike contingency plan is in place. Once this plan has been decided upon, we then communicate that plan to the community through the appropriate media outlet.

Newsletters — Both Print & Electronic

Do you have a targeted approach to your promotional materials? Has the creation of a school district newsletter been on the back burner for months?

Our writers and graphic designers are experts in creating newsletters and other publications that are aesthetically pleasing and reflect your message. Whether you are focusing on internal or external forms of communication, we narrow the message to a target audience and translate technical jargon into easily understandable points.

In the past, we have developed quarterly administrative newsletters designed to reach residents and monthly publications following the activities of the school board. These materials reach audiences involved with the school district and present a clear, precise, and positive picture of the activities and initiatives taken.

Another vehicle by which Communication Solutions announces positive school district news is through electronic newsletters. Such newsletters, which can contain all of the photos or graphic elements of a printed publication, can be a fast, convenient way to reach a large audience.

We are capable of handling all photography and graphic design and make it a priority to remain aware of the issues that are important within a district.

Creating A School District Cable Channel Show

For school districts, having a monthly show to air can give a big boost to a district cable channel. With polished productions, you can provide the community with an inside look at the exemplary programs taking place throughout your school district.

Knowing it can be hard to find someone within the district with the time and energy to devote to monthly programming, the Communication Solutions takes on the responsibility of working with the administration and school board to develop ideas for shows, writing scripts, coordinating interviews, scheduling tapings and editing the final product. Whether you want to highlight curriculum initiatives, school safety programs or extracurricular activities, Communication Solutions is experienced in producing quality shows that will entertain and educate.

Annual Reports

We know that it is important to recognize outstanding achievements made during a school year and reward those who made contributions towards a better learning environment. A special Year-In-Review program can be designed to make these recognitions and commemorate another completed school year. The graphic designers at Communication Solutions can work closely with your school district to create an attractive, eye-catching publication. This will ensure that those you wish to recognize will receive sufficient coverage.

Public Opinion Research

Ever-changing sentiment makes public opinion research a powerful tool in creating a positive public image. We can help you to assess your strengths and weaknesses through a variety of public opinion research tactics. Communication Solutions has experience executing well-written surveys that are designed to gather the information necessary to provide you with helpful feedback. Our surveys can be adapted to meet the needs of your unique situation and are implemented through mass mailings or systematic phone calls. Our analysts can also facilitate more personal tactics such as focus groups to gain raw data. Once this information is acquired, a comprehensive assessment and evaluation is compiled into a user-friendly report assessing public opinion of your school district.

Crisis Communication

Prepare for the unexpected and don't be caught off guard.

"Outsourcing" your crisis communication to public relations pros allows you to focus on the problem while we coordinate all communication. With extensive experience in crisis communications, Communication Solutions can create a unified campaign to allay the concerns of the public.

Our first step in handling these potentially explosive situations is to keep a cool head. After analyzing the conditions with school officials, our team of specialists goes to work to produce a plan of action with timely, accurate, and appropriate information that is released to the public. Our team works together with you to create a balanced media approach through a variety of outlets including communication through school cable channels, Web sites, press conferences, and fax and email "blasts." The structured and consistent messages from school officials to the media allows your district to keep the public informed without the problems of misquotes or inaccurate data.

Communication Solutions takes the communication burden off your shoulders and puts it into the competent hands of our experienced publicists, former journalists, and political consultants.

Image Advertising

Image is everything.

That's why more and more schools these days are asking about image advertising. Is your school district recognized for its strong academics or talented extra-curricular activities? Is your community an active and friendly place to live?

These are some of the questions that Communication Solutions takes into account when creating an image advertising campaign. Our campaigns are designed to make potential newcomers aware of the advantages of your school district. A strong campaign will attract those looking for a better schooling environment for their children. By advertising to Realtors and working with real estate publications, we can focus your efforts on the desired audience, new residents. Image advertising can also be targeted towards long-time residents of the area to revamp your public perception and restore faith in the community.

Website Design

Our website design specialists will work with you to create a user-friendly, attractive website in order to capture the attention of your audience. Communication Solutions specializes in writing website content to effectively communicate with the public. We can take the time to sit down and plan the best possible way to maximize the benefits of being found on the World Wide Web.

Our Experience

Communication Solutions has worked with a multitude of school districts throughout southeastern and central Pennsylvania. Here are some examples of the work we have done for these districts:

• West Chester Area School District — When West Chester embarked upon an extensive building project that involved the construction of a new high school and renovations to three other schools in the district, the administration and school board recognized the importance of communication with the public. Because the construction was bound to affect not only staff, faculty and students, but also parents, businesses and residents who used district facilities, Communication Solutions helped the district target these potential audiences and developed strategies to reach these audiences.
  
  Communication Solutions wrote copy for the district's website, which included regular updates on the progress of the project, issued press releases about the district's commitment to communication and wrote public service announcements about the construction projects that were aired on local radio stations. The creation of a speakers' bureau and the distribution of construction news articles to publications by the local chamber of commerce were also part of Communication Solutions' duties.

• Perkiomen Valley School District — As teacher contract negotiations progressed through the summer of 2002, Communication Solutions helped the school district take a proactive role in communicating with the public. Throughout the bargaining process, we wrote and issued press releases that were distributed to the media and posted on the district's website. This assured that the district's side was always represented in local media coverage of the negotiations. When the teachers union went on strike, Communication Solutions was on call 24 hours a day to make sure that press releases containing valuable information about the district's strike contingency plan were provided to the media and posted on the website to allay parental concerns.

• Methacton School District — Communication Solutions stepped in to help Methacton School District explain to its residents the many uncertainties facing Pennsylvania school districts planning budgets for the 2003-04 school year. With state funding declining and rates for health insurance and retirement costs rising, the district felt it was important to make residents aware of the factors making an impact on the school budget. Communication Solutions took that message and designed a "Budget Update" newsletter to explain to residents in plain language the challenges of the budget process. Using graphics, the publication showed residents where district money comes from and where it is spent.

• Hatboro-Horsham School District † To enhance local media coverage of the district, Communication Solutions Group wrote about numerous events and initiatives within the school district throughout the 2002-03 school year. As a result, Hatboro-Horsham received publicity in local newspapers photographs and stories and on Philadelphia-area television stations every month. With former journalists on staff, we have the media contacts and the news sense needed to write attention-grabbing press releases and media alerts that will get reporters and photographers to show up at events.

• Central Dauphin School District — When Central Dauphin built a new high school, Communication Solutions was instrumental in organizing a well-received groundbreaking ceremony with the theme "Bring a Shovel, Begin a Legacy." We invited key government officials, prepared speeches, notified the media and the public, and prepared programs for the event. The end result? A successful event that attracted the attention of local television stations and newspapers.