District to roll out ParentSquare and redesign website; communications committee cites $43,086 annual savings

At its Aug. 27 meeting the Ellington Board of Education received an update from the communications committee on social media, a planned website redesign and a districtwide rollout of the ParentSquare communications app. Committee chair Jen reported Facebook followers rose to 1,107 and Instagram to 721 since May and said the district began using a collaborator feature with Ellington Youth Services to extend reach. Jen said recent ads for open positions generated 1,187 clicks and reached about 12,000 accounts at roughly $0.08 per click. The district will launch ParentSquare as a single communications app for families and redesign its website, with a rollout of the new site expected in January and ParentSquare features expanded over the first year. The committee projected an annual savings of about $43,086, a 67% reduction compared with current costs, and said any stipend changes for communications roles at the five schools will be considered but remain undecided. The committee also reinstated the Ellington Friends of Education award process, with nominations due Feb. 1 and a recipient to be selected and announced in June. The board did not vote on the platform change at the Aug. 27 meeting; communications said the committee will meet next on Oct. 6 to finalize recommendations.