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Anchorage School District communications committee previews bond safety messaging, Mount Spur guidance and new website
Summary
District communications staff told the March 27 committee they have launched bond messaging focused on security and safety, posted Mount Spur eruption guidance for staff and families and plan to launch a redesigned external website this summer.
At a March 27 meeting of the Anchorage School District communications committee, district communications staff said they have launched bond messaging emphasizing school security and safety, shared community guidance about Mount Spur, and previewed a new external website slated to go live this summer.
The district’s communications team said the bond campaign, centered on security and safety work that spans a decade, has been promoted through billboards, mailers and digital ads. "We have launched our bond messaging, and we stuck with the security and safety, focus because that is a 10 year project that we are a little more than half way through," a communications lead told the committee. Staff said a separate breakout focused on snow-removal equipment included targeted materials that will be removed from the community next Tuesday.
The committee heard that district staff pushed information to families and employees about Mount Spur, including a web resource page with frequently asked questions and ongoing updates. The communications lead thanked the Alaska Department of Homeland Security for sharing regional information, calling the agency a “fantastic partner” and noting its robust public resources.
Lisa Miller, the district’s assistant director of communications, briefed the committee on internal communications work: the district has shifted from a monthly static newsletter to using a SharePoint site for districtwide internal news and targeted pages for initiatives such as Ready, Set, Kindergarten. "We post news information as it becomes available, so we're no longer ... sandbagging it for the monthly newsletter," Miller said, describing how principals who “follow” a site will receive updates when new content is posted.
Miller demonstrated a Ready, Set, Kindergarten SharePoint page the communications team built in a few hours and said the platform includes an emergency-response template district staff used to deploy Mount Spur materials quickly. The committee also heard that the district’s current external website platform, Blackboard, was acquired by a company called FinalSight and that a redesigned external site is scheduled to launch over the summer along with back-to-school materials.
Other items discussed included support for Willowcrest’s Leroy Jones dedication next week, a rebrand of kindergarten outreach as "Ready, Set, Kindergarten," and routine plans for high school graduation coverage on the district’s YouTube and social channels. The communications team said year-end staff-awards nominations are under review and winners will be announced in May.
The committee did not take a formal vote on any item during the update. Staff said they will continue to post updates online and notify principals and families as materials change.
