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District expands family hub, boosts volunteer tracking and adds social-media staff to increase engagement
Summary
Kennewick School District reported a year of expanded Family Hub content, a sharp increase in volunteer applications and new social-media staffing that multiplied reach; the board and staff discussed next steps to push resources to families and involve students in content creation.
Kennewick School District staff reported progress on communications and family engagement goals, including expanded Family Hub video content, new resources for high-school graduation planning, increased volunteer recruitment and a recently hired digital content manager who has raised the district social-media reach.
Family Hub and high-school planning: staff showed a new graduation-planner resource organized by grade with checklists for students and families; the board asked staff to distribute the planner to eighth graders and again at the start of each year and requested versions tailored to common postsecondary pathways (military, two-year, four-year, CTE/trade). Staff said the planners and short explanatory videos will be published to the Family Hub and distributed via ParentSquare.
Volunteerism and community partners: district staff reported more than 13,000 volunteer applications processed over a recent period and roughly 38,000 cumulative volunteer hours districtwide, with several elementary schools and Tri-Tech reporting particularly high hour counts. Staff credited improved systems for tracking volunteer hours and unduplicated volunteer counts and said schools are connecting community partners to supports such as tutoring, clothing drives and food for staff appreciation. The board noted that volunteer hours represent an irreplaceable resource and suggested ideas to expand math-focused volunteer programs.
Social media and student engagement: the district hired a digital content manager in March; staff reported a 63% increase in views and an 82% increase in reach across district social platforms, including an Instagram refresh and widely viewed graduation and ensemble videos. Staff proposed a student media-ambassador program and summer casual positions to involve students in content collection and production.
Next steps: staff will finalize Family Hub video distribution plans, pilot a high-school ambassador/media contributor approach with CTE and yearbook programs, continue volunteer outreach and return to the board with progress updates.
