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District releases communications survey results; centralization and new website planned
Summary
Dennis-Yarmouth communications coordinator Lila Spano briefed the school committee on a district-wide survey showing overall favorable ratings for communications and outlined steps to centralize messaging and launch a new website mid-October.
Lila Spano, the district’s communications and community relations coordinator, presented results from a district communications survey during the June 2 meeting of the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School Committee and outlined immediate steps to centralize messaging and reduce redundant notices.
Spano said the district received 648 responses and summarized respondents as parents/guardians, staff, students and others. She reported a high favorability for overall communications and for the district’s emergency communications, and she identified recurring requests from respondents for timelier updates, a single communications platform and more multilingual content.
Highlights Spano cited: a reported 85% favorability score on overall communication, a 90% favorability score for timeliness of information, and a 91% favorability score for effectiveness during emergencies and critical events. She said the highest response rate by building came from the high school (39%), followed by the middle school (24%).
As a result of the survey, the district said it has begun centralizing communications. Spano gave Memorial Day messaging as an example in which a single centralized message was distributed rather than multiple school-specific messages. The district also said it anticipates launching a redesigned website with survey-informed changes in mid-October 2025.
Committee members praised the reach of the survey and encouraged the centralization and transition plan. Ms. Landers, a committee member and parent, said she was heartened by the results and urged the district to reduce communication overload while continuing timely alerts. Mr. New asked that the website transition be timed so families can switch platforms smoothly before the next school year.
Why it matters: Communications affect parents’ and staff members’ ability to respond to school events and emergencies. The district’s plan to consolidate channels and relaunch the website aims to address complaints about duplicate messages and to improve multilingual access.
Additional details: Spano said the implementation work has started and that some pre-drafted messages for emergency scenarios are already in development. The district noted that Spano joined the superintendent’s safety committee and is coordinating communications planning across potential incident scenarios.
