Volusia highlights growth in volunteers, business partnerships and improved communications

Volusia County Schools presented Guardrail 4 updates on March 11 showing growth in volunteerism, business partnerships and improved communication metrics from both families and district staff.

Public information officer Sarah Lux said the district had 7,088 active volunteers to date and reported 142,858 volunteer hours logged this school year. The district cited increased engagement through events such as a State of Our Schools address, CTE bus tours and a CTE workforce expo.

A fall community survey of 2,533 respondents showed steady overall satisfaction with district communication and increases in subcategory measures. Text messages, phone calls and emails were the most preferred channels for families; only 2 percent of respondents preferred social media as the primary source for district news. The share of families who agreed the district communicates effectively during a crisis rose from 69 percent in 2023 to 77 percent in 2024.

Staff survey results (about 1,700 responses) also improved: the proportion of staff saying internal communication is somewhat or very effective rose from 65 percent to 77 percent; those who said communication is timely and clear rose by double digits in most subcategories.

Why it matters: District leaders said the data show growing two‑way engagement and informed decisions about communication channels and event planning. Officials noted parents’ comments asking for fewer duplicate messages for families with multiple students and clearer breakdowns of policy changes.

What was not decided: The presentation was informational; no new communications policy was adopted at the workshop.

Quotes are taken directly from the March 11 presentation by the district’s communications staff.