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District outlines strategic-plan communications gains: website overhaul, apps and marketing credited with rising engagement
Summary
Sarasota County Schools' communications director reported growth in website traffic, social engagement and digital tools after a year of website relaunch, a new mobile app and a classroom messaging platform. Staff also described targeted marketing that they say increased open-enrollment applications and higher public visibility.
Craig Maniglia, director of communications, told the Sarasota County School Board on March 4 that the district has launched a redesigned website, a new mobile app and a two-way classroom messaging platform, and that those tools have driven higher engagement and marketing results.
Why it matters: Communications and government-affairs work can affect school enrollment, public perception and the district's ability to recruit staff. The district described measurable increases in web traffic, social engagement and open-enrollment applications tied to targeted campaigns.
Key accomplishments and metrics Maniglia said the district relaunched its website in April 2024 with AI-driven search and full translation; staff converted more than 300 policies to searchable HTML. He reported website traffic of 12,000,388 visits (current reporting period) and social media engagement rising to about 9.4%. Maniglia said short-form video strategies produced roughly 5 million impressions this year.
Rooms messaging app and analytics The district said it introduced Rooms, a two-way, multi-language classroom messaging app, and reported 455,700 messages sent, more than 25,000 guardians logged in, 33,000 app downloads and approximately 10,000 active classrooms (about 80% of classrooms). Maniglia told the board that class-message backups have improved district record retrieval and assisted with at least one early public-record request.
Marketing and recruitment outcomes Maniglia said targeted geofencing and streaming ads produced a substantial rise in open-enrollment applications: the district had 1,600 new applications in 2023–24 and reported 2,800 applications from the current year's campaign to date. He also said the district's millage referendum materials and outreach contributed to passage at 85% approval.
Language access and translated materials Communications reported expanded translation of web content and materials for Spanish speakers and other language communities. The district said it has translated 34 videos and will expand translations to five languages for materials relevant to the ELL program and registration.
Revenue opportunities and next steps Board members asked about monetizing digital channels and advertising opportunities in the new InTouch newsletter and magazine; Maniglia said the district has a policy in place to accept advertising and is building an ad-sales workflow and rate card. He said the communications team is exploring monetization thresholds for platforms such as YouTube while preserving access for student- and school-facing content.
Ending: Board members praised the communications team's work and asked staff to continue refining parent-facing resources (including a planned parent resource center and pilot AI tutoring tools). No board action was taken during the presentation.
