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District unveils redesigned website, photo library and expanded communications strategy
Summary
Banning Unified’s new communications coordinator presented a redesigned district and school websites, a public photo library and a suite of communications tools including a newsletter, social content strategy and a podcast to improve outreach and crisis messaging.
Banning Unified’s district and community relations coordinator outlined an expanded communications plan and a redesigned website at the Jan. 23 board meeting, saying the changes aim to improve access to district information and raise positive coverage of district programs.
Why it matters: Improved communications affect how families, staff and prospective parents access school calendars, program information and emergency notices; they also shape public perceptions that can influence enrollment and community support.
Angel Meade, district and community relations coordinator, told the board she has framed the communications office as a central hub to provide clearer district messaging and build site-level capacity. "We have almost 20 different ways of communicating information out to our community," Meade said, listing channels from the district app and social media to media partners and a new district newsletter called Community Corner.
Meade highlighted several concrete changes:
- Website redesign: District and school sites were redesigned to improve navigation and reduce clicks to key information. Meade said the homepage now includes prominent buttons for bell schedules, academic calendars and enrollment, and that program pages (for example, dual immersion) now require fewer clicks to reach.
- Public photo library: The district launched a SmugMug-based photo library on Oct. 28 to house official event photos; Meade said it has recorded more than 41,000 views without broad promotion.
- Social and earned media: Meade reported about 141,000 Instagram views since she took over the accounts in October and said local outlets, including The Record Gazette and broadcast partners, have featured district work. She cited KESQ, KDFX and KPSP coverage that portrayed the district’s response to a local railway situation positively.
- Publications and podcast: The district has issued a midyear school-news report and runs a Real Talk podcast (12 episodes, 929 downloads since July 1), Meade said. She described the report as visual and narrative outreach intended to increase positive community awareness.
Trustees asked about site-level implementation and student involvement. Meade said training and user manuals are being prepared for school staff, and that moderated student participation in content (for example, podcasts) can be implemented with safeguards.
Meade also described partnerships that delivered a $300 bilingual book donation from the Riverside County Office of Education and ongoing relationships with local media. She said the district is actively positioning its stories to reach county and state audiences as well as the local community.
Next steps: Meade said she will continue training site staff, expand student involvement options with moderation, and provide regular communications metrics to the board.
