Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board discusses expanding and retooling community engagement efforts
Summary
Board members and staff discussed making community engagement a standing focus, improving event attendance through surveys, partnering with parent coordinators, and buying branded tents and modest refreshments to encourage turnout.
Board members and staff spent substantial time June 26 discussing changes to the district's community engagement approach, including making engagement a standalone effort, surveying residents about preferred times and topics, and coordinating with parent coordinators at each school.
Why it matters: board members expressed that inconsistent outreach and late notice have limited attendance, and they want to build trust and awareness so families see district representatives regularly rather than only during election seasons.
Details: participants proposed monthly events focused on practical topics by season (for example, a back-to-school session in August with stations for EMS, school expectations, and registration assistance). Staff suggested surveys and coordinated outreach through school parent coordinators; board members proposed branded tents, tablet-based surveys or QR codes, small incentives (pencils, stickers, food) and student volunteer opportunities for community-service hours to boost participation.
Staffing and logistics: staff said parent coordinators are being shifted to district-level parent and community engagement roles and will be supported by a communications team. Board members suggested a public calendar of events to help board members attend open houses and distribute district materials.
Next steps: staff said they will develop a multi-month calendar, coordinate with parent coordinators, procure branded tents and supplies, and plan outreach for upcoming community events (for example, Juneteenth and local festivals).
Ending: board members emphasized making engagement easy and useful for families, for example by removing barriers (childcare, food) and improving advance notice and signage to increase turnout.
