Richmond Community Schools presents districtwide communications and marketing plan, seeks vendor help for website and outreach

Bridget Hazelbaker, director of student support services and communications for Richmond Community Schools, presented a draft district communications and marketing plan at the board’s March meeting, outlining strategies for a redesigned website, increased use of ParentSquare and social media, and a vendor-led marketing effort.

Hazelbaker said the purpose of the plan “is to present a clear and concise framework for communication within our district and our community,” and described five communication goals that include improving internal staff communication, building external partnerships, expanding digital channels, and creating a “Proud to be RCS” branding effort. She told the board the plan would also centralize a public district calendar and push more video and social content to the district’s channels.

The plan’s nut graf: district staff asked the board for direction on priorities (for example, whether marketing should emphasize recruitment, retention or student experience), and for permission to proceed with a request for proposals from marketing vendors to execute a more modern, accessible website and broader outreach.

Alex Hazelbaker, who presented website examples and technical possibilities, said, “Our district’s website has the digital front door for our community,” and argued that Richmond’s current platform (Edlio) is limiting the district’s ability to integrate news, ParentSquare, and athletic pages. He showed a FinalSight example that would allow individual team pages, quick links for parents, and a secure staff login portal for resources and training.

Board members pressed for costs, timing and the plan’s primary objective. Hazelbaker said a site rebuild typically takes “six months to a whole year” and mentioned a verbal estimate “anywhere from 10 to 15,” but did not specify units or whether that was thousands of dollars; board members asked staff to return with written cost estimates and vendor proposals. “I’m interested in what things cost,” said Member Stultz. Member Brunton said the board should tie each planned activity to an explicit outcome (for example, enrollment growth versus improved student experience).

Several trustees urged a mobile-first approach: Member Weber said an app could increase family engagement and suggested prioritizing an app alongside a simplified website. Hazelbaker and Alex Hazelbaker described features they would seek in an upgraded platform: ADA accessibility, a centralized news feed that pulls social and ParentSquare items into one place, individual school sites, athletic pages currently hosted on an external platform (EventLink), and a staff portal for training and secure resources.

Hazelbaker said the district has solicited initial interest from about three vendors and plans to present proposals to the board once detailed bids are available. “We would like to have more of an in-depth conversation with you of what a transition such as this could offer,” she said.

The presentation also listed metrics staff would use to evaluate the work: website analytics, social-media engagement, and enrollment impacts. Several trustees asked staff to clarify whether the immediate priority is student experience or membership growth; trustees requested the board discuss and give direction before staff signs any contract with an outside vendor.

Ending: The board did not take an immediate vote on procurement. Hazelbaker said staff will bring vendor proposals and written cost estimates back to the board and the strategic-planning team for guidance before a selection is made.