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Communications director recommends Finalsite for new district website and mass communications; board to review contract
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Summary
District communications staff recommended Finalsite after an RFP to replace the WordPress site and consolidate mass communications. Proposed features include improved accessibility, Weglot translation, and 24/7 support; estimated setup and annual costs were presented and administration will negotiate terms before returning with a contract.
The district’s director of communications presented an RFP process that narrowed 11 proposals to three vendors and recommended Finalsite (FinalSite) to replace the current WordPress website and to provide mass‑communication services.
Communications Director Mrs. Furman told the board the current website platform dates to 2018 and relies on plugins that are becoming unsupported. With new website accessibility standards coming in 2027, the administration said now is a practical time to move to a modern vendor that bundles website and mass‑communication tools. Furman said the RFP received 11 proposals and the district narrowed the list to App2G (Apptegy), Finalsite and ParentSquare; based on demos, references and ADA/accessibility features the district gave Finalsite the strongest overall score.
Furman described notable Finalsite features the district found useful: automatic language translation using Weglot, built‑in accessibility controls and monitoring and 24/7 support. She said Finalsite’s accessibility tooling can enforce alt tags, offer adjustable contrast and font size tools for site visitors, and provide an ADA audit during migration. Furman told the board Finalsite’s hosting offers geographically distributed servers and that the district heard positive reference feedback from other Pennsylvania districts using the vendor.
Estimated costs in the vendor’s proposal included a projected $15,000 setup fee (migration and content work) and an annual combined website and mass‑communications fee that the proposal estimated at roughly $16,000; Furman said the district currently spends under $5,000 annually on its existing mass‑communications provider. Furman said she plans to negotiate the setup fee and leverage her prior experience to reduce vendor costs and offered a recommendation for a three‑year contract with implementation work beginning in July and a tentative public launch in January (the launch timeline is flexible).
Board members asked about reference checks and local districts using the platform; Furman said she had spoken with Derry Township, Spring Grove and others and had consulted the National School Public Relations Association network for references. Trustee Sullivan asked whether the mass‑communications piece covered printed mailings; Furman said the vendor’s service covers electronic mass calls, texts and emails and integration with the new website to post the same content; print mailings remain an in‑house expense.
No vote was taken March 11. Furman said she would notify Finalsite of the board’s informal selection, attempt to negotiate better pricing and return to the board with a contract for approval.
Why it matters: The vendor choice affects the district’s accessibility compliance, parent communications and the ongoing cost of mass outreach; administrators said a modern vendor would ease multilingual support and crisis communications.
Provenance: The website/mass‑communications discussion began with the Director of Communications’ presentation and concluded after budget and timeline questions from board members and staff.
