Kennett Consolidated SD outlines process to build a district positioning statement

Lisa, the district communications lead, told the Kennett Consolidated School District communications committee on Monday that the district will use findings from a communications audit and the entry plan report to develop a single positioning statement and associated visual and verbal identity to guide communications across the district and individual schools.

Lisa said the project will bring together a subset of administrators and selected principals to distinguish a positioning statement from the district’s aspirational vision, which she described as “what we say to our employees and our families as to what our hope is.” She explained a positioning statement is external-facing and “defines how a brand or product is perceived by the target audience relative to who our competitors are.”

Lisa reviewed items the committee will use in workshops: target audiences, unique value, customer pains identified in the audit and entry plan, and proof points that support claims. She used Nike as an example of a positioning statement that drives consistent choices about product, marketing and sustainability and said the communications team will translate KCSD’s vision and the CCIU audit findings into a working positioning statement and draft messaging.

The CCIU audit, Lisa said, recommended strengthening and unifying the district narrative, clarifying messengers, prioritizing proactive communication, cultivating engagement among families (particularly English learner families), and improving accessibility and information flow. Lisa summarized the audit’s reported strengths: growing trust in district communications, pride in the district, and “a diversified set of communication tactics” to reach varied audiences.

Lisa described next steps: review the strategic education plan and district priorities, draft a positioning statement, refine visual identity, determine brand voice and messaging for each audience, then produce sample copy and finalize strategies and tactics for email, mass notifications, social media, websites, printed materials and community relations. She said some elements will be ready by mid-summer and others will be phased through the school year.

Board President Kronenberg and committee members responded with support; one board member asked that Lisa’s slides be added to a future agenda and the committee agreed to add the presentation to the agenda for a future meeting.

Committee members discussed bilingual communications and translations. Lisa noted that district employee-facing positioning materials will be produced in English and Spanish and said the district will outsource important translations of core documents to ensure nuance. She recommended internal workshops so administrators can quickly adopt consistent language such as always explaining the “why and how” for changes.

The presentation closed with a plan for administrators to test sample copy and for the communications team to continue refining the positioning statement in consultation with the administrative council.