Board backs monthly board bulletin and opts to maintain opt‑in household email list

Jordan School District communications staff presented web, social and podcast metrics and reviewed prior outreach approaches on Oct. 28, and the board gave direction to move forward with a structured, board‑driven bulletin and a combined outreach strategy for parents and nonparent households.

Presentation highlights: Director of Communications Sandy Riesgraff told the board the district website has roughly 142,645 active users per month and that the district has seen a 124% increase in Facebook views and a 103% increase on Instagram in the past 6–8 months. Staff also described the Supercast podcast (weekly to employees), school‑level social posts that reach tens of thousands, and the results from a prior e‑newsletter pilot that reached 44,000 opt‑in household email addresses; analytics showed about 10% (approximately 4,000) opened that e‑mail when it was sent.

Board direction: After discussing costs and reach, the board directed communications staff to prepare a board bulletin and to maintain the Mailchimp opt‑in list (staff estimated platform maintenance at about $400 per month for the large opt‑in list). The board favored giving subscribers cadence options (monthly or quarterly digest) and asked the communications office to return with options for a once‑a‑year physical mailer (trifold), a city‑journal insert and the costs/benefits of texting versus email for households that are not in ParentSquare.

Costs and options staff presented: Staff reviewed examples of prior trifold mailers (a 2019 mailer went to 87,000 homes at a historical cost of $14,000; the district now estimates ~105,000 households), postcard examples (an advertising postcard to 105,000 homes cost about $16,000) and the estimated $400/month Mailchimp service to retain a large opt‑in household list. Staff also said ParentSquare remains the primary texting option for district parents who have opted into that service.

Next steps: Communications will draft an initial bulletin for November based on board guidance and provide a set of options and cost estimates for an annual physical outreach later in the year. The board asked that each monthly bulletin include the board summary of recent actions, links to agendas and video, and contact information for board members.