Dayton Public Schools’ board voted on Nov. 11 to accept multiple 48‑hour waivers and to approve several contracts under the superintendent, including a $34,000 marketing contract with KQ Communications to promote the district’s Innovative Academies work tied to the Ford Next Generation Learning initiative.

Superintendent David Lawrence said KQ ran summer recruitment efforts and focus groups and produced meaningful spikes in website and social activity; administration told the board the firm’s prior campaign helped drive registration and online engagement for a virtual recruitment fair. Board member Walker asked for more concrete hiring data and the “return on investment” from the summer work before approving future spending: “I don’t know what $34,000 is gonna do for us if there’s no data to show… what it’s actually done so far,” he said.

Board member Smith highlighted that in KQ’s survey less than half (49%) of respondents said they planned to keep their children in Dayton Public Schools — a finding he called consequential for retention efforts and for tying marketing to broader retention strategies. Administration responded that KQ’s work included digital recruitment, field interviews and baseline community feedback and that additional retention work is being pursued by HR and program teams. The board pulled the item briefly for clarification; after more discussion it approved the contract.

Other approved items included consultant and evaluator agreements (University of Dayton external evaluator for federal grant programs) and a package of ratified contracts and athletic MOUs. Votes on package items commonly passed on 7‑0 recorded tallies where noted; the KQ Communications contract recorded one dissenting vote (Board member Walker).

Branding and logo redesign generated extended discussion: supporters said a refreshed, district‑wide brand will unify disparate school identities and support recruitment; critics urged caution, community input and a clear business case given constrained finances.

Votes at a glance
- 48‑hour waiver acceptance: approved (7‑0).
- Superintendent contracts package (excluding KQ item): approved (7‑0).
- KQ Communications marketing contract: approved (6‑1; Walker dissenting).
- University of Dayton external evaluator contract: approved (7‑0).
- Dragonfly Athletics purchase: approved (6 yes, 1 abstain on that item).

What’s next: Board members asked administration to provide detailed metrics showing KQ’s past recruitment results and modelled projections for expected enrollment/retention gains tied to marketing spend before larger rollouts.