District communications chief unveils five‑year plan to boost storytelling and two‑way engagement

Kelly Loci, the district’s communications lead, presented a five‑year strategic communications plan to the Hermiston SD 8 school board, saying the proposal is grounded in an audit completed in October 2022 and input from staff, families and focus groups. “Our goal is to ensure staff, families, students, and community members have access to and are well informed about key district information,” Loci told the board.

Loci summarized the audit’s methods — surveys of staff, families and community members, a materials review of district publications and budgets, and focus groups — and described key findings: parents rated communications highly in crisis contexts but said routine communications are often reactive and that the district’s positive stories are not consistently reaching the public. Loci noted ParentSquare was rolled out mid‑COVID and that some families remain unclear about its purpose.

The core priorities in the plan are improving accessibility and transparency; developing stronger, multimedia storytelling that highlights student learning and district priorities; and fostering two‑way engagement through refined channels. Loci said the plan ties messages to board priorities and that departments across the district should align around consistent key messages. She described the document as a living plan with an execution calendar and built‑in evaluation: the audit provides baseline data and the district plans to re‑survey mid‑implementation to measure progress.

Board members broadly praised the work but asked for additions. Board member Sami highlighted Strategy 3, Tactic 2, asking that emergency communications be expanded beyond templates to include training, practice and post‑incident learning. Loci replied that communications participates in incident command processes and suggested adding an addendum documenting those functions. Online board member Lou urged clearer tactics for showcasing academic achievement — graduation rates, AP courses and college credit — so the community better understands instructional quality; Loci said academic storytelling is in the tactics but may need clearer language.

Several board members and Loci discussed staffing and capacity. Chris asked whether Loci was the whole communications department; Loci said, “The communications department is me,” and described plans to distribute communications work across staff and train building‑level ambassadors so the work does not rest on a single person.

The board did not vote on the plan; Loci said she will provide yearly updates to the board and community and will revise the plan based on ongoing feedback and measurement. The board thanked Loci for the work and moved on to the next agenda item.