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Richardson ISD weighs paid enrollment campaign — consultants estimated $400K–$500K for year‑one; 75 students would break even
Summary
District strategy staff presented RFP results recommending a targeted paid awareness campaign to recruit pre‑K and other students; staff said a $450,000 sample campaign would need roughly 75 new students to break even and noted a recent word‑of‑mouth soft launch yielded over 200 new enrollees.
Dr. Heller and the strategy and engagement team presented the results of a recent RFP and a draft ‘‘ISD is the 1’’ awareness campaign intended to recruit, retain and recover students as the district faces projected enrollment declines.
"We are no longer the monopoly," Dr. Heller warned trustees, explaining the competitive enrollment market in which charter schools, private schools and new ESAs (educational savings accounts) are drawing families. Staff said seven firms responded to the RFP and that a first‑year investment commonly ranged in the roughly $400,000–$500,000 range. The presentation broke down likely allocations (creative/content, digital advertising, targeted mail and grassroots outreach) and estimated that a $450,000 campaign would need 75 newly enrolled students to break even on the local per‑student revenue. Staff emphasized that the program could be scaled a la carte and tested with smaller digital buys.
Trustees asked about equity of access to pre‑K, eligibility for non‑resident pre‑K tuition seats, geofencing and analytics to target neighborhoods, and whether internal staff capacity would need bolstering. Dr. Heller and the strategy team said the district currently spends about $35,000–$40,000 per year on marketing and that this campaign would be an investment to secure additional local revenue; she noted the district's prior soft launch of open enrollment (no paid marketing) drew just over 200 students and said paid efforts aim to convert and sustain enrollments in pockets where seats exist.
Staff requested direction about scope and budget and offered to return with phased or smaller‑scale options and improved analytics to measure geofencing and conversion performance.
