Unknown leadership is usually a good thing

With the annual summertime superintendent shuffle having been completed at school districts across the country, new leaders in new places have been very busy trying to get immersed in their communities.

They’ve spoken at every event, visited with any parent who came calling, and spent time at the local coffee house, soaking up the community gossip. That’s all good, because it gets the new superintendent familiar with his or her surroundings. Just don’t expect the typical patron to remain overly interested, once the honeymoon period is over.

Our research shows that in all but the very smallest of communities, the superintendent (and, in most cases, the Board of Education) are assumed to be doing well – even if no one can remember who they are.

Specifically, when we ask people to rate the performance of the leader and his or her BOE, a high percentage of patrons say “don’t know.” While this may be confusing to a school district leader who knows his or her critics on a first-name basis, it’s really quite common.

Patrons rate the quality of their school district on areas such as buildings, teachers, whether they think the students turn out OK, and whether or not they think they are getting a good value for their tax money. The leadership isn’t really on their minds, unless their names pop up on a negative way in the local news media.

The lesson here is not to worry about making the superintendent or the Board more well-known, but to focus communications on what matters most to patrons. If that’s how they are going to judge the district, then that’s what the district should be talking about.

November elections present unique challenges for school districts

School districts that place an issue on the ballot in November of a mid-term year face extra challenges in getting their message across, that wouldn’t be present in a special election in, say, February.

Mid-term elections tend to bring out a meaningful segment of voters who would be hibernating during a February election and, typically, those voters are fixated on a particular candidate, issue or dogma – such as “throw the bums out.” Wading into that morass is a challenge, because you need to make these every-so-often voters pay attention to why you want this proposal to pass, and why you need it now.

If you find yourself with a November 2010 election in your future, remember the following.

First, keep it simple. What’s in the plan? What will it cost the average homeowner? Why should I vote “yes?” Put detailed information on your Web site, but keep the main campaign material equivalent to the length and simplicity of an “elevator speech.” In the case of most voters, that’s all the attention you’ll get.

Second, engage an army of foot soldiers, You need to canvas, but you also need to simply have neighbors asking neighbors to vote “yes.” Consider having a committee, but also having a less-involved group of “Ambassadors” who simply are willing to put their name down as a supporter.

Third, respond to critics with the facts. Don’t get dragged down by individuals who seek to discredit the proposal, question its “true costs,” or otherwise have a fit in public or private. Calmly state “Actually, the fact is…” and then detail the truth.

Above all, don’t waste time, resources or emotional energy trying to change those who have made up their minds. Instead, lock in your supporters (and ask them to help) and connect as effectively as possible with those on the fence, by showing them the benefits that would result for students, families, and the community.

Putting alumni parents to work

School districts we work with often lament the fact that once district parents move to alumni status (meaning they no longer have a child in a district school) their level of involvement grinds to a halt. No more committees. No more parent groups. No more coming to games and cheering on the young athletes.

On the surface, this would seem to be logical, wouldn’t it? After all, time is precious and limited. If you have only so much of it to give, wouldn’t you be most likely to shift your commitments to other priorities that have a much more day-to-day connection to your life, once your children graduate?

Logical, yes. True? Not always.

Brand research that we’ve done on behalf of school districts reveals the existence of a meaningful subset of alumni parents who would be more than happy to continue to give their time and talents. It’s just that nobody asks (likely because they expect the answer to be “no”).

So, adults who already know their way around are left at the curb, because the assumption is that that’s where they want to be.

Certainly, this is a subset and not the majority. But, even if it’s only 10 alumni parents a year across your district, that’s 10 fewer new volunteers whose arms you have to twist.

The one caveat that these alumni parents have told us? Ask us to help and then give us some options. Or, tell us where you really need the most help and let us decide if we’d be comfortable with that assignment.

But, by all means, they tell us, ask!

Teachers overpaid? Some patrons think so.

We recently conducted a survey in which a patron actually said, “They can do a lot better with less money, as far as the teachers are concerned.”

If you think this is just a random oddball, you might want to think again. Such a person fits neatly into the group that tends to start every sentence with, “If it was good enough for me…” There are plenty of those in every school district.

How can you address such a comment while keeping a straight (and calm) face?

First, don’t respond directly. Such an individual is itching to get into a discussion about what’s wrong with the school district, and likely isn’t interested in a whole lot of facts regarding how your teachers’ salaries compare to nearby districts.

Second, focus attention on student achievement in your district (assuming it is notable) and draw attention to the role that teachers, principals, parents and the community play in achieving those great results.

Third, keep beating the drum for the need to maintain “equitable” salaries for all staff members. Equitable is a word that doesn’t suggest that you want to lead the pack, only that you want to be fair. Even oddballs can understand the concept of fairness, even if they may disagree with your definition of the word.

Patrons’ savings ideas show the need for more information

Recently, we wrote that we were seeing an increase in patrons suggesting “fundraisers” as a way for their school district to solve its budget challenges, as if cookie dough and wrapping paper sales were the path to financial stability.

The other side of that story consists of patrons’ ideas for cost savings. We’ve seen more than a few patrons suggesting such fixes as eliminating lamination, copying on both sides of the paper, dropping (or raising, depending on the season) the thermostat by 1 degree in buildings district-wide, and instructing staff to turn off lights in rooms they are not in.

All of these ideas – while well-intentioned and, in most cases, worth considering on general principles – make it clear that these patrons have a limited idea of the significance of the budget challenges. Over time, ideas such as these will make a notable difference. But, the school district doesn’t have the luxury of such time.

It seems clear that if your patrons continue to produce ideas that will save pennies, it means that you need to keep drawing their attention back to the enormity of the challenge, the difficult steps that have already been taken, and the ones which may need to be considered in the future.

Doom and gloom not the best communications strategy

It’s tempting for school district leaders to ratchet up the language when talking to patrons about the impacts of this budget crisis on students, staff, families and the community. For the short- and long-term health of the district/patron relationship, however, it’s wise to take a breath and consider the strategic implications before making any dramatic pronouncements.

Savvy school districts have brought their patrons along for the ride as they took a look at next year’s checkbook and began slicing here and dicing there. While many patrons are smarting today because their pet program was not spared, at least they know that the district sweated bullets making these decisions. They have seen the school district doing what they have had to do around their home, if this economy has affected them, and it’s created empathy like no time in recent memory.

To turn around and use hyperbolic language – even if such language might be the most accurate way to describe the potential changes coming in the future – changes the relationship at a time when school districts have patrons’ advocacy.

Instead, make the language matter-of-fact and let the reader, listener or viewer draw his or her own conclusion about the significance of the situation. There’s no need to say “class sizes might grow by five or more students, meaning less personal attention, if we need to cut 30 more teachers.” Just saying “the future may require 30 additional cuts in the teaching staff, which will lead to larger class sizes” will get the same message out there without the shock language that patrons will easily conjure up on their own – without the district’s help.

Effective communication key to setting the stage for levy request

It’s the ultimate good news/bad news situation for school districts.

The bad news, of course, is that budgets have been gutted, teachers have been let go, and programs have been eliminated or dramatically reduced. Research that we have completed recently suggests that most school districts have done a credible job of bringing patrons into the tent to at least hear the story, if not right up to the table to provide some measure of assistance in making these hard choices.

What’s good about this? Well, even though the economy continues to take baby steps toward recovery, patrons in most districts appear to be at least willing to consider an operating tax levy increase proposal, because they know that the district has not come to them with a hand outstretched, before they looked internally for places to economize.

Comments from patrons in research we have recently conducted show not only general awareness (such as “they had to cut the budget”), but also a meaningful level of specific knowledge (“some teachers offered to give back their salary increase so that others could keep their jobs”). While the perceptions of patrons as to the specific steps a district has taken don’t always match the reality, it’s encouraging to see that they are paying attention.

This doesn’t mean it’s always the case; the patrons of one district listed a tax levy increase as step number 11 – out of a possible 12 – that the district should take to address the funding difficulties. And, organized opposition could always form and point to “the tough economy” as a reason to say “no.” But, if you listen to the pulse of your district and sense that typical patrons are significantly worried about what’s being lost, it might be strategic to consider asking for help sooner rather than later.

School budget public forums dominated by familiar faces, opinions

As the calendar pages turn and school districts find themselves up against deadlines for making budget decisions for next year, many are turning to public meetings in an effort to provide patrons a venue to share their thoughts about what should be cut and what should be saved.

We’ve attended our fair share of these events – both professionally and personally – and find them to be generally of limited value in determining true patron opinion for two reasons.

First, it’s difficult to structure such programs to provide everyone in attendance a comfortable method to share their opinions. Open microphones tend to draw the passionate, but keep the silent majority glued to their seats. Small discussion groups can be dominated by vociferous patrons, leaving the quieter ones in the dust. Even setting up stations where patrons can share opinions more one-on-one with district staff members is problematic.

Second, those in attendance tend to be either the district’s “frequent flyers” who come to every such meeting, or the newly enraged who come itching to do battle, armed with a list of their favorite district programs in their back pockets. As such, most school district leaders can probably guess how the evening’s festivities will go, even before the doors open and the guests arrive.

Make no mistake: Public forums can be an important part of a comprehensive program of data gathering, and they provide cover for the district against patrons who might say “Nobody ever gave me the chance to share my opinion.” But, making meaningful, life-changing decisions based on the opinions gathered at a couple of meetings at your high school’s cafeteria is a very risky proposition.

Operating levy seen as possible budget option

Actually, yes. Your patrons might surprise you with their willingness to support an operating levy increase.

Patron Insight recently completed research with the patrons of the Kearney (Mo.) R-I School District, in which we asked them to rank order 11 different options for cutting the budget and/or increasing revenue.

Number one on the list was to start a “pay to play” system for extracurricular activities, followed by “reduce non-instructional staff,” and “eliminate any renovation of school facilities.” A strong fourth? “Increase my taxes,” which was six places higher on the idea list than “increase class sizes.”

It was an eye-opener to the district, and may be to you. Send an e-mail with the subject line “Kearney Report” if you’d like to find out more.