Communications the topic at Engagement Session

By Ken Syke, MMSD Public Information

A key initiative of the Strategic Plan intersected with the school district’s wish to engage the community.  The result: a Community Engagement Session about Madison School District communications.

Parents, staff members, college students and other citizens came to Marquette/O’Keeffe’s cafeteria on February 22 to weigh in on how the district can better communicate about the benefits of an MMSD education.

Superintendent Dan Nerad explained off the top that a priority established by the 60-member Strategic Planning Committee was to communicate in a planned way about MMSD’s positives.  To state it another way, straight from page 74 of the Strategic Plan, “We will actively promote the benefits that all students derive from the challenging, respectful, inclusive education that our schools provide.”

In that same section of the Plan is an action step that calls for “regular public engagement sessions… by the BOE and the Superintendent.”  While the Board and Superintendent have held such sessions previously – such as for the budget and the Strategic Plan, this was the first engagement session as a result of the new Plan, which was approved last fall.

After a brief introduction about the purpose of the session and about current communication efforts (see the video), the 38 persons broke into smaller groups to provide their answers to three questions about improving district communications, and the strategies that should be used to reach out to MMSD families and the community.

For the next 60 minutes, the guests shared their thoughts and suggestions which were recorded on flip charts.  See the notes from these sessions.  While the input was wide-ranging, many comments revolved around concepts like sharing successes, developing relationships, social media and social networking, reaching out, and public relations.

The feedback will be reviewed and used in the development of a new communications plan for the district that will “promote the benefits… that our schools provide.”  The new plan will be developed with the assistance of a business consultant to be chosen this spring.  Early initiatives of the communications plan should be rolled out in the fall.

The next sessions in which citizens can engage the school district will be around the MMSD budget for 2010-11.  Two budget public hearings have been scheduled:

• Monday, March 22, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at UW Space Place, 2300 S. Park St.
• Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at Warner Park Community Recreation Center, 1625 Northport Dr.