Gone are the days of simple newsletters and notes sent home in kids’ backpacks as the means of communication for a school district’s community, as communication has become an entity all its own.
Batavia City Schools’ Board of Education approved a contract renewal with Emily Benedict of ESB Media this week for such services that include public and media relations to disseminate news, updates, highlights and positive stories about the city school district.
The agreement for 15 hours per week at a $5,000 a month retainer, or $60,000 per year, begins July 1 and runs through June 30, 2025.
District expectations include spending more quality time on “value-added projects,” focusing on strategy, “empowering colleagues to take the lead using brand/PR guidelines,” and adopting a more proactive and less reactive strategy.
Board member Alice Benedict said that one thing that's happened "for years and years and years" is that, despite getting information out into the public about upcoming budget and board election votes, that doesn't often evoke a great turnout, and this year, seemed especially dismal.
She asked if Benedict had any suggestions to help boost voter enthusiasm for the polls.
Contrary to what's been the trend for many organizations to get the word out about events, Benedict said that "we cannot just depend on social media," adding that information needs to go out via local press, postcards, newsletters and "other options we could explore."
Board member Barbara Bowman pointed to Batavia's large senior population and suggested that the school district could work with the county's Office for the Aging to assist older folks in getting to their polling sites.
"It would be nice if we could make a concerted effort," she said.
More specific goals related to the new contract, according to Benedict, are to:
- Continue the great work we’ve executed over the last four years with public relations, media relations, social media, executive communications, and strategy.
- Develop a comprehensive feature editorial strategy to unearth and highlight more positive stories about the district, its programs, students, and staff.
- Successfully transition web presence to a new platform and create a seamless content system that allows for clarity, transparency, and ease of use for all stakeholders.
- Find new and innovative ways to tell the BCSD story.
- Develop a community outreach strategy that better informs Batavia about the great work happening across BCSD.
- Continue working on a comprehensive crisis communication plan and messaging and develop additional communication opportunities to foster a stronger BCSD community for families, staff, etc.
- Improve the Annual Report with more educational statistics and brand stories.
- Professional photography of schools/faculty/students to enhance the website, social media, and materials.
- More video-focused interviews/news packages/social posts.
- Serve as webmaster for bataviacsd.org.
In other financial-related news, the board also approved a contract for blacktop sealing of 250,000 square feet of the district’s parking lots and driveways during the summer.
This includes painting lines, crack filling and a $5,000 allowance for milling and repair. The RFP was publicly advertised and sent to various companies. Two proposals were returned from the following companies in the amounts indicated:
Get Sealed submitted a bid of $72,800, and Baughman Magic Seal of Amherst submitted a lower bid of $46,950.
Chad Bliss, Director of Facilities III and Business Administrator Andrew Lang recommended that the board approve Baughman Magic Seal, which received final approval.
Appropriations for this work were budgeted for in the 2024-25 general fund budget, Lang said.
