Dist. 303 audit shows need to improve communication

A months-long communications audit in St. Charles School District 303 culminated Wednesday with a recommendation to rebuild the district's dormant community relations department.

Under the proposal, the district would need to hire a communications specialist and designate an administrative assistant to help coordinate communication with taxpayers, staff and students. It also would need to invest in upgrades to its Web site and set aside resources for consultants on an as-needed basis, among other efforts.

The recommendation was presented to the school board's community relations committee by representatives of Unicom Arc, a St. Louis public relations firm temporarily in charge of district communications.

John Siemers, an associate with the firm, said the outcome was based on extensive focus group sessions, personal interviews and an online survey taken by more than 300 people.

While Siemers said the district maintains a good reputation for academics, the study showed "slippage" in its status as a "destination district." Staff also expressed interest in better internal communication.

"People think there's great potential for change," Siemers said, adding that several commented it appears administrators and the board are working together better than they have in years past.

Whether any or all of the recommendations are followed will be up to the school board, which is in the process of finalizing its 2008-2009 budget.

Officials did not immediately have a cost estimate for the plan but, in the past, the district has paid between $76,000 a year for a public relations director and $132,000 a year for Unicom Arc's services, which include planning and carrying out the ongoing series of community meetings known as Summit 303.

Aside from Unicom Arc, the district has not had a permanent full-time community relations director since Tom Hernandez left the post in 2006.

On Wednesday, committee members requested additional time to review the proposal before making a decision. Superintendent Don Schlomann added that a draft of the upcoming budget includes a "placeholder" for an additional administrator, and there might already be staff on hand qualified to take on some communication duties.

"We really need to weed through it (the audit results)" before making any decisions, board member Lori Linkimer said.

Unicom Arc representatives also presented several statistics that suggest the public gets most of its information about the district from its Web site and newsletters, as well as local newspapers. But they requested more information about school board actions and policy matters along with upgrades to make the district Web site and several school Web sites more consistent in quality.