Delivering value: Your district's key word
for 2014
One of the most interesting aspects of our research work on behalf of public school districts has been being able to track the ebb and flow of typical patron opinion regarding district performance and the oh-so-hard-to-measure characteristics of the district/patron relationship, over the past 22 years.
Not surprisingly, during more stable financial times (remember them?) patrons had a much more laissez-faire attitude toward their local school district. In other words, if the district thought something was a good idea, it probably was, and we – the patrons – should support that. Only the passionate few thought it necessary to engage in a debate, whether that be on curriculum, class sizes or costs.
Over the last four to five years – but particularly in the last 12 to 18 months – however, it's clear that laissez-faire has become passé.
The large majority of school district patrons who typically paid scant attention to the goings-on at your Central Office, unless it impacted their son or daughter, have become aggressively more interested in one aspect of school district life: What are you doing with my money?
As everyone in public education well understands, money has always been a topic of interest among patrons. It’s just that the tone of patron commentary has become more strident and less supportive. For more patrons, the default reaction today appears to be to doubt.
Not only is the tone more combative, it’s also more confused. Patrons’ comments today include frequent suggestions for changes to the basic funding of schools, school bonds, operating levies and the like that are more appropriate for communicating to their legislator than to the school district itself.
The end result is a lot of frustration for school districts and patrons alike, and confirmation that school finance is a topic that will never be fully understood in the community. Recognizing that fact, it makes sense to focus more communications on what patrons’ money is “buying them,” than on trying to turn each resident into a junior school district CFO. For example:
Where are you getting the same (or better) results for less money? Energy performance contracts, food service changes and other steps that get at least the same – if not more – for less show that you are uncovering every rock to find savings. Just make sure that you focus on the savings first, and the details second.
How are you lengthening the useful life of current facilities? Preventive maintenance steps that seem mundane to you show quite clearly that you recognize each building in your inventory represents an investment by your patrons. Show them what you are doing to protect that investment.
What are you doing to find other revenue? The “find the money elsewhere” comment is becoming more prevalent in our research results. So, turn that on its ear by showing situations where you may be generating revenue. Catering services through culinary programs, facility rental fees, and other modest moneymakers suggest you are, in fact, looking for money elsewhere.
The message: Make this the year you focus at least a portion of your message on how you are delivering value to the taxpayers who make public education possible.