We recently were hired by a long-time client to conduct internal research about employee perceptions on a variety of topics. We used virtual Listening Sessions via Zoom combined with a real-time online survey to hear from 19 different leadership and staff groups. And the findings have been remarkable. First, we were pleased (and a bit…
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By: Matt Deichmann, APR One of the things I do know – is you don’t know what you don’t know! District administrators and Board members often make assumptions about the thoughts and feelings of all stakeholders based on the feedback from a small group of individuals they know well. To extrapolate results from this extremely…
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If you are planning a ballot issue for your school district in spring 2022, the time is right to do pre-election research. Pre-election research will tell you three things: What your patrons are willing to support. How much they are willing to pay.  How the district is perceived by the voting public, which will help…
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Superintendents dream big: new buildings, performing arts centers, stadiums, and one-to-one initiatives. Whatever it takes to improve the educational experience for their “kids” is exactly what superintendents want – and go after. We applaud the vision, the audacity, and the effort – and we want to help. We have been exceedingly fortunate to work with…
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Is your school district considering a bond issue election in the near future? If so, keep in mind the following things that could impact your election results. Cost – Often, the most important consideration is how much the election will cost the average homeowner in new tax dollars. Depending on the size and nature of your…
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The 80/20 rule has never been more apt. In most school districts, there are two distinct groups of patrons. There are raving fans who support everything the district does and the “citizens against virtually everything” (or CAVE dwellers) who rain on everyone’s parade.  Collectively, these groups generally make up about 20% of the patron population.…
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If you are like most of our clients, you are shouting, “hip hip hooray” the 2020/2021 school year is in the books. You are probably chomping at the bit to get back to a more normal routine and education delivery system. We are, too. And none of us wants another crazy year like this past…
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By: Stephanie SmithDirector of Public Relations, Fort Osage R-1 School District In the past year, I have never been prouder to be a part of public education.  While I am not sure words can convey the COVID-19 pandemic or its impact on education, I have seen school personnel all over the United States demonstrating their…
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