Strategic Communications: Your Board Already Has a Message. Is It the Right One?

Every school board has a communications strategy. Even the boards that say they don’t have one have one — it’s just the wrong one.

I’ve worked with boards that communicate through press releases that nobody reads. Boards that communicate through board member Facebook posts that contradict each other. Boards that communicate through the superintendent’s weekly email — which is fine until the board decides something the superintendent disagrees with.

Here’s the framework I use with every board I coach: One Voice, One Channel, One Cadence, One Measure.

One Voice.

The board speaks with one voice. Not every board member agrees with every decision. But after the vote, the board’s public position is the board’s position, not seven individual positions.

This sounds obvious. It is not obvious. I’ve watched boards implode because one member posted something on social media that contradicted the majority. I’ve watched superintendents get fired in everything but name because board members told the press what they really thought about a decision they just voted for.

Disagree in the boardroom. Unite in public.

One Channel.

The board has one official channel for communicating with the community. Not seven. Not “my personal Facebook page counts as official business.” One channel.

I worked with a board in California that had four separate communication channels: the district website (managed by the superintendent’s office), the board president’s newsletter (published monthly), the board’s official Facebook page (managed by a rotating committee), and individual board member emails. When the board adopted a controversial boundary adjustment, the district website said one thing, the board president’s newsletter said something different, and individual board members told constituents different things in private.

It took six months to rebuild trust from that.

One Cadence.

Communicate on a predictable schedule. If the community knows when to expect information, they’re less likely to fill the gap with speculation.

Weekly board update. Bi-weekly governance report. Monthly community town hall. Quarterly state-of-the-board letter. Every board I’ve worked with that adopted a predictable communication cadence saw a measurable decrease in “I heard from a board member that…” conversations.

One Measure.

How do you know your communications are working? Not by counting newsletter subscribers. Not by website traffic. Not by public comment volume.

By one measure: does the community understand what the board is doing and why?

That’s harder to measure. But it’s the only measure that matters. One board I coached started including a one-question survey in their monthly newsletter: “On a scale of 1-5, how well do you understand what the board is working on this month?” The first month: 2.3. Month six: 3.8. That’s not great. But it’s measurable improvement, and it tells you where to focus.

The Audit.

Here’s a self-audit every board should run. Be honest.

Does every board member give the same answer to the question “What’s the board’s top priority this month?” If not, you have a One Voice problem.

If a parent asks “What’s the best way to get information from the board?” does everyone in the district office give the same answer? If not, you have a One Channel problem.

Can any member of the public tell you when the next board communication is coming? If not, you have a One Cadence problem.

Do you have any evidence that the community understands what you’re doing? If not, you have a One Measure problem.

Reply Message for a free Board Communications Audit Worksheet — a one-page assessment covering all four dimensions with specific diagnostic questions and an action planning template.

Part of the Community Engagement & Trust series for October. Strategic Communications Week continues Wednesday with “When the News Trucks Show Up.” Find the full series at effectiveschoolboards.com/newsletter.