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Voss and Associates, the public relations firm directing communications for the Richmond County School System, is looking to further its efforts with its second-year communications plan.
The group's strategy for the coming year -- to include an expansion of its Be There campaign and some school Web site changes -- were spelled out in a recent school board committee meeting. Board members were told by Voss and Associates officials that the firm's past year's work had received positive reviews in a survey of those in the system and the community.
The contract for Voss and Associates' services, to include school system spokesman Louis Svehla, costs the system $120,000 and is approved annually. The contract, in its second year, was approved in July, and this school year's communications strategy was presented in the most recent committee meeting.
Voss owner and president David Voss told board members that recent communication changes at the school system have created a "major shift from previous times." He said board operations have become more transparent, crediting a new district newsletter and a Global Connect telephone system that contacts parents about important developments.
Some board members agreed, saying the Global Connect system has helped alert officials and parents immediately of crisis situations, such as one last month when a Richmond County school bus was shot at near Atlanta while returning from an event.
"I applaud this entire system," said school board member Jimmy Atkins, adding that his only criticism would be that when he's not home the called message goes to an answering machine, and "you only get the tail end of it."
To remedy that, he was advised to have his cell phone become the system's key contact.
For the current school year, Voss officials say they're now looking to take advantage of social networking sites such as MySpace to communicate school information as well as allow six pilot schools to have online "family forums" through which parents can communicate on topics that each school determines.
The pilot schools will be Davidson Fine Arts, Cross Creek High School, Morgan Road Middle, Pine Hill Middle, Lake Forest Hills Elementary and Diamond Lakes Elementary, Mr. Svehla said at a recent meeting.
"It's a way for them to be engaged and be involved in their school without needing a baby sitter," Mr. Voss said.
There's a plan to use Webinars for meetings with administrators, keeping them from having to drive from their schools to the Broad Street headquarters.
Another plan calls for upgrading school-based Web sites to offer more to parents.
"When you talk to parents, they use the school Web sites more (than the overall school system site) ... so we're going to put a big emphasis on that," Mr. Voss said.
The firm also wants to increase exposure of the system's new Be There brand and produce a new calendar and system overview brochure, according to the 2009-2010 Communications Plan it submitted to the board.
Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3851 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com
Comments
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Cut funding, raise taxes, but blow big bucks on a robo-dialer and chowderhead? I smell gratuities and a helluva tapdance.
I think the system needs to talk to the entire community, not just to parents. That way the people who are paying for the system would have a point of view also and they may want to know what their hard earned money is actually paying for. Mr. Voss claims to have made great changes especially in the transparency of the board, but I haven't seen any transparency. Further his comment about a new system bought and paid for by us " a new district news letter, and a Global Connect telephone system that contacts parents about important developments" are perfect examples of not keeping the public informed. If we are so transparent, what was the cost of these jewels, what do they do and what was the reason they were funded ahead of other projects. And don't you just feel all warm and fuzzy when he tells us "his company did a survey of the community and discovered that everyone contacted provided positive reviews"? Well I don't know of anyone who was contacted, maybe he used the transparent global connect system for the survey, but I know a few who would like to make some positive comments that are salient but not nice.
justnuts is talking about ignorant people again. "adding that his only criticism would be that when he's not home the called message goes to an answering machine, and "you only get the tail end of it."" Vastly different than all messages...go to an answering machine. His posts are always good for a laugh!
No PR firm can changes the facts. Yes, effective communications are necessary in Augusta-Richmond County. But the bottom line is education. When a system is in crisis like ARC, the results will be dismal. Create accountability for teachers and students and hold them to a standard. Or give them an F. Just look at surrounding counties' statistics compared to ARC.
I suppose there is another way to look at this. Instead of having a government employee spokesman for the system, there is a paid private person doing it. Private is always better and it seems to be the case here.
At other government agencies, private is also more expensive. GDOT for example. Higher salaries, 150 percent overhead and 10 percent profit. The consultant's mantra: Do it just good enough to need revising or reanalysis. Better idea: send notes home by students. Instruct "media specialists" (formerly known as school librarians) to type up public service announcements.
Would be interesting to know how much money has been spent on the ideas this Voss company suggested. I'm sure it's more then the 120K we are spending to have someone call around to other school systems (Like Augusta Christian) to use what they are using. From what I understand they have a system in place that parents can look up the grades and assignments. Why do we need someone else making big buck to do this? I know lets pay for a study to find out why.
before holding the teachers accountable, why not get rid of all of the disrespectful, violent, disruptive and students who just don't want to learn...can we all say davidson/johnson as examples of model schools, then give teachers the authority tht was stripped from them all in the sake of political correctness..place education at the highest priority..eliminate all extra-curricular acctivities from schools that fail to meet ayp and graduate less than 75% of it's senior class
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