Part of the "THE SCHOLARS" initiative
Empower local community members who quietly support the schools to support them more vocally by providing peer support, resources, and information needed to spread positive messages and change perceptions of the public schools. The campaign will identify school system supporters, arm them with positive messages, and organize them into a coalition that amplifies positive stories emerging from Baldwin County Schools through informal communications channels and multiple media platforms.
Tracks that the BCS PR coordinator salary is already supported by BCS’ annual budget.
Tracks the campaign’s capacity to help attract businesses to Baldwin County’s growing economy.
Measures improved perception through ad hoc communications.
Tracks documentation of opportunities for improvement from quarterly reviews.
Tracks feedback from community members otherwise not engaged in the coalition of positive supporters.
Tracks documentation of individual coalition members.
Tracks the need for additional funding if BCS’ administrative structure changes.
Measures improved perception of local schools.
Tracks use of telephone trees as a coalition communication resource.
Tracks whether partners provide coalition volunteers for Advocate for a Better Baldwin.
Tracks documentation of successes from quarterly reviews.
Tracks whether meeting routines and cadences are established to keep coalition members informed and involved.
Measures improved perception using focus groups throughout the year.
Tracks whether preferred communication channels are set up for coalition members.
Tracks use of eNewsletters as a communication resource.
Tracks whether the committee’s responsibilities and decision-making power are defined.
Tracks review of coalition activities at the end of each quarter.
Measures improved perception through anecdotal communications.
Tracks provision of a bi-annual school report as a helpful resource for coalition members.
Tracks expected grassroots shift in the perception of public schools through empowered individual advocates.
Tracks the long-range impact of improved perception on the future viability of the schools.
Tracks whether a plan is formulated using data from quarterly reviews.
Tracks the campaign’s capacity to help attract new residents to Baldwin County.
Tracks use of Facebook/Instagram posts to combat negative school perceptions.
Tracks dissemination of positive school stories provided by the Baldwin County Board of Education.
Tracks whether a volunteer steering committee is identified to organize the coalition.
Tracks continued recruitment of members to convey positive school messages.
The messaging is already being created by the Baldwin County School Systems PR coordinator and amplified by local volunteers through unofficial communication sources such as Facebook and in-person conversations. This Big Idea requires limited funding beyond the annual salary of the BCS PR coordinator, which is already supported by BCS’ annual budget. Additional funding would need to be secured if BCS’ administrative structure changes.