Connecting Communities and Schools

Karen Leinberger MBC Final Project Presentation

Why focus on connecting the two?

• Current Edina resident.

• No children in the school system.

• Did not vote in November referendum.

• To me, school systems drive a community.

• Curious about my community’s tie to its school system.

What research uncovered

• Per square foot, the City of Edina is the oldest Twin Cities community.

• Those over 55 do not typically have children in the school system.

• School is losing those under the age of 30 and over 55, it’s largest population.

What are the implications?

• Taxpayers support school system.

• People without children in schools are a vital audience.

• Disconnect with school leads to a fragmented community.

The community could suffer

• School system needs to take advantage of this opportunity.

• If schools overlook the support of senior residents, potential exists to: – Lose funding – Squander support – Eliminate clout

What I wanted to know

• Does this group feel they are already connected to the school system?

• Would they like to know more about community events through Edina Public Schools?

• What vehicles of communication do they prefer?

• How often do they want to be communicated to?

Is communication from Edina Public Schools (EPS) important to senior residents of the City of Edina?

A study was born

• Thirty volunteers over the age of 55 separated into four focus groups.

• Recruited through flyers, e-mail and phone calls.

• The majority of participants were between the ages of 55-60 and 76-80.

• Sixty-seven percent no longer had children in the Edina Public Schools system.

Is communication from EPS important to you?

• Yes!

• All mentioned that hearing from EPS was important to their feeling of community inclusion.

What is your primary source for EPS information?

• More than 85% receive their community information through print vehicles: – Edina Sun Current – Minneapolis Star Tribune – Standard mail on EPS letterhead • Word of mouth was second primary source.

What are your impressions of EPS’ marketing collateral?

• A majority noted information in current collateral pieces was irrelevant.

• Suggested need for statistics and cross district comparisons.

• Expressed concern over taking funding away from classrooms for communication.

What do you want to know about EPS?

• Respondents mentioned they wanted to hear more about: – Statistics on the school’s budget – Comprehensive testing results – Local children thriving in and out the of classroom

Is Community Education a gateway to EPS?

• Universal knowledge that programs existed throughout groups.

• Very few tied Community Education programs to the school district.

Is EPS a conduit to the community?

• All participants value the school system.

• They understood EPS’ reputation directly correlated with their property values.

Is communication from Edina Public Schools (EPS) important to senior residents of the City of Edina?

YES!

What did I learn?

• Edina residents ages 55 and older appreciate communication to stay connected.

• No one ideal way to communicate to this age group.

• Dissatisfaction on communications received to date.

Next Steps for EPS

• Recommend a full audit of marketing collateral materials.

• Distribute a larger mailed survey to Edina residents.

• Implement revised communication program based on survey findings.

Questions?