Pattonville School-Community Relations - Communications Plan and Evaluation 2020-2021 - BoardDocs
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Pattonville School-Community Relations
Communications Plan and Evaluation 2020-2021
1
INTRODUCTION
The Pattonville school-community relations (SCR) department Services that Support the
supports the district’s mission “That All Will Learn” by facilitating
communication with internal and external audiences and building and District’s Mission
maintaining relationships to continue Pattonville’s high level of • Communications
counseling
community support and involvement. The program is key to the • Internal and external
district’s accountability to students and the community by communications
demonstrating to stakeholders that Pattonville is fulfilling its mission • Community involvement
and meeting goals set forth by the board of education. The department and engagement
serves 10 schools, approximately 1,200 Pattonville and Special • Crisis communication
School District staff members, 40 administrators, 6,100 students in • Marketing
• Media relations
preschool through 12th grade (and their families), the board of • Multimedia services
education and more than 20,000 households throughout the district. In • Social media engagement
2003, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary • Publication production and
Education (DESE) identified Pattonville’s emphasis on public design
engagement as a strength of the district and said the level of • Recognition programs and
participation could serve as a model for other districts in the state. events
• Event planning
Since that time, Pattonville’s engagement efforts have continued to • Website management
grow as the district involved its community with strategic planning • Photography and video
and critical issues such as tax levy and bond issue decisions and the production
addition of social media and online communications.
OUR TEAM
Mickey Schoonover, APR
Director of School-Community Relations
Kelly Gordon
Community Relations Specialist and Secretary to the Board of Education
Brian Heyman, MJE
Multimedia Communications Specialist
Alexis Pick
Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and Community Relations
2
OUR GOALS
GOAL 1
The Pattonville school-community relations (SCR) program supports the district’s
Comprehensive School Improvement Program (CSIP) efforts and the district’s mission “That
ALL Will Learn” by building and maintaining relationships with our school community and
preserving and enhancing the district’s high level of community support.
Objective 1: The Pattonville community demonstrates a high level of satisfaction with the district and
support for its goals and programs as evidenced by survey data and other measures.
Indicators ✓ Awards from external organizations or for which the district is nominated/applies for indicate the
district is high performing (i.e., Top Workplaces, U.S. News Best High Schools, etc.).
✓ District survey data indicates a high level of support and trust in the district and the work it does for
students.
Objective 2: Pattonville’s recognition programs and publicity efforts effectively recognize students, staff,
volunteers, individual schools and the district for their accomplishments.
Indicators ✓ Achievements of students, staff, volunteers, individuals schools and the district are recognized
through internal and external communication channels.
✓ The SCR team coordinates programs which recognize students, staff and volunteers for their efforts
and accomplishments.
✓ Staff opinions about the district indicate a high level of support and engagement.
GOAL 2
The SCR program supports the district’s CSIP efforts and mission by facilitating effective
communication to and from internal and external audiences.
Objective 1: The majority of parents, staff and community members feel informed about the district as
evidenced by surveys given as part of the SCR program evaluation and/or periodic community surveys.
Indicators ✓ Survey data shows respondents feel informed about district issues and events.
✓ Metrics indicate Pattonville’s communications channels are effective in reaching parents, staff and
community members and are continuing to expand in reach.
✓ The district’s accomplishments, plans and issues are routinely shared through district and external
communication channels.
✓ The SCR program provides crisis communication leadership and support as needed.
Objective 2: Pattonville places an emphasis on engaging its parents, staff and community members by
encouraging involvement in their schools and the decision-making process in Pattonville.
Indicators ✓ Survey data indicates Pattonville does a good job with its efforts to involve stakeholders in their
schools and the decision-making process.
✓ Opportunities are provided to enable face-to-face communication between the district and its
stakeholders.
✓ Programs are available to involve residents who are not connected to the schools by a student.
3
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Listed below are the key stakeholders identified as critical to our communications goals.
Internal External
Certified staff Taxpayers
Support staff Senior citizens
Special School District staff Business partners and leaders
School resource officers Faith leaders
Board members Real estate agents
Administrators Retired staff
Municipal leaders
Extended Internal Legislators
Students First responders
Parents/guardians New residents
Parent organizations Private/parochial school parents
Student organizations Prospective new families
Support organizations Media
Volunteers
Alumni
Extended family members
KEY MESSAGES
In general, messages relayed in Pattonville’s communications channels demonstrate how students, staff,
administrators and volunteers are living out the district’s mission “That ALL will learn to become responsible
citizens in a nurturing environment where diversity means strength, knowledge means freedom and commitment
means success.”
These messages illustrate the following characteristics about the Pattonville School District:
• Personalized learning supporting the needs of all students;
• Caring and responsible students and staff;
• Innovative in preparing students for a world yet to be imagined;
• Strong sense of community;
• Diversity being a strength; and
• High achieving students, staff and district.
4
COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS (STRATEGIES AND TACTICS)
Clear and consistent messages are provided to key internal and external stakeholders through a variety of media
year-round. Items with an asterisk are coordinated/managed by a department other than SCR.
Category Channel Audience Frequency
Electronic District website Parents, students, staff, new Daily to weekly
http://www.psdr3.org families, alumni, community
Electronic School websites* Parents, students, staff, new As determined by
SCR assists schools as needed families building
Electronic “Pattonville @Work” e-newsletters (separate Parents, staff, media, legislators, After regular board
ones for parents/community and staff) retirees, community who subscribe meetings (12x a year)
Electronic Peachjar e-flyer distribution Parents As needed
Electronic SchoolMessenger (automated email, phone, Parents, staff As needed by district,
text) individual schools
Electronic Direct email Parents, students, staff As needed by district,
individual schools
Electronic District app Parents, students, staff, Daily to weekly
community members
Social media Facebook Parents, students, staff, Daily
http://www.facebook.com/PSDR3 community members, alumni
Social media Facebook (15 school/program sites)* Parents, students, staff, Daily to weekly
SCR provides support and training community members, alumni
Social media Twitter (@PattonvilleSD) Parents, students, staff, Daily
http://www.twitter.com/PattonvilleSD community members, alumni,
leaders in region, nation
Social media Instagram (@PattonvilleSD) Parents, students, staff, alumni, Daily
http://www.instagram.com/PattonvilleSD community members
Social media YouTube Parents, students, staff, Frequently
http://www.youtube.com/PattonvilleR3 community members
Print “Pattonville Highlights” district newsletter Taxpayers, district residents, Mailed 8x a year
https://issuu.com/pattonvillesd parents, students, staff, retirees
Print “Flash” 55+ Club newsletter Senior citizens, 55+ Club 2x a year
members, retirees
Print “Green and White Gazette” alumni Alumni, alumni association, visitors 2x a year
newsletter to homecoming athletic events
Print Activities guides for high school activities/ Students, parents, staff, visitors to 3x a year
athletics program athletic events, community
Print District brochure Community leaders, prospective 1x a year
http://bit.ly/PSDbrochure19-20 new families and staff
Print Crisis Teamwork Guide Administrators, BOE, secretaries, 1x a year
counselors
Print Emergency Procedures Guides for Administrators, staff 1x a year
individual buildings (11 guides)
Print Retiree directory Pattonville retirees Once every other year
Print Oasis tutoring program newsletter “Tutor Oasis tutors, older adults 1x a month October
News” through May
5
Category Channel Audience Frequency
Engagement Community forums on district issues (i.e., Taxpayers, district residents, As needed
finances, facilities, bond issue) parents, students, staff,
community members
Engagement School improvement teams and CSIP Parents, students, staff, 3-4x a year and as
meetings* community members needed at school level
Engagement Board meetings with municipal leaders Community leaders, BOE 3x a year
Engagement Board meetings with religious leaders Faith leaders, BOE 1x a year
Engagement Board meetings with legislators Legislators, BOE In conjunction with
Parkway and Rockwood
Engagement 55+ Club Dinner Theater Senior citizens, 55+ Club 4x a year (two nights
members, retirees each fall and spring)
Engagement Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring Program Senior citizens, volunteers, retirees 1x a month November
meetings through May
Engagement All-Staff Orientation Staff, administrators, BOE 1x a year
Engagement Superintendent meetings with Teacher Certified staff, administrators 2-3x a year
Advisory Council (TAC)*
Engagement Superintendent meetings with Support Staff Certified staff, administrators 2-3x a year
Advisory Council (SSAC)*
Engagement Superintendent meetings with Parent Parents, legislators 2-3x a year
Advisory Council and legislators (PAC)*
Engagement Meetings with high school students Students, staff, BOE, Several times a year
(BSAAC)* administrators
Engagement Administrative and cabinet meetings* Administrators Weekly to monthly
Engagement Liaison with community groups (i.e., Community leaders, administrators Weekly to monthly
Kiwanis, Pattonville Education Foundation,
Alumni Association, chamber)
Engagement School-business partnerships for Business leaders, parents, Ongoing throughout the
academics and activities* students, staff, alumni year
Recognition Board meetings with student/staff Parents, students, staff, BOE 9-10x a year
recognition
Recognition District Appreciation Night Parents, staff, administrators, 1x a year
BOE, volunteers
Recognition Teacher and Support Staff of the Year Certified and support staff January-May
Recognition Pride of Pattonville Staff, volunteers, parents January-May
Recognition Oasis tutor recognition Senior citizens, volunteers 1x a year
External media Television Parents, students, staff, Periodically
community members
External media Radio Parents, students, staff, Periodically
community members
External media Print/online newspapers and magazines Parents, students, staff, Regularly
community members
Evaluation Bienniel program evaluation BOE, superintendent’s cabinet Every other year
(LCAT), administrators, SCR team,
parents, staff, community
6
RESEARCH/RESULTS
Perceptions
High Marks from Parents, Community
For more than two decades, a consistent, sizable
gap has existed between parents' satisfaction
with their child's education and Americans’
views of U.S. education in general. In 2020,
Gallup’s research showed the gap remained,
with 72% of parents in the nation satisfied with
the quality of their child's K-12 education and
50% of Americans overall satisfied with K-12
education quality in the U.S.
In addition, Phi Delta Kappa (PDK)
International’s annual survey of the public’s
attitude toward public schools showed 60% of
K-12 parents rate their community’s schools
positively and 76% give their own child’s school
an A or B grade. In the same survey, just 19% of
Americans overall give the nation’s schools an A
or B grade, while 44% of Americans give an A or B to their local schools.
Pattonville asked residents (parents and residents without current students) to assign letter grades to the district via periodic
community telephone surveys administered by UnicomArc beginning in 2000. While the percentage of residents assigning As
or Bs to Pattonville has increased over time to nearly 80%, it’s notable that the percentage assigning As has increased
significantly since 2000 - from 28% to 46% in 2016 (most recent data available).
Highly Recommended
Pattonville was awarded a 2020 Top Workplaces honor by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The district was ranked ninth among the
Top 15 large employers in the St. Louis area (employers with 500 or more employees). This is the sixth year in a row Pattonville
has earned Top Workplace recognition, and no other school district ranked higher on this year’s lists than Pattonville. The
recognition is based on employee feedback through a survey administered by Energage, an independent research firm.
Approximately 69% of staff responded to the 2020 survey and 89% highly recommend working at Pattonville (see below).
Energage Survey (February 2020) 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
I would highly recommend working at Pattonville School 84% 87% 90% 87% 88% 89%
District to others.
In addition, Pattonville administered a climate survey to parents and staff in October 2019. Respondents included 537
parents, 377 certified staff and 112 support staff. Survey results showed:
Climate Survey (October 2019) Parents Certified Support
Staff Staff
I would recommend Pattonville School District to other parents/staff. 92% 96% 94%
7
Engaged Staff Members
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Top Workplaces
survey shows Pattonville outperforming
benchmark K-12 districts throughout the U.S.
on several measures of organizational health,
including cultural drivers and business
outcomes. The following areas were
considered strengths in this survey, as they
earned scores above the 75th percentile when
compared to benchmark districts.
• Pattonville encourages different points of
view.
• New ideas are encouraged at Pattonville.
• I believe Pattonville is going in the right
direction.
• At Pattonville, we do things efficiently
and well.
• I feel well-informed about important
decisions at Pattonville.
• Pattonville operates by strong values.
• Administrators understand what is really
happening at Pattonville.
The Top Workplaces survey also measures engagement as the percentage of employees who are: highly motivated, committed
to staying with an organization and willing to highly recommend an organization to others. An employee is considered
engaged if they answer positively to all three of the survey statements listed below:
1. This company motivates me to give my very best at work.
2. I would highly recommend working at this company to others.
3. I have not considered searching for a better job in the past month.
Approximately 66% of Pattonville staff are considered “engaged” employees.
Trusted by the Community
The Pattonville community has shown a history of placing its trust in the district by passing all but one ballot issue over the
past two decades.
Year Ballot Issue Cost to Taxpayers Result Percent Yes
2000 $37 million bond issue 10-cent tax increase Passed 58.9%
2000 Technology tax levy 10-cent tax increase Failed 44.5%
2006 $19 million bond issue No tax rate increase Passed 76.15%
2010 $41 million bond issue No tax rate increase Passed 75.82%
2013 Operating tax increase 99-cent tax increase (35-cent residential promise) Passed 70.28%
2017 $23 million bond issue No tax rate increase Passed 80.11%
8
In addition, on periodic telephone surveys of the community, responses show a high level of trust in and satisfaction with the
district. The chart below shows the percentage of respondents giving positive answers on the following statements over the
last several years.
Statement (Community Surveys) 2016 2013 2010 2006 1999
People move into the district because of the reputation of the 80% 65% 78% 78% 75%
district.
We get an excellent value in education for the taxes we pay to the 83% 75% 76% 72% N/A
Pattonville School District.
I trust the Pattonville School District/Board of Education to spend tax 78% 71% 79% 79% 79%
dollars efficiently/make good financial decisions.
The district kept its promise to keep the residential property tax rate 64% N/A N/A N/A N/A
lower than the tax rate levied against commercial properties.
I trust the administration and Board of Education to make the right 82% N/A N/A N/A N/A
decisions about improving our school buildings.
The 2019 climate survey also showed parents and staff agreeing with the following statements:
Statement (2019 Climate Survey) Parents Certified Support
Staff Staff
Staff in our school work hard to make sure my child does well. 91% N/A N/A
I feel respected and supported in my school. N/A 87% 88%
Staff in my school have the opportunity to engage in collaborative decision N/A 81% 73%
making and problem solving.
Our school has effective systems in place for parents to communicate with 92% 93% 80%
the school.
Our school offers parents opportunities to participate in making decisions 78% 81% 63%
that affect the school community.
I feel informed about district issues and events. 91% 93% 86%
External Recognitions
Pattonville is consistently recognized on the regional, state and national level,
including by organizations that offer options for public feedback (see chart on the next
page). In addition to the honors shown on the next page, Pattonville was chosen in
2018 to receive a What's Right with the Region Award by FOCUS St. Louis. The
district was among 20 individuals, organizations and initiatives honored for making a
difference. Pattonville was recognized in the category of "promoting stronger
communities.”
The SCR team provided leadership in submitting nomination information or
coordinating surveys for the following awards: Outstanding Board of Education, Top Workplaces and What’s Right with the
Region.
9
2002 2013 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Not Not Not
applicable applicable applicable
Not
applicable
yet
Not
applicable
yet
Recognizing Students, Staff and Volunteers
Board Recognitions
The SCR team coordinates all district-level recognition programs, including a student and staff recognition program at
monthly board meetings during the school year. The program has grown over the years to include the recognition of
hundreds of students and staff, culminating in a major end-of-the-year recognition program that must be staged at Holman
Middle School due to the number of honorees invited to be recognized by the board. Recognitions are published in:
• District newsletter delivered to all residents in the district and to all staff;
• Social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter);
• E-newsletter; and
• District website.
The COVID-19 global pandemic starting in spring 2020 required suspending the board recognitions, however the SCR staff
continued to recognize individuals in print and online media, as well as by sending students and staff letters of recognition.
District Recognition Programs
The SCR team coordinates the
employee and district-level
recognition programs, including
Teacher of the Year, Support Staff of
the Year, Pride of Pattonville, service
milestone recognitions, retirees,
Oasis tutor volunteer recognition,
support volunteer recognition and
School-Business Partner of the Year
10programs. With the cancelation of District Appreciation Night in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SCR team pivoted to
virtual and/or physically distanced recognitions, as appropriate. Examples include: car parades and yard cards for district
Teacher and Support Staff of the Year honorees, videos of the Pride of Pattonville winners, and recognizing milestone honorees
with social media posts. All staff were also recognized in a special publication distributed for All-Staff Orientation.
With support from the SCR staff, the Pattonville Teacher of the Year goes on to be nominated for the regional teacher of the
year, with the chance to advance to the state level. Two Pattonville teachers have been named Missouri Teacher of the Year
and six others have been named state finalists since 1986, including Willow Brook Elementary School English language
learner teacher Yulia Kotets in 2015. Allison Stout and Jeremiah Simmons were regional finalists for the state award in 2016
and 2019, respectively. There have only been 46 Missouri Teachers of the Year since the state began the program in 1974.
Missouri does not conduct a state program for educational support staff.
Other Recognition Initiatives
In an effort to provide additional ways to recognize staff members, the SCR team added the following initiatives:
• Adding staff shoutouts and recognitions to a special staff version of the “Pattonville @Work” e-newsletter;
• Recognizing staff on different employee recognition days on social media (i.e., National Custodian Day, etc.); and
• Sharing more social media posts about staff members working behind the scenes (i.e., bus drivers painting during COVID-19
shutdown, maintenance building plexiglass dividers, food service assembling meals for curbside deliveries, etc.).
The SCR department is also discussing other ways to recognize staff, such as a possible “Rising Star” award for certified and
support staff members in their first three years of employment (who are not eligible for district-level awards).
Effective Communications
Context: National Trends
News Trends in U.S. and St. Louis
A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center shows YouTube and
Facebook remain the most widely used social media platforms in
the U.S. (see chart at right). YouTube tops the list, with around
three-quarters of U.S. adults (73%) saying they use the platform.
Among 18- to 24-year olds, 90% say they use it. The only other
social media platform that approaches YouTube in terms of its
reach among Americans is Facebook. It’s also common for
Americans to get news on YouTube. In a 2019 survey, 28% of
adults said they get news there, behind only Facebook (52%).
For local context, the Pew Research Center indicates St. Louis
area residents rely on the following for news (March 2019 study):
• 42% television
• 21% news website/app
• 17% social media
• 11% print
• 9% radio
According to Pew, adults in the St. Louis area most often get their
local news from: KTVI (21%), KSDK (15%), KMOV (13%), St.
Louis Post-Dispatch (11%), TV-unspecified (4%) and KMOX
radio (2%).
11U.S. Parent Trends
Blackboard and Project Tomorrow released research in March 2018 conducted with more than 500,000 students, parents,
teachers, administrators and community members in the U.S. as part of the Speak Up Research Project. Their research found:
✓ Parents like information to be pushed directly to them instead of having to seek it out;
✓ Parents don’t want to be overloaded with messages, therefore schools should send timely, highly impactful information;
✓ Email is the best way to reach parents no matter their child’s grade level or whom the communication is coming from;
✓ The popularity of visual social media channels (e.g. YouTube and Instagram) is on the rise; and
✓ The top four most effective methods for schools or districts to communicate general news with parents are email (76%),
phone messages (62%), text messages (45%) and online newsletters (26%).
Pattonville Trends: Effective Communications and Engagement
Parents, staff and community members gave high ratings when asked about the district’s performance with communication
and involving stakeholders. The following charts show the percent of respondents in telephone community surveys (1999
through 2016) and the 2019 climate survey indicating the district doing an excellent or good job in the following areas:
Performance Area (Community Surveys) 2016 2013 2010 2006 1999
Communicating with area residents. 70% 66% 77% 78% N/A
Encouraging public input in the work of the district. 73% N/A 65% 64% N/A
Maintaining effective and consistent district leadership. 76% N/A N/A 71% N/A
Statement (2019 Climate Survey) Parents Certified Support
Staff Staff
I feel informed about district issues and events. 91% 93% 86%
In addition, 74% of staff agreed “I feel well-informed about important
decisions at Pattonville” in the 2020 Top Workplaces survey. This placed
Pattonville in the 79th percentile among benchmark school districts in the
U.S. that took the 2020 Energage survey for the Top Workplaces program.
The SCR team also assembles a monthly Communications Scorecard shared
among the SCR team and superintendent’s cabinet to regularly monitor the
effectiveness of its mission-driven messages and communication tools,
including what messages are most important to Pattonville’s followers. The
scorecard includes: social media insights (including reach and growth of
followers), e-newsletter metrics, website statistics, app downloads, top stories/
posts for each communication channel and other communications data.
Employing Effective
Communication Channels
Pattonville continues to use a multifaceted approach to communicating with
its school community. Survey results indicate the district is focusing its
efforts on the most effective communication tools for various audiences.
12The district newsletter (“Pattonville Highlights”) continues to be the preferred source of information about the district for
Pattonville residents and parents. This publication is the main ways for residents to get news about Pattonville, especially for
those who do not have children attending Pattonville schools. During the most recent community telephone survey conducted
by UnicomARC in 2016, 44% of residents said the district newsletter was their primary or secondary source of information
about the district. The 2018 SCR survey showed the following media as the top 10 sources of district information for parents
and staff (The COVID-19 pandemic precluded being able to issue a new community relations survey this year.):
Parents Staff
1 District newsletter (Highlights) 60% 1 District emails 73%
2 Principal newsletter or email 57% 2 Principal newsletter or email 61%
3 District emails 53% 3 District newsletter (Highlights) 60%
4 Automated phone messages 52% 4 District e-newsletter 55%
5 Peachjar flyers 48% 5 District website 53%
6 School website 48% 6 Meetings at school 52%
7 Text messages from Pattonville 47% 7 School website 44%
8 District website 45% 8 Pattonville Facebook 41%
9 District e-newsletter 37% 9 Automated phone messages 32%
10 Pattonville Facebook 36% 10 Text messages from Pattonville 17%
Social Media
Social Media Usage Continues to Grow
In the summer of 2013, Pattonville ventured into the social media world with its first official district platform, a Facebook
page. Since that time, the district has established itself on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
and YouTube. With training support from the SCR team, each school maintains a Facebook page. In addition, the high school
has a presence over many platforms, including ones operated by student journalists for school and athletic news.
In the 2019-2020 school year, the SCR program reorganized to create the role of a multimedia communications specialist.
The job responsibilities of this position included serving as a “district journalist” chronicling Pattonville’s news, events and
accomplishments via social media, the website and print media. The reorganized position has been effective in increasing the
district’s audience, reach and engagement on social media. The chart below shows the growth of social media in Pattonville.
Locations Platform Launched Followers Followers Followers Growth from
2016 2018 2020 2018
District Facebook 2013 3,147 5,118 7,518 47%
District Twitter 2013 825 1,583 2,120 34%
District YouTube 2013 N/A 80 386 383%
District Instagram 2015 227 1,083 2,848 163%
Schools/Departments
13Locations Platform Launched Followers Followers Followers Growth from
2016 2018 2020 2018
Pattonville Today Twitter May 2011 N/A 1,563 1,630 4%
Pattonville Today Facebook Mar. 2012 N/A 2,831 3,118 10%
Pattonville Heights Facebook Jan. 2013 503 649 793 22%
High School Twitter Mar. 2013 528 1,022 1,251 22%
Holman Facebook Mar. 2013 485 853 1,128 32%
Pattonville Today Instagram Jun. 2013 700 1,180 1,303 10%
High School Facebook Sep. 2013 789 2,274 3,089 36%
Drummond Facebook Sep. 2013 384 612 859 40%
Willow Brook Facebook Sep. 2013 275 455 544 20%
Early Childhood Facebook Sep. 2013 164 382 599 57%
Community Education Facebook Feb. 2014 404 650 897 38%
Bridgeway Facebook Jul. 2014 339 619 761 23%
Parkwood Facebook Sep. 2014 237 361 537 49%
Remington Facebook Oct. 2014 274 403 508 26%
Rose Acres Facebook Dec. 2015 235 437 636 46%
Facebook Analysis
Facebook is Pattonville’s preeminent social media platform, where the district experiences its best connection with families,
staff and community members. Department restructuring in 2019 enabled the SCR team to significantly increase and improve
content shared on Facebook, as well as its reach and the number of people engaging with the content, as noted in the chart
below.
Facebook Metric 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 (Thru Oct.)
Posts Shared (Total) 248 598 181
Average Post Reach 3,568 3,760 4,905
Average Daily Reach (All Posts) 2,911 4,847 4,906
28-Day Total Reach (Average) 38,668 65,364 62,307
28-Day Total Engaged (Average - Likes, Shares, Comments) 6,727 10,825 11,423
Followers (As of End of School Year) 5,787 6,966 7,518
Growth in Followers 939 1,142 552
Growth in Followers (% From Previous Year) 19% 20% 8%
14Top Facebook Content
Pattonville must provide quality content in order to reach the most people in its school community on Facebook. This is
because Facebook uses an algorithm to control who sees a post from a brand’s Facebook page. According to Sprout Social,
“The Facebook algorithm controls the ordering and presentation of posts, so users see what is most relevant to them. Rather
than publish content chronologically, posts and ads are presented based on what Facebook sees as relevant to you, the user …
The takeaway from (Facebook’s) efforts is that ‘likes,’ comments and any other form of engagement are all valuable currency
for brands who want to be seen as relevant to their followers.” Fortunately, a number of social media stories have resonated
with Pattonville’s school community. Since July 2018, more than 40 posts on Pattonville’s Facebook page have reached more
than 10,000 Facebook users (see chart below). Some even garnered TV media coverage, such as the posts about Pattonville
staff members sending students off last spring with signs of encouragement and the surprise ACT scholarship announcement
caught clandestinely on a GoPro camera.
Date Post Topic Reach Type
March 2020 PHS staff send off students at buses (COVID-19 shutdown) 159,184 Video
March 2020 Pattonville offers free curbside food for students 41,086 Photo graphic
April 2019 PHS named to U.S. News Best High Schools list 37,521 Photo graphic
August 2018 Niche Best School Districts list 36,152 Photo graphic
July 2020 Maintenance department building plexiglass dividers 34,068 Photos
June 2019 PHS at Binnington Street (St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup tribute) 32,817 Photo graphic
March 2020 School closed due to COVID-19 27,723 Photo graphic
September 2020 360-degree photos of PHS for virtual homecoming week 26,322 Photos
July 2020 Superintendent announcing 100% virtual start to new year 22,295 Video
April 2020 School canceled for the rest of the year 21,616 Photo graphic
May 2020 Last day for seniors (photo mosaic) 21,569 Photo graphic
September 2019 Bridgeway teacher paints sensory walk in hallway 19,307 Video
November 2018 School’s canceled-snow day 18,991 Photo graphic
November 2019 Surprise ACT scholarship announcement 18,614 Video
August 2018 Now hiring cooks 18,423 Photo graphic
December 2019 School’s canceled-snow day 17,494 Photo graphic
August 2020 Staff pep talk for new year 16,982 Video
May 2020 Alumnus Behnken going up on first commercial space flight 16,353 Photo
August 2020 Student pep talk for back-to-school/All-Staff Orientation 15,586 Video
October 2018 Staff dance at homecoming pep rally 15,340 Video
August 2019 Pattonville mascots ready to go back to school 15,289 Video
August 2019 Goats on the Go help clean up PHS garden 14,944 Video
August 2020 Alumnus Behnken prepares to return to earth after historic space flight 14,315 Photo
September 2020 Rose Acres earns National Blue Ribbon recognition 14,253 Video
October 2020 Niche Best School Districts list 14,115 Photo graphic
August 2019 Alumni who return to work for Pattonville (group photo) 13,797 Photo
July 2020 Pattonville shares detailed return plans during COVID-19 pandemic 13,650 Video
15Date Post Topic Reach Type
June 2019 Pattonville named at Top Workplace 13,598 Photo graphic
December 2019 School’s canceled-snow day 13,517 Photo graphic
August 2019 Niche Best Schools List 2020 13,030 Photo graphic
August 2020 Rose Acres earns Gold Star 12,866 Photo graphic
August 2018 All-Staff Orientation student speech 12,578 Video
May 2019 Graduation cap toss 12,019 Video
June 2019 Sandy Weis retires after 49 years 11,940 Video
March 2019 Hydroponic towers at PHS 11,681 Video
May 2020 Willow Brook teacher poem about empty classroom on last day of school 11,607 Photo graphic
May 2019 PHS senior graduation speeches 11,437 Video
June 2019 PHS graduate drafted by Cardinals for minor league baseball 11,402 Photo graphic
August 2019 Goats on the Go help clean up PHS garden 11,085 Photos
April 2020 PHS students earn CNA certification 10,773 Photos
December 2019 Pattonville hiring cooks 10,718 Photo graphic
January 2019 School’s canceled-snow day 10,706 Photo graphic
March 2020 Pattonville band teachers play virtual fight song to lift spirits 10,225 Video
July 2018 Now hiring paraprofessionals 10,119 Photo graphic
Video Storytelling
The Pattonville SCR team is focused on increasing quality video storytelling as a way to demonstrate how Pattonville carries
out its mission “That All Will Learn” and show the caring, innovative nature of Pattonville students, staff and community.
The chart below shows how video storytelling has increased in the past three years with restructuring one position to serve as
a multimedia specialist starting in the 2019-2020 school year.
2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 (Thru Oct.)
Number of Facebook videos posted 61 115 29
Number of YouTube videos posted 13 64 24
YouTube Growth
Video offers the ability to tell powerful stories and share important information. For this reason, Pattonville has increased its
focus on YouTube. While Facebook exposes more people to Pattonville’s videos, YouTube users tend to spend more time on
videos they watch on YouTube (a minute or more on YouTube as opposed to only seconds on Facebook). The chart below
shows the growth and impact of YouTube on Pattonville's communications. Pattonville currently has 382 subscribers to its
YouTube channel.
YouTube Metric 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 (Thru Oct.)
Video Views (Total) 3,425 11,081 13,083
Growth in Subscribers 46 82 194
16YouTube Metric 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 (Thru Oct.)
Number of Videos Posted 13 64 20
Watch Time (In Hours) 56.1 240.4 553.3
Impressions* 35,100 110,200 65,100
Average View Duration (Minutes/Secs) :59 1:18 2:32
Top Video Posted This is Pattonville Mascots going to school Pattonville Returns
(superintendent message)
Top Video Views 359 1,048 3,650
Top Video Average View Duration 38% 23% 67%
*Impressions refers to the number of times a thumbnail of one of Pattonville’s videos was shown to YouTube users.
Instagram Growth
Pattonville’s Instagram platform continues to grow at a significant pace, having more than doubled in followers in the past
two years. In addition to parents and staff being primary audiences, many high school students also engage in the content.
Instagram Metric 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 (Thru Oct.)
Posts Shared (Total) 74 255 158
Average Impressions 1,070 1,302 1,270
Followers (As of End of School Year) 1,388 2,677 2,848
Growth in Followers 305 1,289 171
Growth in Followers (% From Previous Year) 28% 93% 6%
Twitter Growth
Pattonville’s Twitter platform continues its slow growth. Audience members tend to be staff, students, the media and other
education professionals.
Twitter Metric 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 (Thru Sept.)
Tweets Shared (Total) 602 588 151
Average Monthly Impressions 39,558 60,525 41,925
Followers (As of End of School Year) 1,754 2,069 2,120
Growth in Followers 216 315 51
Growth in Followers (% From Previous Year) 14% 18% 2%
17Online Communication
”Pattonville @Work” E-newsletter
Pattonville launched the “Pattonville @Work” e-newsletter in February 2015. The newsletter is published after every regular
board meeting and sent to parents, staff, legislators, media, retirees and subscribers on a special mailing list. Although
Pattonville’s open rate for the newsletter appears to be small (see figures in chart below), it is greater than the industry
averages for education and government, according to information released by MailChimp in January 2020. The rate people
open e-newsletters in the education market is 23%, with 3% clicking on a link in the email (click-through rate). For
government communications, the industry open rate is the highest across all industries at 29%, with a 4% click-through rate.
In an effort to improve the readership of its e-newsletter and provide an additional means to recognize staff members, the
SCR team revamped “Pattonville @Work” in the 2019-2020 school year. The changes included developing separate e-
newsletters for parents and community members and an e-newsletter specifically for staff. While the staff newsletter includes
many of the same stories as the parent/community version, the staff edition also include staff shoutouts and staff
accomplishments, along with other relevant information, such as information on benefits or professional development. This,
along with efforts to improve readability and make the newsletter more scannable, has resulted in an increase in the number
of individuals opening both versions of the newsletter. The chart below shows metrics related to e-newsletter improvements.
E-newsletter Metric 2015- 2016- 2017- 2018- 2019- 2020-2021
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 (Thru Sept.)
Newsletters Sent 21 22 19 16 30 4
Average Number of Emails Sent 5,899 6,175 7,623 7,648* 8,027* 7,830
Open Rate (ALL Audiences) 32% 32% 32% 37% 42% 41%
Open Rate (Staff) N/A N/A N/A N/A 45% 45%
Open Rate (Parents/Community) N/A N/A N/A N/A 40% 37%
Click Through Rate (ALL Audiences) 15% 10% 15% 13% 17% 18%
Click Through Rate (Staff) N/A N/A N/A N/A 20% 14%
Click Through Rate (Parents/Community) N/A N/A N/A N/A 14% 21%
* The e-newsletter was also shared with an additional 283 retirees in 2018-2019 and 311 in 2019-2020.
Pattonville Website
Under the leadership of Pattonville webmaster Simon Amies, Pattonville launched a redesigned district website in summer
2020 that uses a new content management system and offers added features such as embedding videos within articles and
easy posting to multiple school sites as one time. The website is designed to scale for ease of viewing on smartphones and
tablets. The website includes the ability for users to translate the website into their language of choice using the power of
Google translate. Pattonville continues to use a firm called SiteImprove to help gain insights to improve the district’s website
and ensure it is accessible for all users. The program “crawls” through the district and school websites, checking for
accessibility compliance; quality assurance areas such as misspellings and broken links; readability; usability and more. The
district webmaster uses the data to improve the district website, and district technology specialists have been added as users
to repair quality assurance issues for their school websites. Pattonville is in the process of updating its Google Analytics
connection to provide future analytics on the website. Since July 2018, Pattonville has shared more than 360 stories on its
website, most of which are also shared via the e-newsletter and social media (164 in 2018-2019, 160 in 2019-2020 and 38 as
of September in the 2020-2021 school year).
18Automated Messaging
Pattonville uses SchoolMessenger to communicate with parents and staff for snow days, emergencies or other important
updates. School administrators also use SchoolMessenger to communicate with their families and staff. SchoolMessenger
enables Pattonville to send emails, automated phone calls and text messages to individuals based on their own preferences on
an immediate or pre-scheduled basis. The program also provides language translation to better reach our English learner
families.
District App
In June 2017, Pattonville launched a district app created by students in the Computer Science Capstone
class at Pattonville High School. The app is available for download from the Mac App Store for iPhones or
Google Play store for Android phones. The SCR team worked with the students, teacher Jeremiah
Simmons and the Pattonville technology office to develop the app using data from a 2016 parent and staff
survey to determine “must-have” features. To date, the app has been downloaded more than 4,400 times,
but growth has slowed significantly. The SCR team will work with the teacher and the technology
department to refresh stagnant features (i.e. photo carousel) and determine what other updates may be
necessary to improve interest in the tool.
Other Communication Tools
Print Publications
Pattonville’s print publications include:
• “Pattonville Highlights,” published eight times annually and
mailed to all residents (approximately 23,500 households) and a
list of subscribers (retirees, etc.) and delivered to all staff;
• “Flash” newsletter for 2,200 members of the 55+ Club;
• “Green and White Gazette” alumni newsletter published twice a
year;
• Oasis newsletter for tutors published once a month during the
school year;
• Marketing brochure for the district;
• Activities Guides for the high school; and
• Specialty publications (i.e., Return to School Plan Book,
COVID-19 symptoms postcard, human resources marketing and
recruitment materials, etc.)
The COVID-19 global pandemic has required the SCR team to adjust
its regular print publications and timelines since March 2020. More
emphasis has been placed on online and electronic communications to
adapt to the frequently changing news and circumstances in the
district.
Media Relations
Pattonville’s media relations program facilitates stories in print, online and TV news. Print coverage is severely limited due to
changes in the newspaper industry. The Localite Shopper is the only remaining hyper-local newspaper in the district and
regularly prints Pattonville stories in publications targeted to the St. Ann and Bridgeton communities. TV news coverage is a
challenge due to reduced newsroom staff and the St. Louis competitive market. Nevertheless, Pattonville has worked with
19local media to highlight the district through positive news stories. In addition to a wealth of sports coverage, highlights from
the past two years include the following:
• Backpack giveaway for Drummond and Holman students (Ch. 5)
• Live remote (2.5 hours) with meteorologist at bus stop for weather and promotion of bus driver hiring (Ch. 2)
• 'It’s not court': How Pattonville elementary students are solving more
of their own conflicts (St. Louis Public Radio)
• Students become teachers - technology EdCamp at Remington (Ch. 4)
• PHS students take Polar Plunge with Tim Ezell (Ch. 2)
• Chief meteorologist features classroom visit to Rose Acres
kindergartners during weather special (Ch. 2)
• Energy efficient upgrades at PHS (Ch. 4)
• Goats on the Go help clean up garden at PHS (Ch. 2)
• Elementary safety day at Bunge (Ch. 4)
• PHS senior wins ACT scholarship (Ch. 2)
• Pattonville teachers reassure students ahead of extended break (Ch. 5)
• KMOV graduation promotional videos featuring PHS seniors (Ch. 4)
• Alumnus Bob Behnken on historic space flight (Ch. 2, 4, 5)
• Teacher parades during COVID-19 virtual learning (Ch. 2)
Crisis Communication
School Crisis Planning
The SCR team annually supports the schools in updating their school-specific Emergency Procedures Reference Guides,
which include steps to address an array of potential crisis situations (from fire to intruders). The SCR updates the guides per
administrator and law enforcement recommendations and ensures consistency in district-level protocols and practices. The
guides also include a basic crisis communication plan, floor plans and relevant forms needed for crisis response. The district
shares these plans with local law enforcement agencies to support a common response for emergencies.
Each year, the SCR team also updates and publishes a Crisis Teamwork Guide, a
small booklet shared with all administrators, building secretaries and school resource
officers (SROs) that serves as a quick resource in an emergency situation. The
booklet includes phone numbers for all administrators, SROs, counselors and other
important contacts, along with a crisis response flow chart, basic steps to take and
other relevant information.
Pattonville Crisis Communication Plan
Pattonville’s goal during a crisis is to provide accurate, timely and factual
information that contributes to student, staff and community safety; promotes
transparency; and builds and maintains relationships with parents, students, staff and
the Pattonville community.
For more more than two decades, Pattonville has included a basic crisis
communication plan in the schools’ Emergency Procedures Reference Guides. In the
2019-2020 school year, the SCR team created a formal crisis communication plan for
the district. The new plan includes goals, objectives, roles (and back-up personnel for
20each role), social media guidelines and more. The plan also provides “communication starters” for potential crisis situations
ranging from bus accidents to a sewage backup. These starters provide the SCR team and administrators with communication
pieces that can be customized to their unique situation during a stressful, busy time and provide consistency with messaging.
COVID-19-19 Communications
The COVID-19 global pandemic meant Pattonville had to
approach communications with a blend of crisis
communication and its everyday communication practices.
Pattonville’s COVID-19 communications are designed to:
• Demonstrate the district’s competence and expertise;
• Demonstrate Pattonville’s empathy, caring and
understanding of family, student and staff needs and
challenges;
• Emphasize what audiences need to know and do;
• Show honesty, openness, commitment and dedication;
and
• Ensure timeliness of information.
To accomplish this, Pattonville has communicated updates, status
changes and “need to know” information; worked to demonstrate its
preparedness, training and safety precautions; prepared families and
staff for different learning environments (virtual/hybrid); focused on
fostering pride and school spirit; and shown concrete examples of
Pattonville’s caring and support. The SCR team works with the
district’s COVID-19 contact tracing team and administrators to
develop letters to communicate to impacted persons regarding positive
cases in the district. The SCR team has also employed a number of
tools and tactics to keep families and staff informed about the district’s
planning and response to COVID-19. Tactics used include the
following:
• A COVID-19-19 website dedicated to the district’s COVID-19
response last spring;
• A Pattonville Returns website (bit.ly/PSDReturns2020web)
launched in summer 2020 that serves as a resource and
information hub and includes the district’s COVID-19 dashboard,
which communicates district-level data on positive cases and the number of individuals quarantining due to an exposure
to a positive case (as of mid-October, the Pattonville Returns website has been visited more than 7,300 times);
• Pattonville Returns Plan Books published in English and Spanish (English version has been downloaded nearly 4,000
times);
• Events, including a virtual All-Staff Orientation, virtual Homecoming week and virtual and/or physically distanced
recognition programs;
• Video projects, including superintendent updates, virtual learning video series, staff safety video and student and staff
pep talks; and
• School/district spirit items, including back-to-school signs, Facebook frames, Zoom backgrounds, branded masks and
shoutouts on social media for alumni who are serving on the front lines in the COVID-19 fight (i.e., medical personnel)
and Pirate Praise shoutouts for students excelling at virtual learning.
21Community Engagement
Community Engagement
Pattonville’s culture of collaboration, communication, engagement and transparency ensures the Pattonville community
works together to provide students a learning environment where they remain the focal point in every decision. Emphasis is
placed on face-to-face communication and involving stakeholders in important decisions that impact students. Since 1999,
Pattonville has engaged thousands of parents, students, community members and staff through public engagement programs,
including: school improvement teams at each school; regular meetings with municipal, religious, legislative and law
enforcement leaders; student advisory groups; parent advisory council; teacher and support staff advisory councils; regular
collaborations with the Pattonville National Education Association (PNEA) and Pattonville Employee Support Professionals
(PESP); and other topic-focused committees (i.e, Curriculum Coordinating Council, Personalized Learning Committee and
Technical Advisory Committees at Pattonville High School). When updating its facilities plan or seeking solutions to
financial issues, the district’s practice has been to hold community-wide forums to allow residents to provide feedback and
suggestions on proposed plans. In 2003, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) identified
Pattonville’s emphasis on public engagement as a strength of the district and said the level of participation could serve as a
model for other districts in the state. In addition, in 2018, the Pattonville Board of Education earned the Outstanding Board of
Education Award for Climate, Culture and Organizational Efficacy from the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA).
The same culture of communication and collaboration that earned these recognitions continues to this day.
School Improvement Teams (SITs)
The backbone of Pattonville’s engagement efforts is the school improvement team (SIT) process. The Pattonville Board of
Education embedded collaboration and shared decision-making in its strategic plan (Comprehensive School Improvement
Plan, or CSIP) in 1998, and that focus has remained constant through several CSIP updates since that time, leading to
sustained engagement by parents, students, staff, community members, board members and administrators in guiding the
direction of the district and individual schools. SITs operate for each school in the district and the early childhood program.
These teams consist of 50% participants who are not staff members, including parents, students and community members.
The teams are charged with developing plans to improve their own schools and also provide critical feedback and support in
developing and updating district plans.
Community-Wide Engagement
Pattonville engages stakeholders on an as-needed basis for special issues by using both community forums and surveys. The
SCR team has coordinated periodic community forums to address specific needs of the district, such as a community forum in
August 2013 to determine the need for a tax levy increase and avoid a projected $10 million in budget cuts and another forum
in 2016 to determine facility needs for the future. In the past two decades, these processes contributed to the successful
approval a 99-cent operating tax levy increase and $120 million in bond issues, all but one of which involved no tax rate
increase (see chart on page 8).
The SCR team also coordinated focus groups and other background work for scientifically valid community telephone
surveys that are conducted periodically, the most recent of which occurred in 2016. These surveys are important for gauging
the priorities and perceptions of the entire Pattonville community because they reach a wide audience of residents without
children in school. As an example, 70% of the 2016 telephone survey respondents did not have school-aged children living in
their households and more than half of them were aged 50 or older. Beyond the telephone survey, Pattonville regularly
surveys parents, students and staff to evaluate its various programs and services, including climate surveys (parents, students,
staff) and the Energage/Top Workplaces survey (staff).
22Board/Administrative Outreach
The Board of Education regularly meets with different school and community groups throughout the year to keep an open
dialogue the school community and key community leaders. The following are annual board meetings scheduled by the SCR
team: Bridgeton city officials, Maryland Heights city officials, St. Ann city officials and religious leaders. The SCR team
previously hosted an annual meeting for board members with Pattonville legislators, but the district has ceased hosting this
meeting in order to combine efforts with the Parkway and Rockwood school districts. Each of the districts rotates hosting one
major meeting a year, and Pattonville board members, administrators and parents attend periodic meetings in between.
Pattonville also develops ways to engage other targeted internal and external audiences. Below are some examples:
• Administrators active in local organizations: Bridgeton Kiwanis, Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce, Maryland
Heights Convention and Visitors Bureau, North County Inc. and Northwest Chamber of Commerce;
• SCR team support/liaison for Pattonville Alumni Association, Pattonville Education Foundation and Pattonville Retirees
Association;
• SCR participation on North County Inc. Marketing Ambassador Committee; and
• SCR team coordination of All-Staff Orientation and assistance with New Teacher Orientation.
Student Engagement
Pattonville believes student voice is important to the success of the district and its students. Students at all grade levels are
regularly given opportunities to provide input and take leadership in their schools, from the Leader In Me teams at Rose
Acres Elementary School to students serving on school improvement teams (SIT) and district committees. For more than two
decades, the Board Student Administration Action Committee (BSAAC) has enabled board members, teachers and
administrators to engage with high school students and allow for student voice in their school and district functions.
Older Adults
Pattonville places an emphasis on engaging older adult members of the
Year 55+ Club Oasis Students Served
community in the life of the district. Pattonville’s 55+ Club enables Members Tutors by Oasis Program
students, board members and administrators to interact with older adults
in the community as they visit Pattonville High School twice a year to 2014-2015 2,356 63 79
enjoy a district-sponsored dinner theater, which includes a meal and
2015-2016 2,288 66 86
tickets to see the high school play and musical. Twice yearly, the SCR
team coordinates two dinner theaters (total of four) for the 55+ Club that 2016-2017 2,300 68 87
draw a typical crowd of between 300 and 350 senior citizens each night.
In addition to seeing students’ hard work in the plays and musicals, 2017-2018 2,268 63 87
these guests are also able to interact with students in the high school 2018-2019 2,230 69 81
National Honor Society and International Club who volunteer to serve
during the dinners. Brief school and district updates are also provided by 2019-2020 2,245 65 81
the superintendent and high school principal.
Pattonville’s Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring Program is coordinated by the SCR team. The program links older adults in the
community with students in kindergarten, first, second and third grade to assist with one-on-one reading and language skill
development. Surveys returned from both teachers and tutors indicate the program is a positive experience for both students
and tutors. A history of participation in the Oasis and 55+ Club programs is shown in the table above.
The COVID-19 global pandemic put a hold on the 55+ Club and Oasis tutoring program activities. However, the SCR team
has continued communications with both groups over the months of school closures and reopening to keep the members
informed. Heading into the 2020-2021 school year, the SCR team also surveyed Oasis tutors on their comfort level with
possible virtual activities (76% of tutors said they were unsure or unlikely to tutor virtually) and their commitment to
returning when conditions allow (65% said they would return in the spring if offered, while 89% said they would return next
school year).
23You can also read
