The Port Jefferson School District · Port Jefferson School District - 3 - Introduction This...

Communication Audit

Prepared for

The Port Jefferson

School District

March, 2009

Port Jefferson School District

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Table of Contents Introduction 3 What Is a Communication Audit? 3 Using This Report 3 Observations and Recommendations 5 Observations 5 Recommendations 8 Focus Group Perceptions 45 Board of Education Members 45 Elementary School Teachers 47 Administrators 48 Former Board of Education Members 49 PTA/PTSA Executive Board Members 51 High School Student Council Officers 52 Retirees from School District 53 Elementary School Non-Instructional Staff 54 Middle School/High School Non-Instructional Staff 55 Parents 56 Middle School/High School Teachers 57 Local Business/Organization Representatives 58 Attachments 60 Grading PJSD Educational and Communication Services 61 Schedule of Focus Groups 62 Questions for Focus Groups 63 Consultant’s Biography 65


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Introduction This communication audit was requested by the Port Jefferson School

District (PJSD) Board of Education and superintendent. LA Communications presents it with the hope that it will lead to more effective communication for the school system, its staff, students, and other audiences. The Board and superintendent should be commended for their willingness to seek better ways to communicate with their numerous internal and external stakeholders. They are demonstrating the recognition that effective communications leads to a more efficient organization and better learning opportunities for students.

What Is a Communication Audit? A communication audit is a review of an organization’s communication policies, efforts, and results designed to indicate to the organization what its strengths are and ways in which it might improve its two-way communications. It provides the district input from the various audiences with which it communicates and recommendations from the perspective of an experienced educational public relations professional. (The consultant’s biography is provided as Attachment D.)

The audit is based on three components. Initially, the district provided the consultant with information on district make-up, Board policies and sample communications that were reviewed thoroughly along with the district and school websites. Secondly, members of key audiences—both internal and external—were invited to participate in a series of focus groups to share their perceptions with the consultant about the district’s communications. Twelve focus groups were held February 23 and 24, 2009. (A list of the groups is provided as Attachment B, and a list of the focus group questions is Attachment C.) All focus group participants were invited to send additional comments to the consultant via email. The third component is this report, which summarizes the major comments by focus group participants and presents the consultant’s observations and recommendations for consideration by the district. Using This Report

The recommendations are based to a great extent on the comments of

members of the focus groups. Each focus group began with the assurance to participants that their comments would be anonymous and the request that they be open and honest. Their comments are based on their perceptions. The district should look for recurring themes to determine where action should be taken. It


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must be remembered that perceptions are not always accurate. However, whether accurate or not, they are the foundation of people’s beliefs about the school system.

These recommendations are based on ideas and experiences that have

worked in school systems throughout the United States and compose a comprehensive communication program for a K-12 school system. However, local leaders and citizens have a far better understanding of the Port Jefferson community than a consultant. Thus, the PJSD should review these recommendations based on its unique needs and resources. Recommendations should be prioritized and considered for implementation over a five-year period. While communications is essential to any district, there also are other important needs. Thus, some of these ideas, especially those that require little or no financial resources, should be considered for implementation soon. Others should be planned now, but implemented later.

The recommendation section focuses primarily on ways communications

can be made better. The district may also want to review the section summarizing focus groups perceptions to see if there are actions that should be taken in areas other than communications.


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Observations and Recommendations Observations In reviewing existing materials and talking with representatives of stakeholder groups, a number of conditions became clear. These conditions strongly influence the district’s communication efforts and must be acknowledged to improve communications. Conditions include:

There is considerable pride among staff and community members in their schools and community. Port Jefferson is a small community that is attractive to its residents. Many graduates of the school system return to Port Jefferson after college to build their lives and families. This community pride can be a tremendous advantage in developing public involvement in and support for its schools.

There is general agreement that while the school district has many

talented students, the reputation of its educational program is not as positive as it was five to six years ago. This declining reputation is already having an impact on the schools as it has become difficult in the past few years to attract high quality administrators and other staff members to fill open positions. While this is a challenge that demands quick attention, the consultant saw no reason why the district could not restore its reputation to what it once was if appropriate action is taken. Effective communication will be a key component of that effort.

The PJSD recently has had considerable turnover in top leadership. As

one focus group participant said, “It appears superintendents have been hired by a Office Temps.” This inconsistency has had a negative impact both on the district’s reputation and its educational program. People also talked about “programs de jour”—new ideas by new leaders that disappear as soon as that leader leaves. The past turnover will make efforts to improve the schools more difficult in the coming years. There is a clear belief among many staff members that they will be able to “wait out any proposed improvements” because this superintendent, too, will be short term.

A communication culture exists in the PJSD that is not always

welcoming. In fact, some staff members indicated that they do not


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attempt to improve their communication efforts because they have been inappropriately criticized in the past when they try to communicate.

The grapevine is the most used source to obtain information about the

school district. All focus groups cited the grapevine as a primarily way to obtain information and most said inaccurate information was shared through the grapevine. This may be because the district does not have a strategic communications program in place, but it is a tremendously dangerous situation. Rumors will begin based on inaccurate information, and the reputation of the district could further decline.

Focus group participants consistently evaluated the PJSD educational

program substantially better than its communication efforts. Certainly, the district can be proud of its educational accomplishments. But communication will need to be improved if the PJSD is to meet looming challenges, such as recruiting quality professionals, having a high level of morale among staff members, and developing community support.

The district currently is in a strong financial position, which will allow it to

make appropriate investments in program improvement. However, its tax revenue comes primarily from the Long Island Power Authority’s power plant. There is discussion that this facility might close. If that were to occur, the PJSD would face severe financial challenges. District leaders are currently working to convince state government not to close this plant, and the reputation of the school system and what it offers the community will play a role in these discussions. If there is the understanding that the Port Jefferson community would be severely handicapped by losing the primary source of tax support for its schools, it will be easier to keep that facility.

The current communication program can be described as haphazard at

best. PJSD lacks a strategic vision for its communication efforts. There is no communication plan, few efforts to test community or staff attitudes through research, no consistent vehicle for sharing important information with all staff members, little professional development in communications, and very few attempts to connect with the community. If this continues, the district’s reputation will continue to erode, revenue elections will become more difficult to pass, and it will continue to be difficult to attract the quality educational professionals this community deserves.

There is a consistent belief across stakeholder groups that “the squeaky

wheel gets what it wants.” Decisions are not always made based on


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what’s best for schools or students. Rather, they are made by reacting to who or which group is yelling the loudest.

The new district leadership believes strongly in the importance of

communications and has already begun to take steps to implement protocols and ideas that will benefit the district. This is a strong foundation to upgrading PJSD’s communication program to a level deserved by its students, staff and community.

The consultant did not discover any communication problems that can

not be fixed. However, it is going to take time to bring PJSD’s communication program to the level of an effective 21st Century school system. The biggest roadblock may be convincing stakeholders that improving communications is a commitment of the Board of Education and superintendent that is here to stay and not another “program de jour.”


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Recommendations The following recommendations are based on what the consultant has seen as effective communication practice in school systems and other organizations across the United States. Recommendations are both strategic and tactical. Those dealing with strategies, which generally come first, will set the foundation for the tactics to be successful. While it is recognized that there may be roadblocks to implementing all of these recommendations, we have not based the report on those limitations. Rather, we’ve attempted to indicate what is needed for the district to have a quality communication program that supports a 21st Century educational program.

The first step for PJSD leadership should be to review these recommendations and determine which are most necessary and practical for this district. Leadership must keep in mind that there are many suggestions offered to PJSD—too many to implement immediately. We strongly encourage PJSD to develop a timeline for implementation of those recommendations it deems important, and that timeline must consider both financial and human resources in light of the other responsibilities the district has.

Recommendation 1—Develop a foundation that will allow communications to improve in the PJSD. While the school district and schools conduct communication activities, there is no communication program worthy of a 21st Century school system in Port Jefferson. There are a number of steps that must be taken to upgrade communications in the PJSD to deliver the organizational benefits that should be anticipated from an effective communication program. Changes need to be made both in attitudes and tactics. Throughout this section, we will recommend specific tactics, but before those tactics have a reasonable chance for success, the district must look at repairing three attitudes that are severe roadblocks to the improvement of communications. These are—

• The new superintendent will leave shortly because superintendents always have in the recent past;

• Leaders only listen to the loudest voices and decisions are made based on one person’s complaint rather than sound education practice;

• People will be singled out for public criticism if they try a new idea which is not perfect at the start.


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New superintendent’s commitment to Port Jefferson Since being appointed superintendent at the start of this school year, Max Riley has expressed a commitment to more effective communications along with a goal of making the PJSD a 21st Century school system. He also has indicated that he is committed to ending the recent trend of rapid superintendent turnover. While his statements are laudable, he will have to demonstrate over time his commitment to this community and its schools. Words alone will not be enough. Unless both staff and community members believe that he is committed to this district, his leadership efforts will not be taken seriously and will fail. Thus, a starting point to improved communications in the PJSD will be encouraging all stakeholders in the district and community to get to know their new superintendent, to ask him their tough questions, and to listen to his ideas for the schools. These communication efforts must be of an interpersonal nature to change the attitude that this superintendent, too, does not have a long-term commitment to the community. Attitudes do not chance by reading a newsletter; they only change when people hear a message first hand and have a chance to have a two-way dialogue. To achieve this, we recommend the following activities begin immediately. While they will be time consuming, they will not have a budget impact.

The superintendent meet with each school and department staff within the next two months. Many focus group participants indicate they had never seen him. It’s time to put a face on the leader. These meetings should be open to all staff members at the school or department and announced well in advance so people can plan to attend. Parent volunteers may need to be encouraged to answer school phones during the meetings so office staff can attend. The superintendent should discuss his commitment to and ideas for the district. He should welcome and answer questions.

The superintendent meet with each PTA/PTSA before the end of the school year. These meetings should also follow the format of the staff meetings with discussions of ideas and opportunities for questions and answers. It is essential that the meetings be at a convenient time for parents, and this could mean evenings or weekends. The schedule should be developed with each PTA/PTSA president and announced well in advance.

The superintendent meet with the major community organizations before the end of the school year. Groups should include, but not be limited to, the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Development District, the Village Council, the Lions and Rotary Clubs, and senior citizens. The superintendent should work with Board of Education and staff members who have resided in Port Jefferson for a long period of time to identify key community organizations.


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The consultant anticipates that there will be some PJSD leaders who may want to move past this step and get to “making our district a 21st Century school system.” By overlooking this step, there is considerable risk that improvement efforts will fail. Teachers, support staff, parents, and community all will be important partners in educational improvement. If they do not understand that the current leadership has a long-term commitment to Port Jefferson, they are likely to adopt the “we can out wait this, too” philosophy.

Listening to the loudest voices The consultant saw evidence in focus group comments that too many decisions are being made in PJSD based on complaints by a vocal minority or a single person. Some parents make demands of teachers and administrators that do not reflect sound educational decision making. Other parents or groups go directly to the School Board when they have a classroom concern. While it’s important for all stakeholder voices to be heard, activities such as these do not reflect procedures of an effective school system and lead to poor morale among staff members and bad decisions. There is also evidence that such communication is changing. To continue this change and create more appropriate communication and effective decision making, we recommend the following—

The superintendent and Board of Education should review district procedures on bringing concerns forward. Problems should always be dealt with at the lowest level possible. For example, if a parent has a concern with a classroom procedure, the parent should first discuss it with the classroom teacher. If there is not satisfaction at the level, the parent and teacher should discuss the situation with the principal, but the first step should always be between the parent and teacher. Once these procedures are reviewed and clarified, they should be clearly communicated to all involved. The superintendent may want to involve PTA/PTSA leaders in this review. These parent organizations should help communicate the procedure to parents. Everyone on the school team must then carry out the procedure. For example, if a classroom complaint is brought initially to the superintendent or the School Board, the person with the complaint should be told the district is committed to listening to concerns, but the process must begin with the classroom teacher.

The superintendent should review with administrative staff how decisions are made regarding student grades and placement in programs. It appears from focus group comments that some parents demand that principals change student grades or that their children be placed in advanced programs when they may not be prepared to succeed in those programs. Such practices will have a detrimental impact on a student’s education. All in the district need to understand how grades are determined and student placements are made. These procedures should


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be reviewed with instructional staff and parent leaders. They then must be communicated clearly to all involved, and the PTA/PTSA should be encouraged to be part of that communication process.

The district should make sure that important procedures such as those in the two areas above are available in writing in numerous places. Once in writing, policies should be able to be understood and followed. They should be available in multiple areas, including in the Board handbook, on the website, district calendar, PTA/PTSA newsletters, and parent/student handbooks.

Eliminating inappropriate public criticism. This report recommends that people change the way they communicate and implement new ideas. Whenever new ideas are tried, there will be some missteps. Currently, there is a belief among some staff members that if they attempt improvements, they expose themselves to public criticism by a vocal minority at School Board meetings and in other venues. One example is teacher pages on websites. (Improving these pages will be discussed later in this report.) Teachers reported that when some have tried to make their pages more comprehensive, it is not uncommon for them to be criticized by name at a public Board meeting for a spelling error. Certainly, everyone should strive for accuracy, but this is not an appropriate topic of discussion at a Board meeting. The School Board’s role is not to deal with details of this nature, and staff morale can be negatively impacted. The consultant does not want to eliminate discussion of improvement or correcting mistakes, but such discussions should occur in an appropriate manner. In the case of a spelling error, someone could simply email the teacher, point out the error, and say “thank you” for the effort to improve and communicate. The consultant believes that steps are already being taken to assure that public comments in public meetings are appropriate, but we recommend the following—

The Board and superintendent review the public comments section at Board meetings and set appropriate expectations for the length and topic of such comments. This will allow the Board to hear the most significant concerns from as many people as possible at meetings to assist the Board in developing policy for the school system.

In addition to these three conditions, there also seems to be two communication practices that must be repaired if the PJSD hopes to have a communications system that will serve a 21st Century school district—closing the communication loop and being open to hearing new ideas. We recommend—


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Establishing the procedure that the communication loop is closed whenever a major decision is considered. A number of times in the focus groups, participants reported that they had been involved in decisions or made recommendations, but they never heard the outcome of their efforts. They felt sometimes the issue had already been decided before their input was sought. Whenever decisions are made, both internal and external stakeholders should be informed of the decision. If this step to close the loop does not take place, people are likely to have the perception that action has not been taken or their voices weren’t heard. By closing the loop, the PJSD can build the understanding that input is valued and decisions are not made before all viewpoints are heard and considered. Letters or emails should be sent to all providing input, explaining what the decision was and why it was made. Articles on the website and in publications can further help to close the loop.

Creating a culture of open communications and idea sharing. There

is the feeling by some that ideas aren’t welcomed in the PJSD. One example is the traffic situation in front of one of the schools which has the potential of creating accidents. One staff member reported telling a supervisor about this but no attention was paid to the concern until an accident actually occurred.

The best decisions are always made when many viewpoints are offered upon which those decisions can be determined. The superintendent should work with PJSD administrators to set a culture where all ideas are welcomed—not all will be implemented, but all will be heard. Such a culture will lead to the best possible decisions for the PJSD.

Recommendation 2— Create a strategic approach to communications in PJSD. The Port Jefferson School District is moving toward a 21st Century school system. That will require a 21st Century communication program which has a strategic focus to support the district’s new initiatives. Currently, the school system has some communication activities, such as a district and school websites, a quarterly community newsletter, etc. However, it is lacking some important communication tactics and, more importantly, a strategic outlook to communications. A strategic approach contains six key elements—


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• Research that identifies stakeholder groups, the current perceptions of those stakeholders, the information needs they have, and the best ways to communicate with them;

• Planning that establishes communication expectations and tactics to assure that all communication activities have a strategic purpose and that time and money is not wasted;

• Messaging to determine that communication delivers the key messages stakeholders want to hear and the district needs to communicate;

• Targeting which assures that information certain stakeholder groups need is received in the best manner;

• A two-way approach so that stakeholders have the chance to share their opinions and have a voice in decisions; and

• Evaluation to assure that all communication needs are being met and that the district is not wasting its communication investment.

A strategic approach never is fluff; rather it’s honest, two-way, continuous,

open, and connected to educational improvement. To achieve a strategic communication program, we recommend:

The Board should review its public information policy (policy 1100) to assure that it sets the foundation for strategic communications. The current policy has many good aspects, including a focus on “promoting widespread understanding” and promoting involvement. However, it should call for a strategic focus and encourage the elements mentioned above. The public information policy and the communications policy (1300) could be combined.

The district considers communication implications of all initiatives, ranging from providing laptops to students and staff to foreign language instruction in the elementary schools. Incorporating communications as a part of decision making and implementation will bring a strategic focus to communications, assure that decisions have the best chance to being understood and accepted, and help the district focus its communication resources so they are not wasted.

The next 11 recommendations provide more specific counsel on creating

a strategic approach to communications.

Recommendation 3— Create a communication plan for PJSD.


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Effective communication revolves around a long-range plan based on solid research. This communication audit is a major research step for the PJSD and should lead to a district level communication plan as recommendations are considered and implemented. That plan will set direction for years to come. Without a written communication plan that reflects the goals and objectives of the school system, supports student outcomes, and delivers the district’s key messages to its target audiences, communications is likely to be haphazard, important information may be forgotten or never disseminated, and opportunities will be lost. A plan will bring focus to the district’s communication efforts, assuring that staff and financial resources are devoted to the most important areas.

A communication plan should:

• Be long-range. Five years is a standard timeframe. • Be evaluated and updated annually. Communication needs change, and a

plan should not be seen as written in concrete. It should be flexible so it can be revised. A new year can be added annually to maintain the five-year cycle.

• Be tied to the district’s goals and objectives. Communications is only effective when it’s connected to the organization’s overall mission.

• Include communication activities for all major issues. For example, whenever a revenue election is planned, there must be a communication plan.

• Include specific plans for all new, major activities. For example, a plan might be developed for implementing a total literacy program.

A comprehensive communication plan should be based on the four-step

process of research, planning, communicating, and evaluation (see recommendations 4 and 5), and it should address the following questions for each major issue:

• Who needs to know? • What do they need to know? • When do they need to know? • How are we going to tell them? • What resources are needed to deliver this message? • How will we know if they have received, understood and acted upon the

information? A plan will be especially important to the PJSD as it does not have a

strategic communication program. Well-designed plans bring focus to communications and set expectations of what can and can’t be accomplished. They also set targets for the most important audiences and designate key


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messages. The bottom line is that a communication plan makes the best use of communication resources and creates accountability.

As communications expand throughout the PJSD, principals should be trained in communication planning and develop plans for their schools that support quality education and the overall goals of the district. Recommendation 4—Build a communication program that is based on key messages. We exist in a society of over communications, and the PJSD competes with all other organizations—national and local—that are disseminating messages to its stakeholders. We must remember that effective communications is not just sending out information. The former communication director for the American Red Cross said that for any message to be effective, four things must take place. The message must—

• Be read or heard • Be understood • Be remembered • Be acted upon.

As PJSD stakeholders are bombarded with information from too many

sources to count, it’s essential that the school system delivers its information in a manner that assures it will be effective. One of the most important foundations of successful communications is the concept of “speaking in one clear voice.” Everyone in the organization should deliver a consistent message that is understandable. This is not designed to limit discussion or other views; its purpose is to assure that foundational information is all the same. The key to speaking in one, clear voice is developing talking points or messages on the most important issues, sharing them with all who will communicate, and focusing on them over and over. As part of its communication planning process, the PJSD should develop messages for its most important issues each year. The nine district initiatives adopted in January would be a great start. As PJSD leaders are looking to develop support both inside and outside of the school district for these initiatives, stakeholders must understand why they are needed and what they will produce before they can be supportive. Moving toward an expanded strategic communication program, the following messages might be considered—


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• Strategic communications focuses communication needs to assure that resources are spent on the most important activities and results are forthcoming;

• Strategic communications helps stakeholders understand the district’s most important initiatives and their role in implementing them;

• Strategic communications results in support for good programs.

Some districts develop “messaging sheets” on each of their important issues which focus on information that explain the initiative, barriers to implementation and how people can become involved. Such sheets can be used in communication activities with various stakeholder groups and given to people who will have responsibilities for communicating these issues. An example that could be adapted for the PJSD is—

Issue at a Glance: Creating a Total Literacy program in the PJSD Description: The district recognizes that literacy is essential for success

in the 21st Century and that it is taught best when it’s incorporated into the total curriculum. Our program will focus on— • Reducing class size in grades K-2 to allow for more

personalization; • Incorporating literacy lessons across the curriculum;

and • Applying early invention strategies to assure students

do not get left behind Work to Date: Explain efforts underway to make progress in this area

(i.e., creating a district initiative on this effort, appointing project owners, developing and presenting project summaries, etc.).

Barriers to Progress: List of items, such as the length of time this will

require. What’s Next: Explain work yet to be completed. Support and call for

action by various groups. Your Involvement: You can help PJSD students with this issue by –

• Stressing the importance of literacy with your student.

• Other points. Further Info: List contact person.


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Recommendation 5— Emphasize evaluation in all your communication activities. We found little evidence that communication activities are evaluated in the PJSD. Without an evaluation process, any organization is likely to repeat inefficient communications year after year. Evaluation will help the PJSD make sure its resources—both human and financial—are devoted to activities from which it gets the most value. Effective research initially identifies people’s level of understanding about an issue or organization, inaccurate perceptions that might need to be corrected, areas where there is a lack of information, and how people would like to receive information. This communication audit is a step toward assessing those attitudes. As the PJSD develops more communication activities, additional research can determine whether its messages are being received, whether communication vehicles are reaching the intended audiences, and if its communication efforts are credible in the minds of key stakeholders. It is especially important for the PJSD to initiate a research component for its communications as changes are made. For example, as the district website evolves, data should be collected to determine whether people believe it is now easier to find information, whether there is additional information they would like to have, whether the website is timely, and whether it has become a key vehicle for the PJSD to deliver its most important messages. Quality research does not have to be expensive, and it doesn’t require a person specifically trained in research techniques. Short, five question surveys, conversations with a few people, or simply listening to and noting concerns can be highly effective research. If the PJSD decides to conduct more sophisticated community surveys, volunteers can provide much of the manpower needs. They can be trained to conduct telephone polls. Local businesses or colleges may be able to provide assistance in question development and response analysis. Specifically, the PJSD should consider—

A focus group with representatives of external and another with internal audiences six months after final changes are made to the district website. With the high percentage of people using computers in this community, the website should be a key communication vehicle. The district should test general impressions of the changes, whether people are using the website more frequently since the changes have been made, whether information is timely, and what information should be


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added or deleted from the site. After this focus group, annual research efforts of this nature should be conducted.

Similar focus group(s) should be held after any new communication effort is implemented. For example, later in this report we will discuss a staff newsletter. Once staff members have had an opportunity to experience the newsletter, it should be tested with similar questions suggested throughout this recommendation.

Annual surveys should be conducted of all major communication

vehicles, both at the district and school levels. These should be short surveys and can be administered as part of the last issue of any written publication. A similar survey should accompany all electronic communications once a year.

Questions should include (words will need to be changed for electronic publications)—

• How would you describe how you read this publication? ___ as

soon as I receive it ___ as my schedule allows ___never • What are the two categories of information in this publication that

are most useful to you? • What is the single least useful piece of information to you in this

publication? • What is one idea you would suggest to make this publication more

useful to you?

If these short surveys indicate the publication is not meeting its goals, a focus group should be conducted to determine how to improve it or whether it should be eliminated. Annual surveys also will provide benchmark data to show changes in perceptions.

Implement an annual staff communications survey. Internal

communications is essential to a well-functioning organization. If staff members don’t understand procedures and expectations, it will be difficult for them to perform their jobs efficiently. As communications improves, staff morale should increase, leading to better performance. Data collection can determine the level of morale, information that is lacking, and staff perceptions.

In addition to the annual survey, exit interviews should be held with all employees leaving the staff.


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Conduct occasional surveys of the community. Attitudes change, and the PJSD should expect that parents, community representatives, locally-elected officials, senior citizens, business leaders, and other external stakeholders will alter their opinions as the district implements new communication efforts. It’s important to understand the pulse of the community, and the district should consider a community-wide survey every five years. Such a survey could provide valuable information upon which decisions impacting communications can be made, such as how many people rely on electronic communications. As mentioned earlier in this recommendation, a community survey doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. The district should explore the possibility of volunteer support through PTA/PTSA leaders, local businesses, colleges, and even students. More specific advice on community surveys can be provided if desired.

Recommendation 6— Focus communications on “big picture” issues. Current communication efforts seem to focus primarily on day-to-day matters, such as reviewing district policies, student awards, new appointments, results of state reports. While these are key topics, they are not the most important information the district needs its stakeholders to understand. The new superintendent is already calling for a new focus in the PJSD. This includes offering students a curriculum for the 21st Century, creating a total literacy program, improving early intervention. Many of his initiatives will bring change to the district, and change can frequently cause concern among staff, students, parents, and community members in any school system. The various stakeholders must support these initiatives if they are to succeed, and the first step in gaining support is that all stakeholders must become aware of and understand the proposals. This is especially important because of the history of revolving superintendents mentioned earlier. The consultant specifically recommends—

That key messages be developed for all new initiatives currently being planned and for those in the future as they are considered. (See recommendation 4.) This will be the focus of communicating about the initiatives and help assure that a consistent message is being delivered to all stakeholders. Points should include a description of the proposal, why it is important to the PJSD, where it has been successful in other districts, and how people can have their questions answered and have input into the decision.


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Create a section on the district website called “The Big Picture in PJSD” or “Where We Are Heading,” and feature a major initiative each time website material is changed. The superintendent’s video message can also deal with big picture issues.

Look for additional ways to communicate big picture topics.

Suggestions on how to do this will appear throughout the rest of this report, and they should receive special attention.

Recommendation 7— Establish connections with the community. Throughout the focus groups the consultant heard that the PJSD is not reaching out to the community as it should. Historically it may have, and the current failure to do so could be the result of turnover in the leadership. However this situation came about, it must receive attention. The Port Jefferson community is proud of its schools, has a great deal to offer the school district, and wants and deserves to know what is occurring. There are a number of steps the district should consider to develop these connections—

Establish a Key Communicators Network. A Key Communicators Network is a good way to stimulate two-way communication, gain community support, determine what the community is thinking, and address rumors. The purpose of a Key Communicators Network is to identify people who are opinion leaders and communicators in their respective circles and share information with them so they become more knowledgeable about the schools and can alert the district to rumors or concerns circulating in the community. Their role is also to help disseminate current, accurate information about school issues in conversations with people they come into contact with in the community.

To organize a Key Communicator Network, ask each principal, central office administrator and Board member to recommend two or three— people, parents or community members— who are well-known, respected in their neighborhood or community, and who have an interest in the schools. In addition, add the names of local leaders of well-known organizations or businesses in the community. The total group should be representative of as many segments of the community as possible. Each person should receive a letter from the superintendent explaining the Key Communicator concept and inviting his or her participation. The Key Communicators should meet three to four times a year with the


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superintendent. At these meetings the superintendent should outline district plans, discuss big picture initiatives, explain the background of current and emerging issues, listen to concerns, and respond to questions. Between meetings, each Key Communicator should receive copies of all district publications, updates on Board actions, and information on special events or crisis incidents. We suggest that an email or fax broadcast system be set up in order to deliver important information or breaking news to Key Communicators as quickly as possible. They should be encouraged to phone the superintendent if they need information or have a rumor or erroneous statement to report. Some districts create a specific, short monthly newsletter for their Key Communicators. This newsletter highlights a few major issues then follows up with any rumors that Key Communicators have reported and the factual information related to that rumor. The goal is to establish a two-way communication network so that Key Communicators become better informed and are able to receive and provide prompt responses to questions, concerns or issues that arise in the community.

Consider development of a monthly e-newsletter to the Port Jefferson community. Currently, the district publishes The Horizon on a quarterly basis. While there is considerable information in this newsletter, most focus group respondents indicated the information is outdated by the time they receive it. Since the majority of residents in Port Jefferson use computers as a primary communication tool, an e-newsletter would be an appropriate way for the district to deliver timely information with little impact on the budget. Such a newsletter does not need to be fancy. Rather, its objective should be providing information quickly. A simple format of a headline to summarize the story and a few paragraphs would result in a quick read. One larger article in each issue could be devoted to a big picture topic. Other topics could include—

• Reports of Board of Education actions • Student achievements • Ways people can become involved • Upcoming meetings • Answers to questions • New curricular programs • Ideas on how parents can support their child’s learning in the home • Appointments


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A subscription list for this newsletter initially should be created by adding PTA/PTSA members, volunteers, and community leaders. Names can be recommended by staff members and parent leaders. Then, the publication should be promoted through other means in which the district communicates—PTA/PTSA meetings, news releases, The Horizon, Board of Education meetings and other community gatherings—and people should be encouraged to sign up to receive it by providing their email address. A short sign-up sheet should be developed to have at meetings and other appropriate places, such as school offices and the central office. Once this e-newsletter has operated for one year, a short questionnaire should be included in one issue to evaluate it. (See Recommendation 5.)

Determine next steps for The Horizon. While many people in Port Jefferson communicate electronically, up to 20 percent, according to focus group estimates, do not. They either do not have computers or are not comfortable using email. These individuals are also an important part of the community and need and deserve to receive information from the school district. Thus, outright elimination of The Horizon at this time would not be appropriate.

The district might consider—

• Printing a smaller number of copies and sending them only to people who subscribe or only to households that do not receive the e-newsletter.

• Making them available at locations in the community where there is considerable traffic.

• Working with senior citizens or other groups that typically do not rely on electronic communications to determine the best way to provide them the newsletter.

Create a way for people with honest questions to have them

answered. There is a blog operating in this community which presents negative information about local government, including the school system. Additionally, there is a tremendous amount of information about the schools that is communicated through the grapevine, which can be very powerful in a small community. Both of these can result in negative information being communicated throughout the community, and it’s very difficult to stop the information from being shared. While the consultant believes that as communications improves in the district these negative efforts will have less of an impact, it’s important for the PJSD to create a vehicle through which community members can have questions answered and can test whether information they have heard is accurate.


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The district should create a telephone line which rings directly on one individual’s desk and advertise that line widely as a way to obtain information about the district. The phone could be answered by the superintendent or his designee. However, that designee must be fully informed of the district’s initiatives and current developments in the PJSD. It would be helpful if that individual already had credibility within the community. If the PJSD hires a communication director, that individual could answer this phone line. If a call comes in and the person answering the call doesn’t know the answer, he or she should promise to get back to the caller within one working day, research the information and return the call. If calls can be returned sooner than one working day, that would build credibility for this program and the school system. Key message sheets (recommendation 4) on important topics should be provided the individual answering this call. If calls are received that deal with topics which aren’t frequently discussed among the leadership, those topics should be reviewed at the next leadership meeting to assure everyone is on the same page. As the person answering that phone can not be tied to the desk, a very customer friendly message must be on the line thanking the caller for his or her interest and promising a quick return of the call. However, when selecting the person to handle this system, that individual’s availability should be consider, i.e. don’t assign it to the individual who has the most meetings to attend. A log should be created of the topic of calls to determine whether there are specific areas of misunderstanding in the district. Information on those topics could be shared via other communication tactics, such as the e-newsletter, to the Key Communicators group, and in community meetings.

Approach the Chamber of Commerce about delivering an annual

“State of Schools” message. Membership in the Chamber includes some of the most influential people in Port Jefferson, and reaching out to them will be an important way to communicate the PJSD message. The district should propose to Chamber leadership that a 30-40 minute presentation be made annually at a Chamber meeting outlining what the school district has accomplished that year and what challenges are ahead. Not only will such a presentation be heard by key community leaders, it could also attract news media attention and extend its reach. Such an opportunity is provided the Village government and should also be available to the school district.


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Attend as many meetings of civic organization as possible. There are a number of civic groups in the Port Jefferson community, and the PJSD leadership should be represented at these meetings on a consistent basis. The superintendent should attend these meetings or assign another administrator or Board member to do so. Those attending should let it be known that they are always ready to provide a short (five to 10 minute) update of school district happenings. The key message strategy will be important to assure that a consistent message is delivered in settings such as this. Occasionally an outstanding student or staff member should also attend and be introduced. In addition to the Chamber, other groups to consider include—

• The Village Council • The Business Development District • Rotary Club • Lions Club • Port Jefferson Retired Teachers Association

Consider starting a “See for Yourself” program for community

leaders. The goal of any school system’s communication program is to develop attitudes that are supportive of the schools and education, and the best way to achieve this is through interpersonal communications when people have the opportunity to see things for themselves. A number of school systems have developed a “Principal for a Day Program” where community leaders are invited to spend a day with a principal to observe what occurs in a modern school. Steps in implementing such a program include—

• Identifying community members to include in the program. This can be done by brainstorming with a few longtime community residents or staff members.

• Identifying which school personnel would be interested in participating in the program. (While these are typically called Principal for a Day programs, they can also be Teacher for a Day, Student for a Day, Superintendent for a Day).

• Determining who will be invited and send a letter of invitation to those individuals, explaining the program.

• Making a follow-up phone call to invitees, answering any questions they may have and determining whether they wish to participate. If someone can’t participate, another person can be invited.

• Scheduling the day when the community leader shadows the principal or superintendent for the entire day observing what occurs in a modern school. There may be some meetings where the community leader can’t attend, such as discipline hearings or


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personnel matters. Be sure to explain that possibility before he or she accepts the invitation.

• Holding at the end of the day a short meeting to review the leader’s impressions and answer any questions he or she might have.

This program can be repeated annually or even more frequently with other community leaders. Another way to bring people into the schools to see things for themselves is through a “Community Comes to Teach” program. This might work especially well in Port Jefferson, which has a wealth of talent and resources in the community. Individuals with specific expertise could be invited into the schools to offer mini-lessons to students. Possible resources might include—

• Sony Brook University • The Children’s Maritime Museum • The Long Island Seaport and Eco Center • Theatre Three

After their mini-lesson, they should be offered a tour of the school and a meeting with the principal to discuss school activities.

Investigate expanding the district’s efforts to mentor young teachers

with the Port Jefferson Retired Teachers Association and the Port Jefferson Teachers Association. The focus group of retired teachers indicated that retired teachers received no special information from the school system. Rather, they were treated as any other resident in the community even though they have given many years of their lives to the PJSD. It was also noted that there are many young teachers now in the district who could use mentoring.

The district should investigate in conjunction with the Port Jefferson Teachers Association whether a mentoring program using volunteers from the Port Jefferson Retired Teachers Association would be beneficial. If so, that would be a valuable way to keep these retired teachers involved in the district.

Establish greater outreach with local realtors. A real estate agent can be a great ally to a school system since many people move into a community because of the quality of that area’s schools. Currently, the PJSD doesn’t have activities in place to assist realtors. To develop this bridge, we recommend—

• The schools develop a packet of information that realtors can provide prospective members of the community. This packet can be designed with input from realtors, but should include a list of


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schools, programs available to students, graduation rates and the percentage of grads who go on to higher education, new initiatives being planned, testimonials from parents and students, etc.

• The superintendent hold an annual meeting with realtors, either with a local realty group if one meets regularly or in his office to discuss new initiatives and how education is improving in the PJSD. The Northside Chapter of Realtors is an affiliate of the Long Island Board of Realtors and would be an appropriate group for this.

• Realtors be offered tours of the schools if they are interested so they can see first hand the educational program of the PJSD. One or two realtors can also be invited to be a Principal for a Day.

• The PJSD in conjunction with realtors develop a video explaining the programs of the school district, key facts, and testimonials. Realtors would be able to copy this video and make it available to prospective clients.

Develop programs that serve the district’s senior citizen population.

While there are a significant number of senior citizens in the Port Jefferson community, there is not a formal organization representing them or a senior citizen center. This can make communicating with seniors difficult; however, senior citizens are an important group from which to seek support and one that may have resources that will assist the school system, such as volunteers. The district should reach out to them to see if there are services the schools can provide and involvement opportunities the seniors seek.

In other districts senior citizens become actively involved through such activities as—

• Pen pal programs in elementary schools • Grandparent days in elementary schools • Teaching mini lessons on local history or hobbies • Auditing classes in the high school where there is space • Having high school students teach them computer skills • Using the hallways in schools for walking exercise during bad

weather. (The auditor would be happy to explain details of these programs if desired.)

A starting point would be for the superintendent to meet with Audrey Prochilo, who many in the focus groups identified as a leader in the senior community. If that doesn’t work the district should identify a half dozen senior citizens and invite them to a meeting with the superintendent.


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One activity to consider since the PJSD may create a strong emphasis on electronic communications would be to have students from the high school train senior citizens on how to use email. The district could consider providing computers it is replacing to seniors if there was an appropriate location where they could be used. This would assist seniors in receiving information from the district and allow them greater opportunities to communicate with their grand children and other family members.

Establish a practice of returning all telephone calls and emails within

one working day. District policy (Communication Policy 1300) states that “district personnel will provide a timely and appropriate response to each and every communication from parents and other members of the community.” However, “timely” is not defined. Focus group participants reported many calls or emails were not returned and others were returned days later. The PJSD should establish a procedure that all calls and emails be answered within one working day; communicate that expectation to all staff members, and alert parents and community members of the new commitment.

Reach out to the local news media to see if there are additional

avenues to communicate PJSD issues. The Port Jefferson Times Record covers the school district and is read by a substantial number of residents. It also has a reputation of being open to new ideas. The superintendent should meet with the editor to determine whether the paper would consider additional ideas regarding covering the PJSD. Specifically we suggest—

• An occasional guest column written by the superintendent or some other member of the PJSD staff. This column would focus on big picture issues, reporting what the district is planning for its educational program and the benefits of those programs. The column could be monthly or however frequently the paper desires.

• Op ed articles from members of the PJSD. These are similar to the guest column concept but would be a less formal approach.

• Run occasional spreads on elementary students’ poems or other writings and/or artwork done by middle or high school students.

Additionally, the superintendent should offer to meet with the reporter covering the schools and/or editor along with reporters from other media whenever the PJSD is considering a major project to thoroughly explain it. The PJSD should also investigate communication opportunities through NEWS 12, the regional CABLE station. At the very least, the district should strive to have emergency notices placed there as other


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districts do. The station may also be interested in occasional guests or programming where the PJSD could present its big picture stories.

Deliver an accurate message on what it means to be a School Board member. There may be little information or inaccurate information in the community regarding what it takes to be a School Board member. If people do not understand the value of serving on a Board, it’s less likely that the PJSD will have a consistent flow of quality candidates. The district may want to develop messages (see recommendation 4) on being a Board member and communicate those messages through the website, at meetings, and in articles. The Center for Public Education, which was created by the National School Boards Association, has information that may be helpful in delivering this message. It can be found at http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/site/c.kjJXJ5MPIwE/b.1505871/k.5F50/The_Role_of_School_Boards.htm.

Consider creating a course description publication for the middle

school as the high school has. Middle school parents indicated they would have liked this resource once they saw what was available at the high school. This publication doesn’t necessarily have to be printed. It could be placed on the school’s website.

Recommendation 8—Improve communications with all internal audiences. It should be noted that typically the consultant deals with improving internal communications before external communications. However, the recommendation for internal stakeholders follows the one for external audiences in this report because we believe the external needs are more dramatic in the PJSD. This placement in no way should convey the impression that staff members are not the most important communicators for a school district.

While any organization’s internal stakeholders are extremely important communicators for that organization, the consultant believes there are not as many communication improvements needed in this district as others he has seen. Yet, there are a few very important improvements needed for staff, and they should be a high priority. All staff members are communication ambassadors for a school district, and they are especially important in a community where so much information is shared through the grapevine. Staff members need current, accurate information to assure that they perform their jobs at the highest level and can be effective communication ambassadors. They especially need to hear information first hand, not read it in the newspaper or hear it from parents. We recommend the following steps—


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Create a staff newsletter. Currently, the PJSD doesn’t have a consistent

vehicle to deliver important information to all staff members. A staff newsletter is a typical form of communication in most districts and should be one of the first communication tactics developed in the PJSD. Internal stakeholders feel that such a publication would be useful in the district, recommending that it be electronic and monthly. The newsletter does not have to be a fancy publication, but should focus on timely, honest information. It should not contain what might be perceived as puff or district propaganda. If it does, it will be seen as a publication without credibility and be a waste of time and resources. The staff newsletter should be disseminated electronically. This will eliminate the cost of printing multiple copies and allow information to be disseminated quickly. However, schools and departments should be encouraged to post printed copies in appropriate areas. If done monthly, it should be disseminated the day after the Board meeting to contain timely information on Board actions. While staff members are the best resource to determine what should be included in the newsletter, some topics might be—

• big picture issues, • changes in procedures, • staff changes, • professional development opportunities, • new directions in the district, • background and resolution of school-based issues, • tips on working with parents, • Board actions, especially if the newsletter was published the day

after Board meetings, • special programs and successes at the schools, and • achievements in the PJSD.

After the newsletter has been published for a year, a series of focus groups should be held to evaluate its value to various internal audiences. In subsequent years, a survey should be included with the last issue. Questions should focus on what information was most and least useful, what readers would like to see added to the newsletter, and when and how often they read it.

Establish a schedule for the superintendent to visit schools and meet with all staff members. See recommendation 1 regarding immediate meetings with the superintendent and school and department


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staffs. After this initial round of meetings, the superintendent should plan to visit each school to meet with staff at least twice during the school year. The more staff members understand direction of the district and have a chance to ask questions, the more they should be motivated to perform at their best.

Establish an annual meeting with all support staff personnel. Surveys in school districts across the country demonstrate that support staff members are most likely to share information about the schools in the community. This is especially likely in a small school district. Annually, the superintendent should meet with all support staff, either as a total group or in department settings, to review plans and answer questions.

Consider a superintendent’s advisory council of teachers. Working

with the Port Jefferson Teachers Association, the superintendent should investigate the value of creating an advisory group of teachers. This would not be meant to take anything away from the association, but rather to assure that teacher opinions are considered as the district moves ahead to implement educational change.

One representative could be named from each department and/or each grade level to discuss big picture issues and improvement ideas. Teachers should be encouraged to report back to those in their departments or grade levels to broaden the impact of these meetings. Agendas should be published so that teacher representatives can seek input from their peers before meetings.

Create a listing of major responsibilities in the district with names,

emails and phone extensions of those in charge of those responsibilities. While some of this information is provided in various locations, there is some confusion as to who people should contact to have their questions answered. If this information is not known by all, staff and others can become frustrated with the district when trying to obtain information. Also, time can be wasted with calls being made to the wrong office. A teachers advisory council or other group of staff members could be involved in determining what topics need to be included.

Once that document is prepared, it should be sent to all staff members, advertised in the new staff newsletter. It would also be valuable to external audiences and should be provided at PTA/PTSA meetings, placed on the district website, and promoted in the community e-newsletter and at community meetings.

Encourage the attendance of para professionals at all faculty meetings. Currently para professionals do not attend faculty meetings at


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the schools. Their participation would help them understand educational issues and how they can best support classroom teachers. In fact, all school staff members should be invited to attend school staff meetings since they are all communication ambassadors for the schools.

Assure that teachers understand the curriculum both horizontally and vertically. There is a concern that some lessons are repeated because all teachers do not have the same understanding as to what is taught in one grade versus a subsequent grade or in one third grade classroom versus another third grade classroom. As the PJSD looks at its curriculum and makes any adaptations, it will be important to assure that all teachers have a thorough understanding of what is being taught at all levels. Departments can play a key role in communicating this.

Review procedures for approving events teachers want to provide

their students and make them as “teacher friendly” as possible. While it’s clear that field trips and other special activities for students must be approved, that process should be as easy as possible to assist teachers in doing more for their students. Two keys to this approach is having as few people as possible sign off on an event and having that approval done as quickly as possible. Teachers should be able to expect that when a request for approval is submitted, they will know the answer within a week.

Assure that teachers have a role in developing and selecting their

professional development. Teachers will gain the most benefit from professional development if they have a voice in determining what is provided and can determine what sessions will best serve their needs on professional develop days. While the PJSD has a professional development committee that includes teachers, the person in charge of professional development should assure that the teacher voice is being considered. When decisions are made, the district needs to make sure the “loop is closed” so that teacher reps understand the why of decisions and that they have been heard. (See recommendation 1). Additionally, all participants in professional development should be asked to evaluate the sessions and offer suggestions on other topics and speakers. For example, in the focus groups some participants indicated training on communicating with parents would be helpful.

Seek total staff involvement in the development of the new telephone

system. The district is planning to bring a new telephone system into Port Jefferson. To assure that the new system best serves all stakeholders and is the best financial investment, the PJSD should seek input from various stakeholder groups as to what should be included in the new system. Then, those recommendations that fit into the district’s financial


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capabilities should be implemented. Input should come from teachers, administrators, school secretaries, departments, and parents.

Two needs were discussed during the focus groups—

• Teachers need a private area where they can have phone conversations with parents about confidential student matters.

• There should be voice mail on department phones so when calls are transferred from the school office and the teacher is busy a message can be taken.

Recommendation 9—Continue to refine and improve the district website. Electronic communication will be an important aspect of PJSD’s overall communications well into the future. According to comments in various focus groups, the Port Jefferson community uses computers extensively and between 80 and 95 percent of its residents have computers in their homes. Two important advantages of electronic communication are—

• Information can be disseminated more quickly. • The printing and mailing costs of publications can be eliminated.

Focus group participants indicated that the website is easy to navigate.

They also believe that improvements have recently been made, and they are appreciative of those changes. The PJSD should view its website as a primary communication tool and continue to refine it.

To continue its work to make the website a key aspect of the district’s

communication effort, the site must attract interest, not just present information. Since everyone’s time is limited, when a person goes to the district’s homepage, that homepage should scream “Here’s important information you must read.” To achieve that the PJSD should review other websites to develop a feel for the best in educational organization websites. This will present ideas for using the PJSD site as an exceptional communication vehicle. Specific school system sites we recommend are—

• Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools (www.fcps.edu) • Peel (Ontario, Canada) School Board (www.peel.edu.on.ca) • Long Beach (CA) Unified School District (www.lbusd.k12.ca.us) and • Virginia Beach Public Schools (www.vbschools.com).


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Each is somewhat different, but all have the quality of presenting the most important news and information to stakeholder groups in an enticing, easy to navigate manner.

After this initial review, the PJSD should also look at the Village’s website and those of surrounding school systems. Not only may new ideas be found, but Port Jefferson residents will view these and may make comparisons.

After this review, we recommend the PJSD specifically consider the following—

Have an area on the top of the homepage where headlines appear

with a two to three sentence introduction and a link to the full story. Use this approach to communicate the big picture and other important issues in the PJSD instead of “Breaking News.” Use the headline to entice the readers. Topics might include—

• Total literacy • Laptop computers for students • Elementary school foreign language instruction • Columbia Writer’s Workshop • Early intervention • Board actions • Important upcoming events • Student successes

The district should not attempt to communicate all of these big picture topics at one time. Rather, each should be featured for two to four weeks, then replaced with another. The website should also have an archive area where these important articles can be accessed.

Do not include material on the homepage that is not timely and the

kind of information that people are excited to read. For example, the mission statement can be placed in another area, such as the goals or Board sections. Replace that with the most important current news.

Make a commitment to change information frequently. Not everything

on a website needs to be changed on a weekly basis, but there should always be something new to bring people back to the site. Otherwise, people will think the information is stale and see no need to go to the site. For example, the Fairfax County site has a heading “New Today.” That clearly communicates that information is current.

The district should determine a reasonable time structure for updating its site, considering staffing required to do this. If something new could appear every Monday that would be great; if things could change every


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other week that would be good. But whatever the commitment is, it must be met. Communications should then be shared widely with parents, staff, students, and other stakeholders as to when to expect changes on the site. Summaries of the Board meeting could appear on the site the day after the meeting. This might mean someone will have to write the summary after the meeting or very early the next day and place it onto the site. But it will provide current information and stakeholders will learn about Board actions from the district rather than the newspaper or grapevine.

Make better use of the superintendent’s message. The video clip of the superintendent is a good piece, especially since there’s the perception that superintendents have little commitment to Port Jefferson. However, the current video was done in August, 2008. This video should be changed monthly. Topics to discuss could include the current superintendent’s commitment to the district, big picture items, and explanations of questions or rumors he has recently heard.

The lead-in to the video should feature students, not buildings. The PJSD is about people not concrete. Also, the link to it doesn’t have to be in the middle of the homepage. Rather, it could be on one side or lower. (See Fairfax County.) Save this area for the most important information.

Create an electronic calendar. One person in each school and department should have access and training to add, delete and make changes to the calendar, and those updates should be added to the calendar as soon as they are known. If possible and when appropriate have a link viewers can click on to find out more about the event, such as an agenda for a meeting. This will improve communications with students, parents, and staff. The homepage should have an attractive icon that serves as a link to the calendar. Make this the go-to resource for information on times and events.

Create a search function on the homepage. This will make it easier for

people who need to find items and eliminate frustration.

Improve teacher pages on the school websites. There is great disparity in the quality of teacher pages in the PJSD. Some teachers have outstanding pages—some of the best this consultant has seen. Others have nothing more than their name on their page. This not only limits communication with students and parents; it also can negatively impact the reputation of the PJSD teaching staff. If a student has a teacher with a great page one year and a teacher with a weak page the following year,


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that child’s parent may develop the perception that the second teacher does not know technology or doesn’t care.

It should be noted that in the parent focus groups, parents said it was very important that they hear frequently from their child’s teacher. They didn’t care whether that communication was electronic or in writing as long as it was consistent. But since the teacher page is in place and the community relies on computer communications, the PJSD should strive to help teachers improve their pages. One reason teachers cited for not wanting to create teacher pages was potential criticism if their page wasn’t great at the start. Hopefully, this concern will be alleviated with the suggestions in recommendation 1. A second consideration was lack of training. The PJSD should put in place a new approach to training teachers to produce teacher pages. This approach should include—

• Identification of teachers, both secondary and elementary, who have outstanding teacher pages

• A presentation by those teachers at a professional development event on the value of teacher pages, how they save teachers time in getting information to students and parents, and a few tips on doing pages

• A system where these teachers can provide one-on-one training to peers who want to create effective pages. This personal approach should result in individualized attention that will answer individual needs and actually get the new teacher’s page up and running.

Teachers providing the training should receive a small stipend, and all training should be on school time. The PJSD should develop this program with the Port Jefferson Teachers Association to assure involvement and support.

Make school websites more inviting to viewers. In addition to changes on the district site, the consultant believes small improvements to the school sites can turn them into more powerful communication vehicles. These include—

• Use photos of students rather than photos of buildings. Again, students and learning are the focus of a school system.

• Assure that the principal’s phone number is prominently displayed on the homepage.

• Feature some student activity or artwork on the homepage every week. While much of this is reported on teacher pages, select a special project to feature and provide recognition to students and teachers.


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Recommendation 10— Implement new communication efforts to reach parents and students. Generally, both parents and students expressed satisfaction with communications they currently received. However, in both instances there were items can be improved and would result in better communication.

Restore the video morning announcements at the high school. High school students currently receive much of their formal information from announcements on the PA system. Formerly, those announcements were communicated via video programming that was produced by the students in the high school library. A video format is much more in tune with the communication style of teenagers and should result in more information being heard and remembered. With the renovations to the library the video announcements were halted. This approach should be restored in the library at the school’s earliest convenience.

Establish a Principal-Student Communication Council. Many high

schools implement a program where the school principal has occasional, informational meetings with students to share information and answer questions. Frequently these are monthly brown bags. While student leaders are well informed at the high school, this idea would include a broader cross section of the student body. One or two student leaders would be invited but athletes, club members, etc. would also be included. The superintendent or another representative from the central office could occasionally attend. Students attending the meetings would be encouraged to share the information with their peers. This is not unlike the Key Communicators idea described earlier.

Revise progress reports and report cards to better meet the needs of

parents. Numerous parents indicated that the current progress reports and report cards lack the specific information they need to stay involved in their child’s education. They contend too many reports are marked with standard items such as “a pleasure to have in class” rather than a specific percentage or grade that would indicate whether their child needs to work harder or receive extra help. The PJSD should create a committee of teachers and parents across various grade levels to determine what parents desire on those reports, what terms currently used really mean, and what is feasible in the way of changes.

Consider expanding the use of CONNECT ED. One of the most valued

communication tools among parents is CONNECT ED. While typically this


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service is used for notification of emergencies, the PJSD should review its communication needs to determine whether there could be additional use of this service. For example, it would be appropriate to alert parents that progress reports would be issued in the coming week, or to let high school juniors and parents know about dates for college entrance exams. It would be especially useful in the PJSD to alert people about changes to the print calendar such as the start times this year.

The district will have to be cautious, however, that the system is not used for information that people perceive is not valuable. If that occurs, people will no longer place a high priority on what is communicated via CONNECT ED. The district should discuss this issue with PTA/PTSAs and some of the other advisory groups recommended in this report to determine what people would like to receive via this service and what shouldn’t be included. As a starting point, items to include on CONNECT ED might be—

• School closings • Changes to the printed calendar • Emergencies at school • Important meeting reminders

Items not to include might be—

• Retirement celebrations • Scores of sporting events • Information that only impacts a small audience unless the message

can be sent only to that audience

The district might also investigate using different components of CONNECT ED for different types of messages to help stakeholders know what should be reviewed immediately. For example, the phone component could be used for school closings and emergencies, the email component for meetings. The PJSD should continually ask people to evaluate this service as changes are made to it. In fact, CONNECT ED allows single questions to be asked through the service.

Review procedures for communicating with parents in event of an

emergency. Focus group participants reported concerns about being notified in the event of accidents and other emergencies. For example, there was a morning bus accident with 35 students on the bus and some parents of those children weren’t notified until 11:30 or later.

It can be difficult to notify numerous parents within a very short timeframe, but the PJSD could consider a multi-tier notification system where all parents who have children injured receive personal phone calls as soon


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as information is obtained. A second tier of parent notification might be parents of special needs children who, while not injured, may be overly stressed by the situation. They also should receive personal calls. A third tier could be parents with children not injured or stressed, and they might receive personal calls or a CONNECT ED notification depending on the number of people involved. In a small community such as Port Jefferson, it would also be good to use CONNECT ED in case of bus accidents or similar situations to assure that everyone has accurate information. Such notification could head off rumors and numerous phone calls based on inaccurate information coming into the central office or a school.

Parent leaders should be involved in designing those procedures, and once determined they should be communicated to parents as thoroughly as possible so they will have accurate expectations.

Have school principals schedule occasional coffee meetings to

discuss issues with parents. The principal is the chief executive officer of the school and seen by parents as a key communicator. Principals should offer the opportunity to parents to drop by, hear about programs at the school, and ask any questions they might have. This would be an outstanding time to discuss the importance of what parents can do at the home to assist their child’s learning. They can also make suggestions about additional ways to communicate with parents.

There are a number of possible times to schedule these meetings, early morning, during the school day, in the evenings, Saturday morning. It’s important to keep in mind that some parents work, and there should be a time available when working parents can attend. Principals could also provide handout materials for those attending to include a list of school successes, new programs being offered or planned, a form to sign up for volunteering, or key phone numbers for questions.

Help parents help their students. One of the toughest challenges these days is being a parent. And while everyone agrees that “the parent is a child’s first teacher,” parents don’t innately understand what they can do at home and especially during the summer to increase a youngster’s ability to succeed in school. Parents in the PJSD have a high degree of interest in and support for education. This is the perfect school district to offer training on “How You Can Support Learning in the Home.”

Training could be done in conjunction with the PTA/PTSAs at their meetings or the district could schedule an annual parent workshop day, perhaps on a Saturday, where tips could be provided.


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Training should be broken down at three levels for parents of elementary, middle and high school teachers. It should be developed in conjunction with parent leaders and the Port Jefferson Teachers Association. Topics might include:

• Helping your child with homework • Resources on the PJSD website to assist learning • Ways to keep a child’s mind engaged during the summer • Local weekend family activities that promote learning • Helping your child prepare for college and the application

procedure • Supporting district initiatives in the home

Training for parents should be timely. For example, when projects like the Columbia Writing Project are brought into the district, parents should be informed as soon as practical about it and ways they can support it. In addition to these meetings, information on new projects should be on the website and reported in the community e-newsletter. Parents also should understand the importance of motivating their child to learn, completing their homework and coming to school prepared.

Assure that all parents have complete information about learning opportunities for their youngsters. The PJSD is fortunate to have as many parents as it does who are seriously concerned about their child’s education. Parents can be a valuable resource but they must have as much information as possible as to what learning opportunities are available. Some in the focus groups stated that not all parents knew about the summer enrichment activities.

While it makes educational and communication sense to inform all parents about all learning opportunities, this suggestion should in no way be viewed as encouragement for parents to “demand that their child be in a class or program” for which the youngster is not prepared. (See recommendation 1.)


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Recommendation 11—Share the district’s success stories to help restore its reputation. A consistent message that was delivered during the focus groups was that the reputation of the PJSD is not as good today as it was five to six years ago. That is having an impact in hiring and could have a more dramatic impact if the reputation continues to decline when the PJSD goes to the community for revenue issues. The reasons for this decline could be many, but one that was very clear during the focus groups was the turnover in district leadership. With a new superintendent who indicates that he plans to stay for an extended period and appears to be moving toward improving the educational program, the time is ripe to look at restoring the school system’s reputation to what it once was. Unfortunately, it will not be enough to simply do a top notch job in educating students. School districts across the United States have seen that the first step in improving their reputation is improving their performance, but they also must communicate their successes to assure that all stakeholders understand the achievements. It’s essential to remember, however, that merely reporting “good news” without the improvement step will not improve the PJSD’s reputation. Rather, it will be perceived as lacking in credibility and further damage the district’s reputation. In addition to initiating curriculum improvements and communicating those initiatives and other big picture issues, we specially recommend—

Develop a presentation on what curriculum is offered at each level and deliver that presentation to PTA/PTSAs, civic and other groups. There was concern expressed in some focus groups that there no longer “is a curriculum in this school system.” Obviously, that is the basis of educational achievement. If curriculum is lacking, it must be made stronger. Then, communication attention must be focused on what students are learning today.

In addition to special presentations on curriculum, there should be articles dealing with curriculum on the website and in the new community e-newsletter and presentations at Board of Education, back to school night and other meetings.

Consider offering student artwork to other organizations. Various

businesses in the community, such as banks, supermarkets, barber shops, medical offices, might be interested in using some student artwork as office decorations. Locally-elected officials may also be interested. The district should create a plan to investigate this possibility. First, determine interest and practicality among the art teachers then approach the businesses and elected officials.


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Create a column on district and school fax cover sheets called

“What’s Right with Port Jefferson Schools (or the school’s name).” There is more than ample room on any fax cover sheet to indicate the essential fax information as well as additional news items. Set aside one-third of the sheet on the right hand side for this column with bulleted items of facts about the district/schools. This information should be changed on a regular basis.

Include “What’s Right” information in the new community e-newsletter, The Horizon, and the staff newsletter. Focus this information on student awards, service projects students complete for the community, staff accomplishments, and successes of recent graduates.

Place current graduates on the “Wall of Fame” at the high school.

This is a good idea to promote successes, but there aren’t recent graduates on the wall. Update this good idea.

Feature successful graduates on the walls in the room where the

Board meets or other appropriate places. People come into this room(s) for meetings and would have the opportunity to see what PJSD graduates achieve. Don’t forget the wall by the swimming pool.

The foundation of an effective school system communication program is delivering information on educational initiatives, and that should be the first step at the PJSD. But overlooking a planned effort to communicate successes is risking that people may never hear about them.

Recommendation 12—Create an identity for the PJSD and its schools. Any organization’s identity is important as it attempts to attract new staff members and clients. It appears there has not been attention to this in the PJSD. Obviously, the first priority is providing the best possible learning program for students, but establishing an identity is an important aspect of a communication program. To create its identity, we recommend—

Determining the PJSD’s “unique selling point.” PJSD should determine what makes it special when compared to other school systems in the area. This might be its commitment to improvement, a forward-thinking district, the record of its graduates, outstanding technology, or something similar. That single attribute is its unique selling point and should become a part of all its communications/marketing activities. The


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district could seek help from a teachers advisory committee or Key Communications Network to help determine its unique selling point. The strengths of PJSD listed by focus group participants and reported in the next section may also provide information for PJSD’s unique selling point.

Determining how the name of the district will be used. The district’s

formal name is the “Port Jefferson Union Free School District” and is used in reports such as those to the state. However, it is a wordy title, and the fewer words used in any communication in today’s over-communicated society, the better. In fact, the PJSD uses its name in different ways in different settings. For example, letterhead from the district’s business office is headed “Port Jefferson Union Free School District;” letterhead from the superintendent’s office reads “Port Jefferson School District;” and return addresses on envelops indicate “Port Jefferson Public Schools.” There should be a consistent reference to the district, and we recommend “Port Jefferson School District.”

Revise the PJSD logo. A logo demonstrates a visual presence. The logo

should be simple so people remember it, student and learning focused, and reflect the district’s unique selling point. It should be used in all district and school publications, website, signs, etc. It should also include the words “Port Jefferson School District.” It could be made into a lapel pin to give as an award, or to all staff members, or to volunteers. A district logo should not conflict with logos that any of the schools have. However, schools could use the district logo on letterhead, in publications, on their website, etc. with such as words “another high achieving school in PJSD.”

The current logo reflects the location of the community, but does not represent a 21st Century educational enterprise. We recommend a new logo that reflects students, learning and the future.

Develop standard letterhead. Letters and memos coming from the

central office are on different letterhead. That delivers a less than professional message and certainly doesn’t add to an identity. All letterhead, business cards, envelops, and publications should have a consistent look and reflect the district’s unique selling point. School letterhead certainly can be different than district letterhead, but there should be a consistent look and it should indicate that the school is a member of the PJSD.


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Recommendation 13—Determine staffing and budget needs to implement this report. There are a number of new projects proposed in this communication audit. Some have budget implications; others will only cost a minimal amount. As the PJSD determines which of the recommendations it will implement, it will need to assign financial support and staffing. Specifically, we recommend—

Consider hiring a part time communication director and make that individual responsible to the superintendent. The district used to have a communication person on staff, but no longer does. A number of people in the focus groups suggested that a part time position be created to implement communication tactics. That person could be responsible for writing the new staff and community e-newsletters, writing information for The Horizon, creating copy for the website, collecting and reporting achievement data, writing news releases, etc.

Determine whether there is a need to outsource communication

assignments. Once the PJSD determines in-house staffing, it should look at whether additional help will be needed to complete those communication projects it wishes to implement. For example, will additional assistance be needed for staff development in communications, doing research, website design and management, presentation development, etc?

Develop a communication link between the central office and the

schools and departments. Whoever is responsible for producing communication vehicles such as the staff newsletter, e-newsletter, information on the website, etc., will need to know the information to communicate, especially the accomplishments of students and staff in the schools. There needs to be a network of individuals to provide this to the communication director. Some districts assign this to support personnel and train them in what to look for and how to deliver the information. Some systems encourage those individuals to write short articles; others develop a form on which information can be written and sent to the communication director to write. Whatever the mechanism, one should be in place.

The communication director should be encouraged to visit schools, but he or she will be busy, especially on a part time basis. Without the link described above, good information may never be discovered.

Provide staff development on communications district wide. While a communication director can produce publications and materials, the fact is everyone in a school system has responsibility for the district’s reputation.


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That is especially true in a district such as the PJSD where so much information is disseminated word of mouth. Much of the district’s communication program occurs in the supermarket checkout line, at a youth sporting event, or during a cocktail party. Since staff members are so critical to communications, there should be staff development on this topic. The PJSD staff should understand how people form their attitudes, the best ways to communicate, how to create effective web pages, the basics of readable writing, etc.

Provide specific professional development for a new communication

director. If the district decides to employee a part time communication director, it can assume that an experienced person will not be available on a part time basis. That person should be expected to grow into a quality communication professional that eventually can provide the PJSD strategic advice in its communication activities. However, the PJSD should provide professional development to this individual to make that growth possible.

The consultant especially recommends membership in the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), the nation’s foremost organization in educational communications. NSPRA offers publications, teleconferences, electronic newsletters, workshop kits, and a national seminar that provide professional development. Additionally, there is a strong New York NSPRA chapter. One of NSPRA’s most valuable resources is its membership directory which allows any member to contact others who are experienced in the field and can answer questions and provide tips on dealing with communication issues. NSPRA’s website is www.nspra.org.

Develop a budget for communications that reflects new initiatives. If

the district is serious about improvement in communications, the PJSD should expand the budget for that function. Currently, the budget reflects only costs for The Horizon. After this audit report is reviewed and priorities are determined, a budget should be created for the 2009-2010 school year that will allow activities for that year to be completed. This will assure that communications is not overlooked and at the same time hold the communication function accountable.


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Focus Group Perceptions In this section the major comments made in the various focus groups are highlighted. This is not, however, an attempt to provide a verbatim report of the participants’ statements. When quotes are used, that indicates a verbatim response. Comments are not necessarily presented in complete sentences.

Many of the observations and recommendations were based on what was reported in these groups. PJSD leaders may also want to review this section to determine whether there are additional improvements not mentioned in the recommendation section they want to make. All groups felt PJSD provides a better educational program for its students than a communication program for its internal and external audiences. (Note “Grading PJSD Educational and Communication Services” in the attachments.) Board of Education Members Strengths of PJSD

• Considerable technology. • Rich in equipment. • Small size. • Overall resource rich. • Numerous people who want to get involved. • Strong teaching staff. • Strong young administrative staff, but that also means inexperience. • Financially secure at the moment.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Young inexperienced administrative staff. • Small district limited in what students can be offered. • History of turnover of staff. • History of micromanaging by the School Board. • Special Education Department (things that are supposed to get done, just

not done; when a child needs reading services and the parent is told child supposed to get them, they aren’t delivered; IEPs not being followed).

• Loudest people get their way; parents that have a lot of money get their way.

• Many new staff members.


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• Teachers don’t always know what is happening horizontally and vertically. • Old buildings with facilities that need addressing; “buildings have had

many, many band aids.” • Lack of parental involvement. Little volunteering at schools. “Parents more

than willing to drop child off but take no ownership of child’s behavior.” • The Horizon has gotten better but has lot of fluff. Some value to it. • People value the calendar. • Website has improved vastly but still a disaster. Hard to navigate. • Need a district-wide directory. Don’t know where to find some services. • At least 85-90 percent of population communicates with computers.

Where do you get your information about PJSD

• Mostly through website. • Friday weekly memo from superintendent’s office. • Talking to people in the community. • Board professional development. Magazines. State school boards

association conference. • People in the community. Gossip. • The blog. • Some coverage in Port Jefferson Times-Record.

Additional information needed/improvements to communications

• Report cards need to be clearer. Unclear what terms such as “meets expectations” and “needs improvement” mean.

• Ways for the community to understand district initiatives in a clear fashion. • Ways for parents to be involved positively. • Less confrontational communications from parents to the Board. • Information on what being a Board member means.

How to improve communications

• Teachers should have more “sit down discussions” with parents about kids’ progress.

• Parents need to hear important information about their students in a timely manner. The Columbia Writing Project has been in the district for years, but this year is the first time a parent meeting was held to explain it.

• Have more people attend the Board meetings, “not just the same 12.” • Correct misinformation that gets spread after Board meetings. • Need to communicate better with broad community. • Expand use of CONNECT ED. • Assure that parents and others know when events are and have the other

information they need.


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Elementary School Teachers Strengths of PJSD

• Great deal of parent contact. • Previous reputation. • Teaching and teacher assistant staffs. Very dedicated. • Diversity in how lessons are rolled out, i.e. different learning strategies. • Strong special education program. • Variety of programs for students. Fine arts was strong but has been cut

back. • A lot of materials, supplies, equipment. • 80 percent of community uses computers to communicate.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Instability of administrators both in the central office and at schools. • Parent’s voice has too much weight with Board and administrators.

Decisions made too quickly on a few parents input. Reactive instead of proactive. Knee jerk reaction to parent demands before researching the facts or consulting with the teachers.

• Changing attitude that academics can only be taught in core classrooms and not in music and art.

• Elimination of the artist in residence program. • “Very things that made our district special and unique have been lost.” • New programs brought in but materials that support them aren’t provided,

such as “read aloud” books for the Columbia Writing Project. • This year many initiatives announced without buy in from teachers. • Teachers find out about things from parents and the newspaper. • Trying to do too many things too quickly this school year.


• Faculty meetings. • Email and written memos. • Website which is improving. • CONNECT ED. • Calendar, but not everything is on it. • Two had never seen The Horizon.


• Teacher assistants should always be invited to faculty meetings. • Information coming from the central office needs to be timelier. • A staff newsletter would be useful. Should be published monthly and

electronically.


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• Information on website needs to be timelier, changed more frequently. PTA/PTSA information should be included on the website.

• Should communicate more of the district’s successes. • Need a way to correct outdated information such as starting times on the

printed calendar. How to improve communications

• More training available on district time on the development and use of teacher pages.

• More opportunities to select the sessions they want to attend on professional development days.

• More training on eboards when the boards are available. (One teacher explained she had the training but didn’t receive the board until two years later.)

• Meeting notices should be received at least a day in advance. • Responses to all emails that are sent to principals.

Administrators Strengths of PJSD

• Administrative team. • Financial investment in equipment and materials. • Quality of teachers. • High per pupil expenditure. • Very capable students. • Size of community. • Lot of individual attention to kids. • Community support. • Variety of offerings to students. • Considerable student involvement. • College educated parents. • Wealth of parents. • Investment in programs, materials and classrooms. • Rich history in community. • Rich partnerships with Village Center, Stony Brook and lab. • Ease of communication with staff because of size. • Good PTA organizations at all schools.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Parent interference. Lack of procedures regarding parent complaints to Board. (This is changing.)

• Age of infrastructure, buildings. All money goes into programs.


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• Elementary staff disheartened because of community criticism during past few years.

• Perception that PJSD is a difficult place to work. • Much turnover. 36 administrators turned over in last seven years. • Low pay for some administrators. • Size blessing and curse. • Lack of procedures. • Sometimes disconnect between schools and central office.


• Administrative meetings. • A few individual meetings. • Email. • The Horizon but it’s outdated when it’s received.


• Clarity in procedures. • Mentors for new administrators. • 24 hour response to all questions. • More rapid, comprehensive information from Board meetings. Report of

concerns expressed by the public. • More time at administrative meetings to discuss concerns, problem solve. • The Horizon should come out more frequently, perhaps bimonthly. • More positive feedback to parents about what’s happening in schools.


• Fewer parent complaints. Too many parents complain and that is making teachers timid about communicating.

• Training on how to deal with parent concerns. • Voice mail on department phones so that when a call comes to a school

and is forwarded to a department, a message can be left with the department if no one answers. (It was noted that the PJSD is planning to implement a new phone system where every teacher will have voice mail.)

Former Board of Education Members Strengths of PJSD

• Small size. • Sports program with a lot of participation. • Personalized attention to students. • AP classes. • Homogenous student population.


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• Parents care and are involved. • Socio economic condition of community. • The prom. • Instructional technology. • Traditions. • If you are a parent, you can get to talk to an administrator.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Small size. • Lack of ethnic diversity. • Tradition. • We think we are better than everyone else. Private school mentality in a

public school district. Sending kids out into the world who think they are better than everyone else.

• Lack of continuity in leadership of school district. • “Program of the day.” • Lot of people in the middle who get lost in cracks. • Graduates find out that they are not as prepared as they thought they

were. • Big problem in privacy issues. When a parent goes to the principal about a

problem in the third grade, the community knows about it before the day is over. This creates fear in district. “We have an underground communication system.”

• Kids feel you can’t make an error or you are labeled. Where do you get your information about PJSD

• Grapevine. Rumors are big issue. Gossip. • Board of Education friends. • CONNECT ED. Should be used for school information. • Elementary school information in backpacks. • Newspaper, but there’s not much there. • The Horizon. • Calendar. • Website.


• Need response to inquires within 24 hours. • Email newsletter to community, but still need The Horizon. • Information on what is happening educationally in other geographic areas. • Communicate more with civic groups, chamber. • Communicate importance of schools for their real estate value.



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• Improve website. • More information in the local newspaper, such as a superintendent’s

column. • Stream Board meetings on internet. • Link to other websites such as the ferry or village websites. • Use News 12.

PTA/PTSA Executive Board Members Strengths of PJSD

• Kids love PJSD. • Lots of different classes. • Clubs and activities. • Small size. • Safe. • Some great teachers. • Personal attention.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Lose kids in middle. • Parents don’t always know about opportunities for students. • Half of teachers do not return emails. • Certain parents are “squeaky wheels” and get more attention. • Curriculum inconsistent grade to grade and section to section. No unified

curriculum. • Dismantling the arts program. Told money is reason but don’t believe it. • Try to offer too many things and some are not done well. • No consistency in leadership. • High school guidance office. Some students don’t get school of choice

because of mistakes such as losing transcripts. • Progress reports in high schools don’t contain enough information.

Computer produced and mostly have comments like “pleasure to have in class.”


• Board meetings. • Superintendent speaking at PTA/PTSA meetings, which he does really

well. • Grapevine, but it’s not accurate. • Website. • CONNECT ED. • Calendar is great.


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• Need protocol for expressing concerns, i.e. teacher to principal to central office. Some people go directly to Board

• Response from principal when concerns expressed. • Use the email on CONNECT ED more for general information and phone

just for emergencies. • All school activities, including sports, plays and clubs, should be on a

calendar on the website. • Principal’s email address should be prominently displayed on school

website. • Information on students should be communicated more consistently

whether on teacher pages or through notes. • Information in The Horizon is out of date. An email newsletter would be

good. • Progress reports regularly sent to parents.


• Course description for middle school like the high school has. • Emails from teachers letting me know what’s happening. • More frequent progress reports.

High School Student Council Officers Strengths of PJSD

• Some good teachers. • Various clubs and activities. • Provides good education for students who seek it.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• When we make requests, we don’t always get an answer.

Where do you get your information about PJSD • Morning announcements. • Some student leaders attend Board meetings. • Teachers/principal.


• Restore the video version of the morning announcements.


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Retirees from School District Strengths of PJSD

• Small class size. • Good staff. • Always passed budget. • Rare money problems. • Lot of parent involvement. • Academic program. • Teachers available for parent conferences. • Students don’t fall through cracks. • Music, drama and art; “kids can find something.” • Sports are not over emphasized. • Prom. • Community involvement. • Traditions. • New superintendent seems to listen more and is more accessible.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Too much parental interference. Parents go directly to Board or superintendent.

• Turnover in leadership. Appears administrators are hired by “Office Temps.”

• Too homogenous. • Small size. Kids together since pre-K. • No mentors for new teachers. Had mentoring program at one time. • Poor communication between past superintendent and teacher

association. • Don’t listen to committee input. Decisions are already made before input is

given. Great deal of lip service. Where do you get your information about PJSD

• No program specifically to keep retired teachers informed. • The Horizon but “it doesn’t do anything for me.” • Word of mouth.


• More on successes of PJSD. How to improve communications

• Had communication person 10-15 years ago. Should have that position on a part time basis.

• Superintendent should establish meetings in the community.


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• Principal coffees. Elementary School Non-Instructional Staff

Strengths of PJSD

• Class size. • Small district. • Total staff. • Facilities. • Community involvement. • Resources. • Support of “all the players involved” (staff). • Connection with community; outside groups can use buildings.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Communication. • Frequent change of administrators. We “buy out” superintendent we if

don’t like him. • Hand full of parents get whatever they want. This creates a “major morale”

issue. • Certain jobs take precedence over others. • Open campus at the high school. Too many students leave for lunch and

race back raising the potential for accidents. • Too many kids not taking bus creating a dangerous situation when

numerous parents drop off their student at the same time. • When parents are given new procedures, staff not always told. Parents

know information first. • When email sent to superintendent, no response received. • A lot of things happen at the last minute.


• Word of mouth. • Co-workers.


• Union meetings with superintendent as used to be the case. • Staff newsletter would be useful. Should be electronic. Should also be

printed. • Tell us everything that is told to parents. • Action line the day after the Board meeting to report what happened. • Forms are a little wordy. Streamline them.


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• Some staff believes principals don’t value their comments that can have an impact on the operation of the school.

• Website is getting better. Can still use some work. How to improve communications

• Needs to be more planning time for para-professionals and teachers so they can be on same page.

• Part-time communication person in house. • More emphasis on open door policy with administrators. • Consistent policies across the district.

Middle School/High School Non-Instructional Staff Strengths of PJSD

• Teachers show compassion. • Offer tutoring to any child who needs it.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Turnover of administrators. • Too many administrators. • Expectations of parents. • Morale isn’t that high. • Student discipline. Getting better but many talk back to staff and show a

lack of respect. • Non-enforcement of policies such as kids not supposed to have

electronics at school. • When parents call and scream, administrators react. They don’t want to

make waves. • Faculty rooms need to be upgraded. Too small, old, outdated. • Custodians never invited to superintendent’s day.


• Direct communication from superintendent. • Email. • Word of mouth.


• Should have two weeks notice on work orders. • Students should provide two weeks notice for college application

materials. • All staff, including part-time and night, should have access to email

communications.


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• Electronic staff newsletter would be good addition; monthly; also must be posted.

• Staff phone directory. How to improve communications

• Build a new school. Need more space. • Consistency in leadership. • Bring everyone together and communicate with everyone. • Central office personnel should learn the computer management system

and use it consistently. • Review safety procedures in schools, including the locking and unlocking

of doors and IDs for people. • Re-institute the school health and safety committee.

Parents Strengths of PJSD

• Teachers. • Small size. • Every child’s an active participant. • Each child gets what she or he needs. • Teachers try new ideas. • Sense of community. • Teachers try to communicate. • PTA/PTSAs wonderful. • Superintendent wants to make himself accessible. • Music department. • Good security system at elementary school.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• In special education often the upper academic kid gets stronger teachers; ones that struggle need seasoned teachers.

• No curriculum in elementary school. • Administrative turnover. • How district spends tax base. “Over spending under performing.” Class

size increasing. • Foreign language in kindergarten dropped. • Enrichment program opportunities not communicated to all parents and

not offered to all children. • Not enough reliance on policies. Too many “rely on good judgment.” • Nothing useful written on middle and high school progress reports. Too

many “pleasure to have in class” comments.


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• Principal should meet with parents. • No work comes home weekly for elementary students. One teacher

stopped writing weekly letter to parents. • Parents don’t know when sports events are scheduled.


• CONNECT ED. Problem if you are away from your phone. • Print calendar but it’s outdated. • The Horizon. Room for improvement. Propaganda piece.


• More use of News 12 for emergency information. • Name badges for teachers. Young students don’t know teachers. • Quicker notification when there is an emergency. • Electronic calendar but keep the print version. • Would like to receive print calendar in April or June.


• Kids say they are ill-prepared for college. Do research with them to determine why.

Middle School/High School Teachers Strengths of PJSD

• Teachers and teaching assistants. • Money and tax base. • Technology. • Class size. • Small size. • Location. • Parental support.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Kids have too much to do outside of school. Parents send notes saying kid didn’t do homework because of riding lessons. “Grades are important but not school.”

• Size. • Pushy parents. • Indulged kids. Lack of respect for teachers, parents, administrators. • No teacher involvement in current review of policies. • Turnover in leadership. “This is my fourth year teaching, and I’ve had

three superintendents and four principals.”


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• School management system and record keeping. • Decision-making process. “Decisions are made for us.” • Closing the loop. • Seems to be some filtering on the computer system that keeps emails

from parents reaching the teacher. Where do you get your information about PJSD

• Faculty meetings. • Word of mouth. • Website.


• Have a process where requests from teachers, such as holding special events, can be approved quickly in the central office by all who need to approve the request. One teacher explained he thoughts he had all approvals, then at the last minute, he had to have more reviews.

• Have clear information on who needs to approve what. Sometimes “we get one answer from one administrator and a different answer from another.

• Have a greater administrative presence in the schools. Administrators go to a lot of meetings out of the building.

• Have more information on the website about computer programs that can be a resource for teachers, such as Brainpop.

• Electronic staff newsletter done biweekly. • Teachers don’t receive emails in timely fashion from outside—filter blocks

some emails from parent. • More phones to return calls to parents. Phone should be in a private area

to have confidential conversations. • More direct communications top to bottom, from the superintendent to

teachers. • More administrative support when parents make inappropriate demands.


• Hold off when interviewing new hires to get best possible candidates. Start the process earlier.

Local Businesses/Organizations Representatives Strengths of PJSD

• Class size. • Economic stability; good tax base. • Education above average.


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• Personalized attention for students. • Small town living. • Parents volunteers. • Student can build very good identity; not lost in crowd. • Collaboration between Village and school district. • Teaching staff. • All students can participate in athletics. • Facilities. • Mentoring by Village of students. • Good community service opportunities. • Student to teacher ratio a plus. • Swimming pool. • AP classes good. • Some students work at Stoney Brook. • Children with special needs have those needs met.

Weaknesses of PJSD

• Village resources could be better utilized. • Real disconnect between village government and district. • Politics distasteful. • Not enough positive information gets out. • School Board has to deal with minutia. • Some disconnect between administration, union and families. • When new Board and new superintendent come in, we have new

curriculum. • District doesn’t take risks. Concerned about having school newspaper at

the high school. No voice for students. Fear of what students will say. • District has lacked focus in leadership.


• Word of mouth. • The Horizon but it’s weak. Needs more pages and more information.


• Reach out to business community, including realtors. • Community e-newsletter would have value.


• Employ a communication director.


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Attachments ♦ Grading the Port Jefferson School District ♦ Schedule of Focus Groups ♦ Questions for Focus Groups ♦ Consultant’s Background


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Attachment A

Grading the Port Jefferson School District

Focus group participants were asked to give the PJUD a grade for the

education it provides students and the effectiveness of its communications.

Audience Grade for Grade for Education Communication

Board of Education Members B- C Elementary School Teachers B+ C Administrators A- B Former Board of Education Members B C PTA/PTSA Executive Board Members C+ D High School Student Council Officers B C- Retirees from School District B C Elementary School Non-Instructional Staff B C+ Middle School/High School Non-Instructional Staff B C Parents B- D Middle School/High School Teachers B+ D Local Business/Organizations

Representatives A- C+


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Attachment B

Focus Group Schedule

Monday, February 23, 2009 1:50-2:40 p.m. Board of Education Members 2:50-3:40 p.m. Elementary School Teachers 3:50-4:40 p.m. Administrators 5:40-6:30 p.m. Former Board of Education Members 6:40-7:30 p.m. PTA/PTSA Executive Board Members 7:40-8:30 p.m. Board of Education Members Tuesday, February 24, 2009 7:25-8:05 a.m. High School Student Council Officers 9-9:50 a.m. Retirees from School District 10-10:50 a.m. Elementary School Non-Instructional Staff 11:50 a.m.-12:40 p.m. Middle School/High School Non-Instructional Staff 12:50-1:40 p.m. Parents 1:50-2:40 p.m. Middle School/High School Teachers 2:50-3:40 p.m. Representatives of Local Businesses/Organizations


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Attachment C

Questions for PJSD Audit

(These questions served as guidelines in questioning each of the focus groups. Depending upon the interests of some groups, other questions

were added and some were deleted. As important information was raised in a group, additional questions were used to probe that specific area.)

1. Please grade the Port Jefferson Schools for the education they provide their students. A through F

2. Please grade the Port Jefferson School District for its communications

with you. A through F

3. How do you receive information about Port Jefferson School District?

4. What are the most effective ways the district currently communicates with you?

5. How would you like to receive information from the district?

6. (For staff) How do you receive the information you need to do your job?

7. How can the district improve its communications with you?

8. Do you use the district website? How can the website be improved? What

specific information would you like to see on the website?

9. Questions may focus on specific publications with specific audiences.

10. (For parents) Do you believe report cards, as they are currently designed, provide you valuable information? How would you like to receive information about your child’s performance?

11. What percentage of the Port Jefferson School community do you believe

regularly seeks information from the Internet?


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12. If there is one thing the district could do differently regarding communications, regardless of funding or other limitations, what would you like to see the district do?


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Attachment D

Lew Armistead, APR

During his 35 years in educational public relations, Lew Armistead has created PR departments for two education associations, been elected president of the nation's only organization for school public relations professionals, and won the prestigious Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America. Today, Lew is president of LA Communications, a strategic firm specializing in public relations planning and media relations.

He has served as public relations counsel to National Middle School

Association, the Randolph Township Schools in New Jersey, the Student & Youth Travel Association, the National School Public Relations Association, and The Principals’ Partnership, a professional development program for public high school principals funded by Union Pacific Railroad. Additional clients include the Jefferson (Colorado) Public Schools, Prudential Insurance of America, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, among others. In the first month after the shootings at Columbine High School, Armistead spent 14 days working with the school system in dealing with the news media and planning strategies to return normalcy to the learning program.

Armistead has conducted communication audits for the Los Angeles (CA)

Unified School District, the Jefferson County (CO) Public Schools, Manassas City (VA) Public Schools, the Jefferson City (MO) Public Schools, the National BETA Club, and the Lawrence Township (NJ) Public Schools, among others.

Armistead was the first director of public relations for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, where he designed NASSP's award-winning public relations program, conducted training across the United States and in Canada and Japan, and served as the association's liaison to The White House for two presidential visits. Armistead has appeared on NBC Nightly News and placed guests on Good Morning America, the Today Show and CNN Morning News.

In 1986-87 Armistead was elected president of the National School Public

Relations Association, the nation's only association devoted specifically to communication in education. He has received NSPRA's Presidents Award for outstanding accomplishments in educational communication, NSPRA's highest honor.


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Lew Armistead continued Armistead directed the public relations program for the Association of

California School Administrators for four years and was information services director for the Santa Clara (Calif.) Unified School District, during which time he dealt with declining enrollment, revenue increase elections, school closures, and work stoppages.

Lew worked with the Teacher in Space Foundation to coordinate the first

news conference the Teachers in Space had with the national news media after the Challenger tragedy.

He is accredited in public relations by the Universal Accreditation Board

and holds a master's degree in mass communications from San Jose State University.

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