COMMUNICATION

Mill Valley School District has approximately 2,300 students in 1,600 primary families with hundreds of students with second families. We have over 300 staff members throughout six campuses. In addition, the District serves a community of just under 20,000 residents, approximately 80% of whom do not have children in our schools. Clearly, a strong communication program is vital to the success of the District. Information must flow to and from our constituents consistently, and be available to all interested parties.

We are accountable to the members of our community for their support of our schools and programs through parcel tax and bond contributions. Outreach to them is necessary not only to inform and educate them about the actions and events in our schools, but also to promote their participation in the education of our children. Clearly sharing and inviting them into the work of our schools will create the needed support and prevent misperceptions and misunderstanding through accurate knowledge.

Goal: Effectively communicate throughout the District, so that students, staff, families and the entire community are informed and empowered to participate.

Implementation Steps:

• Conduct fact-finding research to determine the communication needs of the District
• Design a comprehensive communication plan that will reach all constituents
• Improve the infrastructure and integration of technology to facilitate the flow of information (e.g. school to school, District to community, families to schools)
• Create and fund adequate staffing (a part-time communications consultant) to facilitate communication and improve outreach to the community