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Public Schools Step Up Marketing

Competition Comes from Charters and Public Schools-of-Choice

Mon., January 18, 1999

A growing number of Michigan public schools are using marketing to lure more student "customers" now that traditional public schools face competition from charter schools and the state's public schools-of-choice program.

The schools-of-choice program, begun in 1996, allows Michigan parents options among public schools outside their home district. As a result, districts have begun advertising their programs to let parents know the benefits the schools can offer to their children.

"We actually started marketing our schools before the schools-of-choice program even began," said Mike Lindley, superintendent of New Buffalo Area Schools. "We started it many years ago due to declining enrollment in the 1980s."

However, New Buffalo's marketing efforts have increased since 1996, he said. "We put ads in the three local newspapers and a full page ad in an area magazine that reaches many tourists who visit the region," he said. "We want people to know what a great job our schools are doing."

A summer 1998 advertisement in the New Buffalo Times encouraged parents within the Berrien County Intermediate School District to consider transferring their children to the New Buffalo school district. The advertisement touted New Buffalo's computer technology, small school atmosphere, parental and community involvement, and other advantages.

Did the marketing effort pay off? According to Lindley, New Buffalo has attracted 52 students from other districts over the past three years. With approximately $6,000 in state education dollars coming with each student, the district has definitely benefited financially, he said.

Some districts such as Holland Public Schools and Hartland Consolidated Schools in Livingston County employ direct communication with parents instead of mass communications efforts.

In a November 1996 letter, Carmen Hannah, principal of Holland's Van Raalte Elementary School, encouraged a departing family to reconsider Van Raalte if the charter school they chose did not meet their expectations. Hannah also asked the family to complete a survey designed to identify areas where they had been dissatisfied with Van Raalte.

In a few Kalamazoo area school districts, marketing costs are now a regular part of the schools' budgets. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, Portage public schools now spend roughly $45,000 per year on marketing, and the Kalamazoo school district spent $80,000 to hire a firm for a promotional effort prior to the 1998-99 school year.

Superintendent Mark Bielang of Paw Paw Public Schools told the Gazette, "I definitely think the marketplace has changed and forced us to look at how we connect to our customers. We have to let our customers know we provide something different than our competition."

Responding to the charge that marketing public schools is a waste of tax money, Lindley points out that his district's investment of roughly $10,000 in advertising has netted over $300,000 by attracting new students. "We need to let people know how taxpayer money is being spent, particularly critics of public education," he said.

Related Topics: Education
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User Comments
education is an all around development for a child
he should be mentally and physically strong


<a href="http://rescueyoursavings.com" rel="dofollow">Savings</a> >>
education is an all around development for a child
he should be mentally and physically strong >>
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Public servants like Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, Judges, Secretaries of Various Departments and the like should be first to be compensated for performance.
The idea that the playing field for students is level everywhere is as Quixotic as thinking all politicians are honest and competent.
There are neighborhoods where only Portugese or gang sign language is spoken, where the parents both work two jobs to pay rent, where getting to school and back is more dangerous than Iraq and Afghanastan.
This Secretary of Education has to remove the silver spoon, roll up his sleeves and take his superior intellect attitude into the trenches and show the poor slobs that are taking their teachers jobs for granted how he would do it. Just because his mommy used to help out in Chicago doesn't give him the Congression Medal of Honor. Actually he's a stuffed shirt pretending to know it all.
How much do you want to bet that he wouldn't attempt entering these neighborhoods let alone these schools without security. >>
This article is tucked away yet is profoundly correct. Parents are pseudo parenting little objects of consumption. Teens, professionals, working moms like the "idea" of a child but are not in for the long haul and everyone loses.

Schools are enabling parents to do precious little. The time parents spend with their children is the only thing that matters. Bussing needs to be cut, school breakfast, lunch, and afterschool care needs to be stopped. Parents will grow that bond by sacrificing the nails, hair, parties, drugs, quads, vacations, etc. and making a lunch for their child and arrangements to be home when the child is out of school. No one is that poor that they can't provide a boloney sandwich, a baggie of pretzels, an apple, 50 cents for a milk, and two cookies each day.

Please respond!

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Is it true that young ones today are losing interest on these subjects? Obviously, the White House is promoting programs that will help students on coping up with math and science subjects. But, The federal government thinks that the quality of math and science education can repair credit with the scientific community and improve US education with a few <a rev="vote for" title="U.S. Government Spends $250 Million on Science and Math" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/Payday-Loans/ ">payday loans</a> of sorts. In reality, it will take far longer to accomplish than they might think – US educators can't even get students to accept that "irregardless" isn't a word, and the difference between their, they're, and there – our students can't even learn their own language! It's a noble aim, to be sure, but throwing money at it may not work in the long run. >>
I am a teacher in the same county who is presently trying to quit the union. Like Caldwell, I strongly disagree with the MEA.

This article was timely.

Rob Olson
Pittsford Area Schools

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I agree this is a change worth making. I describe some of the uneven effects of the idea on my blog at http://rickolson.blogspot.com/2009/08/statewide-health-insurance-plan-for.html which you may also wish to read.

The devil will be in the details, so this is one we will need to monitor closely.

Rick Olson from Saline, former school Business Manager >>

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I AGREE >>