Simplified: Sioux Falls schools have a new website, a new app and a new focus on creating content to connect the community with schools.
Why it matters
- Each building in the Sioux Falls School District will have someone dedicated to finding stories, photos, videos or some combination of the three to share via social media and the district's new app.
- The app and website rolled out earlier this year as part of the district's ongoing effort to better connect with the community, and the new content creator positions are helping do that in a more "grassroots" way, said DeeAnn Konrad, community relations coordinator.
- Content creators – whose full-time jobs vary building-to-building, but can include teachers, clerical workers or education assistants – receive an additional stipend ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 per year. That puts the total cost around $60,000 per year.
"Our goal is to help families feel better connected to their schools," Konrad said. "We hope our parents will find value in that and find comfort in that."
What types of content will be shared?
It might be posts based on an event like a sporting event or concert, Konrad said, or a photo and story about a staff member who deserves recognition.
Or, it might be a slice-of-life photo of students walking down the hallway.
"We're really working hard to engage our community on a higher level," she said.
Posts are expected to come at least three times per week from each elementary school.
- At the middle and high school, the expectation is four and five weekly posts, respectively.
How can the community interact with the app?
The posts from individual schools are one-way communication, though Konrad said schools have the option to also share on social media where the public would be able to comment and interact.
The new website has a "Let's Chat" button where anyone can submit questions, concerns, etc.
Konrad encouraged parents and community members to continue to communicate however they're used to as well, via email, call, etc.
What happens next?
Content creators have been trained in 24 schools, Konrad said, with the rest set to begin training later this month.
Some schools are already posting in the app.
