Jun 28, 2008

Sequoia aims to boost image

School district to hire marketing manager in competition squeeze

By Shaun Bishop / Daily News Staff Writer

Faced with increasing competition to retain teachers and attract students, Sequoia Union High School District officials are planning to spend $200,000 next year to boost the district's image.

The district's board of trustees voted Wednesday to pay for a new marketing program that includes the hiring of a full-time marketing manager who will make $80,000 to $90,000 per year.

District officials say the program is necessary because the stakes for making the district's presence known are higher than ever.

Charter schools, which are funded by school districts, have been trying to attract students from larger high schools with promises of small class sizes and high test scores. Competition is fierce for qualified teachers in California.

"It's critical. It's highly competitive," said Trustee Lorraine Rumley. "We're competitive with Palo Alto to the south and San Mateo to the north and we want our community to know about all the great educational opportunities we provide."

The district actually will be competing against two of its own, since it supports a charter school in Redwood City - Summit Preparatory Charter High School - and is sponsoring another one in East Palo Alto beginning this fall.

Officials say they simply want parents to make informed choices about the benefits of traditional high schools.

"We have a great story to tell," Superintendent Pat Gemma said. "We are a great resource to the community. We've come a long way in terms of the quality of service we provide."

A consultant hired by the district concluded that its four comprehensive high schools are competitive without any marketing, ranking high in Newsweek lists and winning statewide honors.

The problem is that 30 to 40 percent of people surveyed a year ago said they didn't know enough to evaluate the district, suggesting the message hasn't gotten out.

Besides prospective and current parents, the consultant said the district must do a better job reaching Realtors, community leaders and even prospective parents.

"There's a need for us to really communicate with parents who have young children, because they're making decisions and forming opinions very early on," Trustee Gordon Lewin said. "It's a different paradigm from the past."

The district also hopes to tell taxpayers who don't have children how their money is being spent - especially because they are the ones who have say over school bonds, such as one worth $165 million that voters passed in February.

"We can't just communicate with the public when you're coming asking them for money," Lewin said. "That wears thin after a while."

Lewin said the marketing program could pay for itself if the district convinces enough parents to send their children to public high schools instead of charter schools. He estimates that the district pays charter schools about $7,000 per student, as required by state law, so 30 diverted students would make up the program's cost.



E-mail Shaun Bishop at sbishop@dailynewsgroup.com.