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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 11, 2005 Medford schools to get PR assistance The district is hiring a firm to improve communications By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune The Medford School District is contracting with a Salem-based public relations firm in an effort to improve communication with the community. District officials, including its attorney, are working out a contract this week with Randall-Dixon Public Relations LLC, but the company’s exact services and fees won’t be known until the contract is finalized, officials said. "One of the concerns of the board is about how to communicate with the community," Superintendent Phil Long said. Good communication is especially important as the district redesigns its high schools through the Oregon Small Schools Initiative, evaluates aging school buildings to determine if a bond measure is needed to update them and starts negotiations with both its teachers’ union and a union representing other school employees, he said. "People want to understand what small schools are about and we need to tie all these different things together and let people know the larger goals of the board," Long said. Advertisement The district worked with the Oregon School Boards Association to select two communication consultants who assist school districts with communications and heard presentations from both companies before selecting Randall-Dixon. "They really got the big picture and understood what we were trying to do," said board member Cynthia Wright. The firm will study how the district communicates with its constituents and recommend strategies that will help make accurate information accessible and easy to understand, Long said. Having four superintendents in four years has left some leadership loose ends in the district, Long said. When he became superintendent, he said he wanted to evaluate the district’s processes — including community communications — and make sure they were effective. The budget for the superintendent’s office and for the board has funds available for such studies and consultants. Long said the district uses the bid process when it is required or appropriate to find the lowest price for goods or services. In hiring a communication consultant the process wasn’t required and wasn’t the best fit. "In this support for the board and the district, we don’t necessarily want the low bidder," he said. "Communication is an investment. We want someone who is clear on what we’re trying to accomplish." Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail Medford schools to get PR assistance ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Website Templates www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Helzberg Diamonds Distance Education Computer Security Casino Gambling Sites Website Hosting Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Memory Foam Mattress Diamonds Online Poker Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Online Casino News Rogue Valley Blogs Natto Kinase Nattokinase Advertisement s