District PIOs: Critical link between schools, community
(Calif.) One hand drags a cursor across a computer screen as the other flips through a pile of papers on his desk. Simultaneously, Dan Thigpen, public information officer for Folsom Cordova Unified School District, rattles off the day’s itinerary from memory.
“What a typical day looks like fluctuates between working proactively and reactively,” said Thigpen, also president of the California School Public Relations Association.
“Proactive work includes strategic planning for ongoing, short-, medium- and long-term initiatives,” he explained. “The reactive side is communicating in an emergency and responding to media calls.”
Typically relegated to a behind-the-scenes role, a district communication officer serves an important position in bridging public schools with the community they serve. Few other public institutions enjoy as much public trust and responsibility as the school district, and thus, the job of communicating what happens on the campus – both routine and extraordinary – is complex and demanding.
Not every district has the benefit of hiring a communications specialist to fill this role. Just as the number of school nurses, librarians and counselors were cut during the recession, so too were many PIO jobs – only some of which have been restored.
A common misconception revolves around the idea that a school communications person simply fields media calls, but according to Thigpen, that is only a portion of his job description. At its core, the purpose of a public information officer is to take the complex inner workings of a district, simplify them, and tailor a message to different audiences.
A look at his schedule one morning included an early meeting with the director of Categorical Programs and Grants; then a phone call with an Internet sales representative; followed by a meeting with Comcast after lunch; a session with members of the local Chamber of Commerce; and then a chance to pitch a story idea to the local morning TV show, Good Day Sacramento. All of this comes while also handling a number of smaller tasks in between.
The PIO needs to have some knowledge of every department, the work they do and the acronyms they use, he said.
Thigpen’s first meeting of the day, for instance, was with Elena Cabrera, director of Categorical Programs, who wanted to discuss how best to persuade families who would likely be approved for free and reduced price lunch to sign up.
At issue is a dichotomy between the number of lower-income families on the Rancho Cordova side of the district that apply for free and reduced price lunch, and those on the Folsom side who may be District PIOs: Critical link between schools, community :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: