Congratulations Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for stepping into the 21st century by spending roughly $9,000 to design a Web site that is attractive, informative and much easier to navigate than its rudimentary predecessor.
It has been a long time coming and parents and reporters alike welcome the change and the newfound access. No longer will we have to be taken on an electronic journey to nowhere, repeatedly clicking on bogus links only to end up at an expired page or one with stale information — at least that’s the hope now that the new site, designed by SMMUSD parent Maryanne Solomon and her company Art Meets Technology, is online and the district seems committed to keeping it updated.
The new site, which includes 200 supplementary pages consisting of 1,400 PDF documents and about 150 images, features a calendar with school board meetings and holidays listed as well as other events such as the 58th Annual Stairway to the Stars musical performance tonight and tomorrow at the Civic Auditorium. There are also links to the district directory, complete with phone numbers and e-mail addresses, making it easier for parents to reach out and touch someone instead of doing the “I’ll transfer you” two-step that can be very frustrating. There are also links to the Facilities Master Plan effort, the PTA Council and the Education Foundation, which helps raise money to keep valuable programs alive.
By being able to easily access this information, hopefully parents and other community members will be more apt to volunteer their time.
If anyone remembers the former Web site they know how difficult it was to navigate and find essential information. It seemed at times that the site was stagnant with no new information being added for weeks on end, something which is unfathomable considering how much is going on around the district. What was available was oftentimes wrong, such as listing district advisory committee chairs who no longer served. It certainly wasn’t a Web site befitting “World Class Public Schools,” which is the district’s new slogan, an attempt to draw attention back to the classroom instead of the district’s board room, where allegations of secrecy and a lack of transparency brought criticism from city officials and the public and shed negative light on the district.
Now that the Web site is up and running, the school board should focus its attention on hiring a public information officer to keep the community informed and to disseminate information to the media so that we can highlight some the positive things happening in the district.
So many times we in the media are criticized for not covering a particular event or a student who makes the grade, instead always focusing on the negative, something which is certainly not true (just check out our coverage of our local sports teams being crowned champions).
But how are we to report on positive things when no one in the district tells us about them? We cannot be everywhere at all times. With a staff member dedicated to working with the community and the press, stories like these will be covered with more regularity.
A public information officer would also help in making the district’s position known when a not-so-favorable story breaks, ensuring that all stories include the district’s point of view.
Overall, the district’s leadership has shown a willingness of late to want to work with the press and parents. Now it’s time to keep the momentum going. Find money in the budget for public relations and perhaps there will be no need to spend money on a “World Class Public Schools” campaign.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 6, 2008. Read the original PDF.