District events lure students back from private schools

The suburban Springfield, Ohio, school district, with an enrollment of 4,000, discovered a disturbing trend in the mid 1990s: More than 1,300 children in the area were educated in parochial and other private schools. At a Share the Success workshop Monday, community liaison Kristina White explained how the school board undertook a campaign to bring those students back into the district.

Lacking a central business district, “Main Street,” or other community gathering area, Springfield officials decided to create an environment that featured the school district as a central gathering place for the community. This was accomplished by creating signature events with an academic focus at both the building and district levels.

These events—the “Springfield Showcase” emphasizing the district’s strong academic programs, an annual Community Picnic featuring the “SpringField of Dreams” athletic contest, and a community business expo—now attract as many as 2,000 residents.

Generous businesses, parents, and others contributed to these events, so the district didn’t have to dip into taxpayer funds, White said.

“This was accomplished through efforts to move from a public relations to community engagement model,” she said. “Relationships were strengthened, with not only parents of existing, students but expanded to reach senior residents, business leaders, empty-nesters, and those without children.”

The district’s Recruitment and Retention Committee works to keep student and staff success stories in the media, uses surveys and focus groups to drive outreach efforts, and uses online surveys and direct mail campaigns to communicate with parents whose children attend both public and non-public schools.