This piece is the first in a series, “What Matters Most: Practical Comms for School Business Leaders” designed to help equip schools and districts with communications tools, tactics, and techniques to build and execute a solid communications framework to help improve messaging, trust, and transparency.

District leaders are being asked to communicate more often, across more channels, and with higher expectations for transparency than ever before. From back-to-school and budget season to urgent safety situations, a comprehensive district communications plan helps teams reduce confusion, build trust, and stay ahead of both predictable milestones and unpredictable challenges. Consider this practical, step-by-step process any district can use to create a communications plan that aligns with district goals, community expectations, crisis readiness, and measurable outcomes. That’s why CASBO created a School Business Communications 101 Micro-Certificate.

Step 1: Start with district direction. Communications should not be random or reactive.

• Collect key district priorities (Board goals, strategic plan, LCAP/annual goals, budget priorities, enrollment targets, facilities milestones).
• Consolidate them into 3–5 “Communication Pillars” that will anchor messaging all year.
• Write one plain-language “why it matters” line for each pillar.

Deliverable: A one-page list of Communication Pillars that ties communications directly to leadership priorities.

Step 2: Audit what’s working—and what’s breaking.

• Review communication channels for reach, consistency and clarity: website, email, text alerts, social, staff communications, Board updates, and media relations.
• Identify predictable pain points: outdated web pages, unclear ownership, inconsistent school messaging, or translation delays.
• Flag urgent fixes that can be resolved immediately.

Deliverable: A Current-State Snapshot summarizing strengths, gaps, and top risks.

Step 3: Define who you’re communicating with and what they need.

• Map priority audiences and maintain solid, segmented database of contacts: families/guardians, students, staff, unions, Board, local media, partner agencies, and the wider community.
• Identify what each audience cares about most, what they need to do, and what barriers exist (language, access, trust).
• Establish preferred channels for each audience (email, text, website, meetings, social media, phone).

Deliverable: An Audience & Channel Matrix (identify audience → needs → barriers → best channels).

Step 4: Establish a district voice and message architecture.

• Draft a concise “core narrative” that describes who the district is and what it is working toward.
• Create 3–5 key messages that can be repeated consistently across departments and schools.
• Add proof points (data, examples, student stories, program highlights) that bring messages to life.
• Build message examples for challenging topics (budget reductions, staffing shortages, boundary changes, facilities delays).

Deliverable: A Messaging Playbook (2–5 pages) with key messages, proof points, and sample language.

Step 5: Set goals.

• Keep data points in mind: Goals → Objectives/Action → Measurement.
• Choose metrics that show outcomes, not just activity (trust, participation, understanding, and action).
• Include equity measures such as multilingual delivery and accessibility performance.

Deliverable: A Communications Scorecard with 6–12 district-level measures.

Step 6: Build strategies by communication type (not just platforms).

• Organize communications into lanes: district storytelling, operational updates, leadership communications, engagement/listening, internal staff communications, and crisis/safety communications.
• Clarify the purpose of each lane and how it supports district goals.

Deliverable: A Strategic Framework showing what gets communicated, why, and how.

Step 7: Create channel standards with a reliable cadence and trusted information.

• Confirm your “source of truth” (typically the district website) and define how other channels link back to it.
• Set rules for what goes where (urgent alerts, operational updates, storytelling, and staff-only updates).
• Document translation and accessibility expectations, including timelines.

Deliverable: Channel Standards + a Content Calendar.

Step 8: Map the year into milestones and campaigns.

• Identify annual communication milestones (enrollment, back-to-school, attendance, budget, testing, graduation, facilities updates).
• Plan at three levels: year-at-a-glance milestones, a rolling 90-day plan, and weekly production workflow.
• Assign owners to each milestone campaign so deadlines don’t slip.

Deliverable: A 12-Month Communications Roadmap with quarterly themes, key deadlines and assigned owners.

Step 9: Build a crisis communications plan that’s actually usable.

• Define incident categories and triggers (weather, safety, cyber, threat response, rumor control, closures).
• Create a decision tree: who approves, who publishes, who updates, and how often updates occur; as well as who the spokespeople are, both internally and third parties (local law enforcement, first responders, local officials).
• Prepare templates in advance (holding statement, statement/update #2, reunification, closure notice, FAQs).
• Practice scenarios/conduct drills.
• Include after-action review steps to improve readiness over time.

Deliverable: A Crisis Communications Playbook + template/content library.

Step 10: Define roles, workflows, and approvals.

• Set an intake process for communication requests (what information must be provided before writing begins).
• Create a clear workflow: draft → review → translate → publish → measure/track → archive.
• Establish approval lanes to support speed without sacrificing accuracy or privacy compliance.

Deliverable: A Communications Operating System (SOPs + workflow map).

Step 11: Build a site leader toolkit so schools aren’t improvising.

• Provide ready-to-use messaging for principals and front offices (family emails, robocall scripts, social captions, flyers).
• Include FAQs and talking points for common districtwide topics.
• Refresh toolkits monthly or per major campaign.

Deliverable: A Principal/School Site Communications Toolkit (plug-and-play).

Step 12: Launch, measure, and improve with a predictable cycle.

• Review metrics monthly and track recurring questions coming from families and staff.
• Adjust strategy quarterly based on participation, sentiment, and district priorities.
• Hold quick debriefs after major events to capture lessons learned.
• Practice, practice, practice.

Deliverable: A Quarterly Communications Review summary (5–8 slides or a one-page dashboard).

Final Thought

A strong communications plan reduces surprises, improves community confidence, and supports operational success. When the district’s messages are consistent, timely, and easy to understand—especially during high-stakes moments—families and staff are better equipped to participate, support students, and stay focused on learning.

Next month

How to Communicate During a Crisis or Emergency: From protocols and SOPs to building community trust before, during and after a crisis

CASBO Training Courses

School Business Communications 101 Micro-Certificate

Communicating with Confidence

Mastering Resilient Communication

About the Author

Jennifer Bulotti is the founder of Sandalwood Design and a communications strategist specializing in helping education leaders strengthen community trust through clear messaging, proactive engagement, and crisis-ready communications planning.