The Financial Needs of Salt Lake City School District - Research Paper Example

Final Project Salt Lake School District - Levy Request Campaign Essay Table of Content 0Summary 4 2.0 Introduction 4 3.0 Brief 5 4.0 Objectives 6 4.1 Targeting 6 Tactics 6 4.2 Message Conveyance 7 Tactics 7 4.3 Community Involvement 7 Tactic 8 4.5 Voter Persuasion 8 Tactic 8 4.6 Funds Mobilizing 9 Tactics 9 4.7 Internal Efficiency 9 Tactic 9 5.0 Context 10 6.0 Strategies 12 6.1 Media Strategy 12 6.2 Visibility Strategy 14 6.3 Organizational strategy 14 7.0 Results 14 8.0 Appendix 15 Salt Lake City School District Levy Request Campaign Essay 1.0 Summary Salt Lake City School District has been in need for additional funding to cushion it from the poor economic situation and inflation. Even though the school has been requesting the public to support its levy proposal, its success was yet to come until the planning and implementation or an aggressive public relations campaign. The campaign identified its target and possible threats to its objectives. This ensured that it strategized ahead of any risk. The campaign led to a two-thirds win and hence approval by the public regarding the levy towards Salt Lake City District School. 2.0 Introduction In the past 5 years, Salt Lake City School District has been unsuccessful at the polls in its bid to request taxpayers and voters to vote for an increase in fund’s allocation to the school. The school needs taxpayers to support the school’s operations which have become too expensive putting into consideration the budget of the school. This is as a result of inflation and increase in commodity prices within the state. The administration of the school plans to return to the voting arena on November to further its appeal to the public to grant the school more support. If the levy proposed will not be voted for, the school will have to cut its expenditure by 21% and reduce its workforce by 26%1. The school will also have difficulty in purchasing additional material for learning and extra-curriculum activities. The November election is projected to attract more voters due to the highly published financial crises in the school. The village of Salt Lake City and all its surrounding townships can be expected to avail 4986 voters in the November 29, 2012 election. Thought the coverage of the school’s service districts goes even into the surrounding townships, 89% of the students of Salt Lake City School District come from the Township of Salt Lake. Nearly 52% of the registered voters in the district are women. It is interesting also that among the total voters, 49% have 50 and above years. The average annual income in the township is $51,000 annually with a home value of $ 225,0002. It is important to note that there is a fast growing and active group of activists who are against tax increases. The campaign aim was to ensure that at least 2500 vote were for the levy. This would require motivation of this people since the levy itself would reduce their net incomes. The previous election that was one year prior to the latest election had 1102 voters supporting the levy that would cut the school on a good financial position. The campaigning committee had to make the plans to close the gap between the needed number of voters and the previous number of voter who were for the levy. This plan included to 1) ensure that those people who were is support for the levy turned up for voting, 2) identify the undecided voter who are likely to convinced to support our course, and reaching them with the core message, implication and rationale of the levy 3) establish a campaign that is efficient in its operations with a passionate and effective leadership to steer if to its goals. Resources needed in the campaign ought to be made available. 3.0 Brief To achieve media coverage for the campaign towards a levy in support of the dire financial needs of Salt Lake City School District. 4.0 Objectives 4.1 Targeting Identification of a minimum of 2700 voter who possibly would vote for the levy on January 28, 2012 Tactics Members of the campaign committee will liaise with board of election is Salt Lake District and acquire information about the total number of registered voter, their previous vote regarding the levy and their addresses. This will help us reach the targets of the committee in an easy way. The campaign records in its books that the board members of the school and the entire workforce of the school are pro the levy. The campaign members will identify parent who are eligible to vote but are not registered. They will be helped through the registration process and will be assumed be more likely to vote for the levy. From the list granted by the board of elections, the campaign members will create a phonebook of voter previously against the levy. They will be contacted by phone in a persuasion script with gentle ID attempt if they will not be reached via the door-to-door ID campaign. Phoners will be required to write a report accounting for their daily and their possible outcomes. This will be forwarded to the campaign management. There will also be door-to-door visits lead by the campaign team, school superintendent and board members. The doorknockers will be require to write a daily report that is handed over to the campaign management for the purpose of analysis of the progress of the campaign and prediction of possible voting trends. 4.2 Message Conveyance To capitalize on effective campaign communication and emphasize on direct and repeated core messages Tactics The campaign members will be appreciative to all who support its course and encourage them to vote. Members will also repeat the main themes of the campaign in order to create a memorable mental picture on the target. This may include messages such as: preparing students for success in the competitive world, accountability for public fund and sufficient resource allocation to education which a basic need. The campaign also expects public messages against its course by the anti-tax group. This will be responded to if they are false or negatively affecting voters. The same medium the opponent use to communicate the false or negative messages will be used. For example, if they used an advertisement on the newspaper, a letter will be written by the head of communication of the campaign to the editor with a response about the claim made. The campaign division in charge of communication will evaluate the existing messages perceived by the public about us and the opponents. The message from the campaign should not acknowledge that the opponent have a right to express their opinions and that they are well meaning. However, they also ensure to state when and why the opponents are misinformed. Care should be taken not to use too strong words against the proponents in order to maintain a positive public relations image. The campaign must seek to show that the school board and administrating provides vital service at little cost. The administration should be said to be providing accurate facts on its books of account. 4.3 Community Involvement To show that the community endorses the levy Tactic To gather more support of the levy, the campaign must portray that the community at large is in support of the levy. This will be done by the campaign asking different opinion leaders in the community to endorse the campaign main objective. These leaders included prominent business men, elected officials, former teachers and church leaders. These leaders will be asked to attend most meeting of the campaign with the public but more so the kickoff rally and fundraising event which is scheduled on the begging of September, 2011. 4.5 Voter Persuasion To encouraging supporters to vote and persuading possible supporters to vote for the levy Tactic The campaign’s communication division will write letters to mail to its supporters thanking them for their support and asking them to attend the election. An application form will be attached for those who would like to participate in absentee voting. Letters will also be sent to undetermined or undecided voters. This letters will be persuasive and will show the needs of the students of Salt Lake City School that can only be met if the levy is passed. It will also address some question that most find unanswered about the levy and the names and title of the community leaders identified to be in support of the scheme. The campaign will also launch a website that addresses in details all frequently asked question and misconceptions about the levy. Its web address will be published in all the campaign materials. Their voter who requested forms to apply for absentees voting may be reached by the campaign liaising with the election board to include a persuasion letter favoring the levy even if this may not be direct to imply bias by the elections’ board which should be fair at all times. There will also be need for meeting at county halls where members of the public will be requested to attend so that they may persuaded to vote for the campaign and they questions and worries addressed. 4.6 Funds Mobilizing To raise funds for the campaigning costs estimated to be between $11,000 and $12,000 Tactics Because of the dire need of resources to ensure that the campaign is successful, there is need for external funding. The campaigning team will identify previous donors of send an appeal request to fund the campaign. Follow up the progress of such an appeal is necessary to maximize the amount that can and will be raised from previous donor. Friends are relatives of board members of the school, parents of students and the staff of the school will be requested to chip into the fundraising kitty since its success means their wellbeing is enhanced. New major donors will be identified by the finance division of the campaign. This division will send some suitable representatives of the campaign door-to-door to request for their financial support. Funds will also be raises by organization of breakfast and dinner fund raising events. “Pass the hat” contributions will be carried out at meetings the town hall. 4.7 Internal Efficiency To ensure senior and junior level members of the campaign should observe diligence and efficiency in operations to ensure human resources are utilized fully Tactic Members of the campaign will be taught how to approach register voters for the purposes of appealing for their vote and support. There will also be training regarding the communication channels to be used within the campaigning network in case of and query or comment. This training will be done on Fridays since the door-knocking will be on Saturdays. Monday will have intense training ahead of the door-knocking and persuasion activities like to happen on Monday night and on the election date at the elections ground. The campaign’s leadership will not have funds direct to them for the purpose of acquiring an office. They will therefore be required to work from home or to use their personal offices. This is because most of the campaign work will be done outdoors. Volunteerism will be vital to reduce costs. Communication agencies and telecommunication companies will be sent request to offer subsidized communication fees for this purpose aimed at the wellbeing of the entire society. Companies with call centers will be requested to assist the campaign members with their phones to reduce or cost of purchasing new telecommunication devises. Members of staff, parents and students will also be requested to help in the campaign by taking volunteering roles in the campaign instead of outsourcing labor for pay. Volunteers will be involved in all levels of operations including administration, mailing, organizing for events, providing transport services among others. Supporter turnout activities will be performed by volunteers in the election date. This may include making the elderly comfortable by providing them chairs in case they may need to wait for something and offering hot beverages due to the anticipated cold weather. 5.0 Context Sutherland Institute conducted a research in early 2010 about the perception of the community in relation to school funding and taxes. The study discovered that approximately 89% of the community viewed the school as a public resource. There was also a high knowledge of the school and its operations but not source of funding. In the wake of many county and state programs asking for the publics to vote for their request for levies, the public had a high tax fatigue3. This could be the main reason why the school has been failing to convenience the public of its needs for additional funds. Most of the interviewees did not know the schools website. There was also a finding the 79% of citizens of Salt Lake City would not have their perceptions of the public school affected by positive nor negative stories in the media4. Even though the previous election may have an important implication to the following election, the research did not accurately point out this effect. This is because its respondents were not chosen by their possibility to vote. There were also twice as much women as men in the sample which indicates lack of proper data sampling technics. A different study concluded that most supporters of an increase in levy to go towards public schools do not participate in elections. This was associated with the recurring failure in all previous strategies by The Salt Lake School that was aimed to it receiving an extra levy from the public. There were 2364 and 2401 voters in 2008 and 2008 respectively. Since the voter turnout has been on the increase due to vigorous campaigns by pro and anti-levy groups, the campaign should put into consideration of this fact and use it for its purpose. During the period between summer and early fall, the campaign should organize on focus groups in order to determine suitable themes for its campaign. Political leaders are known to highly influence levy votes. In the 2008 election, most of the elected political leaders were against the levy. This lead to 25% decrease in the number of vote for the levy. The campaign should therefore strategize to include in its membership support by political leaders amongst other leaders. The 2010 losses of the levy request were attributed to harsh economic conditions of the city5. Since the economy is improving, it is more likely that with strategic public relations campaigning, the levy might win the vote. 6.0 Strategies 6.1 Media Strategy The main strategy of achieving the aim of the campaign was to generate positive media coverage for the campaign main goal regarding the need for the levy issue. Voters need to hear the campaign theme and rationale of the levy in order for them to vote for it. The fastest and most convinient way to reach the registered voters is through media coverage. Strategy A: Informative articles were published on newspapers whose readership covers Salt Lake City. This articles were addressed the effective use of public funds and the needs of students in Salt Lake City School. There were press releases on the school and campaign website in addition to the kick off rally. The campaign spokesperson was the superintendent of the school. All queries directed to the campaign from the media were directed to her. Some supporters of the campaign were briefed to write and send mail to the editor of The Salt Lake Tribune Newspapers. The campaign members were vigilant in seeking editorial endorsement of the Salt Lake Tribune Newspapers among other local papers. The following are the specific types of media used to spread the message of the campaign: The Salt Lake Tribune Newspapers, Salt Lake City This newspaper offers daily news and is popular with the older generation. This forms the majority number of voters who voted in the previous year’s election. Newspapers are good publicity materials since they create a more lasting image of the message on the targets. The campaign will therefore use this to spell out the themes and advantages of passing the levy necessary for the betterment of education levels in Salt Lake City and its environs. As a social responsibility action, the newspaper agreed to cut the costs of publishing in their newspaper by half. This gesture was appreciated by an appreciation message on the newspaper. This was a public relation’s gesture to show the level of support the campaign. The Catalyst Magazine - Monthly environmental, spirituality, health, arts and politics magazine – was also used to spread press releases to its subscribers. ABC 4 This is arguably the most popular television market in Salt Lake City. ABC 4 being an affiliate of ABC television network offers competitive and quality adverstiement. The levy campaign used this network to communicate to potential voters of meeting and brief them of the importance of the levy to the Salt Lake community. FM90 This radio station has its frequency clear all parts of Salt Lake City. Its coverage and diversity of audience made it be the radio of choice for spreading news about meeting and persuading potential voters to register and vote for the levy. Talk shows were also organized where the campaign manager addressed various question raised by residents. Support for the campaign was evident with the increasing number of positive comments from the live callers. 6.2 Visibility Strategy It is important for the campaign to show aggressiveness in order to attract the public to its course. This strategy involved acquisition of between 250 and 350 yardsticks with a short and clear messages such as ‘Vote for Education’, ’Vote for Levy’, ’Vote for Accountably ’, ‘Vote for you Children’ among others. This are placed in areas with high traffic flows or crowds. 5 billboards were strategically raised in such areas. An ad to run was purchased from The Salt Lake Tribune Newspaper to encourage voters to turn out and vote for the levy. Business leaders behind the campaign were asked to displace supportive messages on visible areas of their business such as the counter and windows. 6.3 Organizational strategy The campaign was overseen by the campaign manager who is Dr. Diana Jones. She was responsible in ensuring that all the strategies and tactics of the campaign are implemented. She was also being responsible with acquisition of resources relevant for the setting up to campaign and workforce. The treasurer was Mr. Bob Daniels. He is a certified public accountant and the head of the Salt Lake School parents group. The campaign committee was responsible for ensuring that all resources available during campaign activities such as meetings and fundraisers were available. 7.0 Results The result of the massive campaign was successful. The campaigned got endorsements from The Salt Lake Tribune Newspapers and ABC 4. Both political and religious leaders pledged to campaign for the levy in their areas on influence. Business leaders were a major source of both publicity and financial support. They provided 65% of the campaigning financial requirement. They also provided their resources such as transportation and communication facilities which led to the campaign redirecting its funds to media coverage that was more expensive than predicted. The campaign main objective was achieved by it gathering a two-thirds win and hence approval by the public regarding the Salt Lake City School levy. 8.0 Appendix PRESS RELEASE SALT LAKE CITY SETS NOVEMBER, 2011 LEVY AMOUNT The Board of Directors of Salt Lake School District agrees on an unchallenged vote to support a two year levy. The public will vote regarding the issue on November, 2011. The board finds it’s crucial for the school to obtain additional funds to cushion it from the high cost of operations. Lack of such financial support will lead to a reduction in cost that will have a negative impact of the quality of education in Salt Lake City. This may include reduction in number of staff by nearly 25%, cut in all new academic material purchases and reallocation of fund directed to extra-curriculum activities. These changes will certainly have a negative effect of on the quality of education. The board therefore approved the increase and request from the public for an increase from the current levy of $2.95 to $3.59 per thousand. With the district having an average home value of $22500, a difference of $12 per month for the betterment of our children future is reasonable and necessary. We hope for your support of the proposal. Read More