Congratulations! Your district passed a general obligation bond or parcel tax….now what?

Over the past few years, faced with huge budget reductions and increasing facility and operating costs, school districts across California successfully obtained approval from their local communities for general obligation bonds (GOB) or (and in some cases, AND) parcel taxes.

The bond funds provided much-needed financial resources to districts facing new, ongoing and other facilities and technology infrastructure costs, and the parcel tax dollars helped to stabilize certain areas of districts’ operating budgets.

Now that your district has the money….how are you going to ensure that tax payers not only know how their money was spent, but how their taxes resulted in positive outcomes for your district?  Furthermore…how will you ensure that the next time you reach out to voters isn’t to ask them to approve another bond or parcel tax–but you approach them before you make this request?

Proactive and ongoing communication with voters–who are typically not parents of students in your district–is imperative to future GOB and parcel tax success.  This communication is also important to the overall public relations for your district.

Sounding Board Marketing & Communications is excited to launch a new campaign suite designed to help districts best inform voters of the outcomes of your general obligation bond projects/parcel tax funds, and provide transparency and accountability regarding the use of taxpayer funds, while increasing public confidence in the utilization of school funds.

This service suite enables districts to:

• Consistently and proactively communicate the use of the general obligation bonds/parcel tax funds, as well as any cost savings
• Communicate with districts’ internal and external audiences
• Ensure that the Citizens Oversight Committee is adequately and clearly informed about the utilization of the general obligation bond
• Meet Proposition 39 legal public outreach requirements for the Citizens Oversight Committee
• Celebrate the ways that districts’ modernized facility and technology infrastructures ensure that students are learning in safe, warm and dry buildings using the latest technology
• Increase community members’ confidence in the district’s utilization of general obligation funds/parcel tax funds
• Answer the question: “How are you using the general obligation bonds/parcel tax funds?”

This suite of services offers several options that will help you save time, money…and lead to ongoing success for supporting your district’s goals.  Check out Sounding Board’s School Bond/Parcel Tax Outreach Options for more information.