Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Amanda Mueller
Shawano School District almost needed a communications specialist to explain why it hired a communications specialist.
Amanda Mueller, of Shawano, will start her job Monday, a new job that raised questions by some area residents. After the School Board voted 8-1 to hire Mueller, people expressed concerns on a Facebook page — not about Mueller, but about the position.
Lisa Greene Hoffman, of Shawano, commented on the Concerned Parents of Shawano Schools page after the board’s vote Monday night, questioning why someone hired to provide public relations for the district would receive a salary on par with a first-year teacher. Mueller’s annual salary will be $34,000 plus benefits.
“I wouldn’t think it would require a hired position to accomplish the task,” Hoffman said.
Superintendent Gary Cumberland said he was surprised at the response. Cumberland noted there are a lot of things occurring in the schools that parents and taxpayers might not be aware of.
“The purpose of this position, in a nutshell, is to tell our story,” Cumberland said. “It’s to get the facts out and make sure we’re reaching everybody to get information out about our schools.”
Cumberland said the district’s website is not as current as it could be and social media has not been fully utilized. He noted that teachers and administrators have tried to get the word out when they can, but publicity often has taken a back seat to education.
Also, educators tend to speak their own language, with buzzwords and acronyms that the average person does not understand, Cumberland said.
“We might get the information out, but people might not know what we’re talking about,” he said.
A communications specialist, he said, would translate information so that parents and taxpayers can easily digest it.
The district puts out a newsletter two or three times annually. With Mueller on board, the newsletter will be published monthly, Cumberland said.
Cumberland also hopes a communications specialist will help reach families outside the district and attract them to Shawano schools. More students come into the district through open enrollment than go out, but the gap has been shrinking, he said.
As a secondary duty, Mueller also will market the district’s Project Inspire program, which helps teachers learn how to use technology more effectively in their classrooms. Getting more teachers from outside the district at the summer program will bring in additional dollars, Cumberland said.
“We believe we have a quality product, and we can provide services to surrounding schools in the district,” Cumberland said. “That would be additional income for the district.”
Board member Derek Johnson, who voted against hiring a specialist, said he didn’t expect to see student enrollment increase because of extra marketing or additional stories in the media. He said the job was a “want” for the district, not a need.
““I think the way to (bring more students in the district) is to improve ourselves,” he said. “Creating a publicity arm is not the way to sell.”
Mueller graduated from Ripon College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history, English and anthropology. She worked as an editorial intern for The Shawano Leader in 2012.
Mueller could not be reached for comment Friday.