Brand Experience and Strategic Enrollment Committee

Background 

Spring Branch ISD has always aimed to be the district of choice for families, staff and the engagement of the broader community. Families moved to the district decades ago, and today, significant numbers of those families’ children and grandchildren continue to choose SBISD. However, as the district approaches its 80th anniversary, we must respond to changing market factors that are placing new strains on the system. These include, but are not limited to, changing national- and state-level messaging, perceptions and political impacts regarding public schools; nation- and state-wide declines in public school enrollment; gentrification and demographic shifts in areas of the district, increased costs for home and rental properties pricing families out of SBISD; changes in the nature of work and needs of working families; and increased competition from private, charter, homeschooling and micro-schools.

In response, SBISD leaders must strategically align deep research and understanding of market trends, family needs and the academic and brand experiences we offer to strengthen our competitive position as a district of choice for current and prospective families.

Committee Charge

The Brand Experience and Enrollment Strategy Committee is charged with developing and guiding a comprehensive, data-informed strategy to strengthen and unify the district’s system-wide brand experience and increase student enrollment. The cross-functional committee will assess current enrollment trends, conduct research to understand family needs and experiences, identify key opportunities and challenges, and recommend strategies that enhance SBISD’s visibility, reputation, and value proposition as the district of choice for current and prospective families.

The committee’s work will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Analyze Enrollment Patterns & Market Data
  • Examine historical and projected enrollment trends, demographic changes, demographic studies, and competitive pressures.
  • Identify geographic areas of enrollment growth or decline and assess reasons behind the trends.
  • Gain understanding of family choice patterns—including private, charter, homeschool, microschool, SBISD choice programs, and internal and external transfer trends.
    • Beyond choice patterns, conduct research to determine why families choose SBISD, leave SBISD or stay.
    • Conduct ethnographic research to understand the entire enrollment and onboarding experience for area private, charter, micro schools and other educational options.
• Review Current Marketing, Recruitment, Enrollment Efforts and Strategies as well as New Student/Family Onboarding
  • Evaluate district and campus level marketing assets, messaging, brand strength, and digital presence.
  • Assess the effectiveness of current outreach, engagement and relationship building efforts with prospective families, realtors, community groups, neighborhood associations and early childhood providers.
  • Assess the degree to which the SBISD brand experience is consistent systemwide and aligns with the SBISD brand promise at the campus and district levels.
  • Conduct ethnographic research to understand the entire SBISD enrollment and onboarding experience, areas of success and opportunities for improvement.
• Assess the Campus and District-level Customer Service Experience
  • Assess the level of customer service excellence across the district at the central and campus levels and identify areas for improvement.

Deliverables:

• Districtwide Brand Experience, Marketing and Enrollment Plan, including, but not limited to:
  • Action Plans to identify core-value aligned opportunities to enhance and unify the consistency of the SBISD Brand Experience at the district level and across the campuses
  • Strategic Priorities for Enrollment Growth & Retention including clear research-based targeted strategies that reflect the district strengths and community expectations and prioritize high-impact actions that improve awareness, engagement and retention of current families and conversion of prospective families.
  • Academic and/or related programs, structures and/or opportunities that align with research-based findings regarding parent and student needs and expectations, to include resource needs, staffing considerations, and partnerships as needed to support successful implementation.
  • District-level expectations with guidance on family touchpoints from pre-K enrollment through high school transition.
  • Recommendations for next-level Marketing and Messaging Plans aligned to research, academic programs, signature pathways, neighborhood schools, and district initiatives.
• Monitor Progress & Report Regularly
  • Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and report findings and recommendations to district leadership/Board of Trustees at designated intervals
  • Include major strategies and KPIs in the District Improvement Plan

Download Brand Experience and Strategic Enrollment Committee background, charge and deliverables