School Notification Systems Solve Small School District Communication Issues

Small school districts (600-2499 students) and the very small (<599) comprise 70% of all US districts, yet cover only 15% of the overall student population. In many cases, these districts are the backbone of their cities and towns with generations of citizens having walked their halls, attended classes and graduated. They are rural America, hometown America at its finest.

Even though they are small, they are not without communication challenges.

Small school districts can face a myriad of communication challenges:

Limited Specialized Staff - larger districts have the luxury of communications and technology professionals that are skilled at producing and managing district communications, such as websites, newsletters, running PR campaigns and the like. In small districts, the administration staff often wear many hats and it is not uncommon for the school website to be maintained by the Superintendent.
Wide Geography - many small districts are found in rural areas where students must travel long distances via bus or car to reach school.
Limited Internet & Cell Phone Coverage - It's amazing that in 2011 there are still pockets where Internet access and cell phone coverage is spotty at best. The land line phone may be the only option for reaching parents with a message in such instances.
Funding - many small districts lack the tax base to pay for communications programs.
Language Barriers - Small schools can have language barriers. Migrant farm workers whose children attend local schools can be a source of language challenges, while in other cases pockets of ethnic speakers may be prevalent.

Whatever the cause, small schools can solve many of these challenges with a hosted school notification solution. Offering phone, email and text notification solutions helps overcome the Internet and cell phone coverage issues. A school notification system is designed to be used by anyone with basic PC skills, therefore just about anyone at the district or school office can become a skilled user.

The SchoolReach system is ideally suited for rural communications for two reasons: our system is based on standard phone line delivery (as compared to Voice over Internet or VOIP) and our patent-pending local switch load balancing helps ensure call delivery where local phone companies may have limited capacity.

Cost is ridiculously cheap, with most programs now less than $3.00 per student PER YEAR! Minimum fees will sometimes drive up the effective rate, but still a district is looking at hundreds of dollars, not thousands for implementation in those cases. School notification systems, like SchoolReach have built-in translation services so your text messages can be translated into many different languages before delivery.

So, if you think your district is "too small" for a hosted school notification solution - think again. Districts of your size are prime candidates for implementation and, we at SchoolReach would be honored, willing and able to support your needs. Call us today! 1-800-420-1479