Cape Girardeau School District looks to improve image

Facing an image problem, the Cape Girardeau School District has hired a public relations coordinator to improve communication with the community and staff.

"We're already great. We just have a perception problem," said Steve Robertson, hired late last month.

Superintendent Dr. Jim Welker wants the public to look beyond certain statistics to see that "we basically have a good school."

The district has faced criticism for missed test targets and decreasing graduation rates. Over the summer, released test results showed five out of eight buildings failed to meet targets under No Child Left Behind in math, reading or both. Recently, the district's so-called "report card" showed the district's graduation rate has fallen to 72 percent.

The district has "good people in place" to address those issues, Welker said. And while "maybe we're failing to meet certain standards, we have National Merit Scholars and students going to very prestigious universities and being successful. There are a lot of other good things, from the marching band to the career center, and we want to promote those, as well," he said.

Board members cited a need to improve relations during a summer work session. At the time, board member Stacy Kinder said the status of Central "seems to have diminished," and vice president Kyle McDonald worried there were "a lot of families not informed."

Robertson will work 20 hours a week and is believed by Welker to be the first public relations coordinator for the district. Robertson plans to meet with "opinion makers" in the community to discuss means of promotion, including realtors. He also plans to updates brochures, DVDs and other forms of communication, adding a focus on successful graduates.

District administrators have already made improvements to the district's website. Videos, agendas and minutes of board meetings are now available, and parents can view their children's grades and assignments online.

Robertson, a former Cape Girardeau education reporter who then worked throughout the country as a military public affairs officer, said he ultimately returned to Cape Girardeau to raise his children.

"If a parent wants quality education, it's here. ... We just haven't been telling our stories," he said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

388-3627

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