Sometimes, when you see an opportunity to help, you jump right in.
Such as it was for Riverside School District 96 parent Molly Castor. Just into the 2024-25 school year, she reached out to superintendent Dr. Martha Ryan-Toye to see if she could assist in district communications efforts.
Without dedicated district communications personnel, it made sense to Ryan-Toye.
A year later, Castor’s proposed 2025-26 district communications plan was approved by the District 96 board of education on Aug. 20. She’ll work 10 hours per week and tackle key communications projects like a district welcome guide, a website audit and maintaining a social media content calendar, among other things.
“She came forward with this depth and rich understanding of what families and parents are looking for,” Ryan-Toye said. “It was kind of the right time and the right place.”
Castor, a director and consultant at Stacks Consulting Group, grew up in Riverside, and attended Central Elementary School, Hauser Junior High and Riverside-Brookfield High School. She currently has two daughters at Blythe Park Elementary School.
A year ago, she had children in two district schools and thus was getting principal communications from both of them. She also started a communications position with the Blythe Park School PTA, meaning she was exposed to the breadth of district communications.
“I thought there were a few opportunities for communications at the district,” Castor said. “I wasn’t even pitching my services. I was wondering what the communications plan was.”
Ryan-Toye was intrigued.
“She reached out via email, ‘I’m a community member and a parent. I’ve been looking at your website and I have some suggestions,’” Ryan-Toye said.
Hiring a consultant is a different model than other districts, like Riverside-Brookfield High School, that have a dedicated communications person. But it works and is cost effective from the standpoint of salary and benefits, Ryan-Toye said.
“I would say it really boils down to, do we have enough that goes on to support a full-time person?” she said. “And then there is the cost involved with a full-time person.”
Castor’s communications plan that was adopted by the board Aug. 20 consists of 2024-25 goals; an action plan for those goals; a timeline; and current status. Those efforts fall into three categories:
Build consistent communication channels.
Enhance district brand perception.
Foster community partnerships.
For example, a 2024-25 goal was to establish a quarterly superintendent email. That was completed and is scheduled for this school year in the months of August, November, February and May. Another was highlighting the district’s new website, which was completed in conjunction with the new district mobile app, with a website audit planned for 2025-26. Another project that was completed last year was updating the community report layout, with ongoing review of templated print materials.
Another interesting goal for this year is identifying Realtors and other local organizations to distribute a district welcome guide. That could also include Riverside Chamber of Commerce membership.
Castor’s approach is working. District Instagram followers have increased by 40% over the last year, she offered as an example. There are social media “champions” at each district school, typically a teacher or a staff member. This year, Castor is working with those champions on social media best practices, “just to make sure content is consistent and unified, and establishing a voice.”
One thing is clear. Castor is enjoying her work, and part of that is because of her deep roots in the community and the fact she is a district parent.
“I think I would say it certainly adds to it,” she said. “I’m having these conversations with other parents and having this connection with the district, it brings me a lot of joy and I want to bring that to other families.”