So from now until that April 7th date, that's what the focus is, is just to engage and inform. So where we currently are at in that process is, you know, on the left-hand side here you can see that there have been a number of things that have gone into place even though you just took that action in the solution phase on January 21st, right? So you can see there that there's been efforts to send out a news release, create messages for your families and staff, social media announcement, we have a bond brand which is important to convey what is this about, so that's your Prop O. We have a dedicated webpage now on your website that has all of the information about Prop O and also includes an FAQ as well as an opportunity for individuals throughout the community to submit questions and then those get submitted directly to the district so that we can answer those and add those to our FAQ. We have a draft fact sheet in place, we have a sheet that will support all of you and staff about where they can, what they can do in terms of advocating and what they can't do in terms of advocating, so we're helping everybody go through this process in the most ethical way. We also have created some, what we call at our firm, like storyboard or shot sheets, which is a way to map out how we're going to put some video reels together.

I'm Susan Downing and I have spent 16 years with the Ladew School District, the first five on their board. One of those years is their board president and the next 11 as their communications director and retired in 2020 which I retired before the pandemic came around. It wasn't the reason but then spent another year running their most recent bond campaign. So I'm here just to kind of offer my advice and thoughts through those experiences so I'm happy to be with you all tonight. So we want to talk about what's our focus, right? And so as a public school district we're required to remain neutral on ballot issues so what that means is we're going to focus on the information piece. We won't cross over into that lane of advocacy and I don't know if you want to continue to express like, you know, employees may express their own personal views as private citizens but not during their work time or to use resources at work. And we've been sharing information with employees so that they're aware that they can inform and providing them with guidance so that it's clear. So what does success look like if we do a great job of informing? I think success means that you've built additional trust. You have deeper engagement with your community, open dialogue, open conversation, and that as a board you're leading with integrity and that will pay it forward moving past this bond.

I think success means that you've built additional trust. You have deeper engagement with your community, open dialogue, open conversation, and that as a board you're leading with integrity and that will pay it forward moving past this bond. So whether the bond is successfully passed or not, this time right now leading up to April is a time to continue to build up your relationships with your community. So when we do a bond or referendum campaign process, we talk about it in phases and you all are in the last phase of that process which we call at the Donovan Group the solution phase which means you've already put the measure, you've taken the action to put the measure on the ballot and so our focus during this phase is inform, inform, inform, right? So it's explain what is on the ballot, what are your specific needs that you're addressing with your solution, and provide accessible information to all of the voters. So from now until that April 7th date, that's what the focus is, is just to engage and inform. So where we currently are at in that process is, you know, on the left-hand side here you can see that there have been a number of things that have gone into place even though you just took that action in the solution phase on January 21st, right?

We have a draft fact sheet in place, we have a sheet that will support all of you and staff about where they can, what they can do in terms of advocating and what they can't do in terms of advocating, so we're helping everybody go through this process in the most ethical way. We also have created some, what we call at our firm, like storyboard or shot sheets, which is a way to map out how we're going to put some video reels together. So video reels are short 90-second videos at the most that really highlight different components of the bond. We've also started to draft posters, talking points for all of you and your staff, and we're gearing up to send out a mailer in the middle part of February here. In progress, you can see on the right-hand side, some of the things that we are currently building up to and one of the things that is probably most of urgency right now is that mailer that's going to go out mailer number one. It's a four panel mailer that goes in great detail about the bond campaign. And then we've been doing focus groups this whole week, and so we'll talk a little bit more about that next. So throughout this week's Monday through today, we've been hosting a series of focus groups. We said 12 groups we've met, I believe. We've met with parents, community members, including community members who don't have children in the schools.

We said 12 groups we've met, I believe. We've met with parents, community members, including community members who don't have children in the schools. We've met with your city leaders, business partners. We've worked with your staff. We even talked to high school students as Nina shared. We talked to your athletics folks, safety folks. We talked to them as well, and even the Clayton Condo Building Association, and we just held a focus group with you all a little before this. And so some of the things we've done with these focus groups is we've worked to kind of give those key messages. What is this bond about? Starting to inform them, and then leading with some opening questions. We've asked them to give us some feedback on certain messages or statements, like what's clear, what's confusing, what's compelling, what's not compelling, what's trustworthy, what's not trustworthy, and that feedback has really helped us firm up our information for mailer number one. We've asked them, are there certain words or messages or expressions that the district should definitely use in this information? Are there likewise in the same vein any words or expressions we should be avoiding because that wouldn't resonate or it would maybe create confusion for the community? We also asked questions like who do you want to hear this information from? Who do you trust the most? And also how do you like to get that information? So really good feedback. We've learned just some themes that people are very curious about that.