Getting started – phase one – means informing public school employees and school board members about the need to more effectively invest in all essential public services.

This strategy is similar to how districts build support for bond and mill levy elections: Start with the “family” (our own employees and school board members), move to small groups of community stakeholders and then target the broader public.

Believe in a Better Colorado’s success hinges on making sure employees and school board members are well-informed and can speak with one voice about the need for changes to our tax structure.

Considering that more than 97,000 people work full time for Colorado’s public schools – serving almost 800,000 students – K-12 education has a wealth of ambassadors.

School employees are the best investment you can make in your communications efforts. Involve them, train them and inform them. They are the people your community trusts most for credible information about schools.

Four easy steps to get started

1. Click here for the “About Believe in a Better Colorado” handout.
   Place copies in workrooms and employee lounges; include it in employee print and electronic newsletters.

2. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
   Continue to include short, regular mentions in employee print and electronic newsletters and intranet notices. Click here for ready-to-use newsletter articles.

3. Begin district-wide trainings or department and school staff meetings by citing a statistic and encouraging employees to visit the Web site (www.believeinabettercolorado.org).
   Click here for statistics.

4. Show the brief Believe in a Better Colorado DVD to staff and board members.
   Note that since it was produced in summer 2007, some of the rankings and statistics have changed slightly based on newer data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, the bottom line remains unchanged: Colorado funds all of its essential public services below national averages.

   Click here for the DVD. Consider following the DVD with a brief discussion. Here are suggested discussion questions:

What are your general reactions?

What kinds of investments should we be     making now in education, roads, higher     education, health care and other public     services that we currently are not?

What does “believing in a better Colorado”     mean to you? What kind of Colorado do     you want for your children’s or     grandchildren’s futures?

What would you be willing to do to help     spread the word about this initiative?

More simple ideas for internal communications
Since CASB, CASE and CEA officially kicked off Believe in a Better Colorado in fall 2007, more than half of Colorado’s 178 school districts already have communicated about Believe in a Better Colorado to employees and school board members. Many others are launching internal communications in spring and fall 2008. To find out what’s worked, see best practices.