Communications

At Holly Area Schools, a core part of our mission is keeping our community informed and engaged. 

In 2018, feedback from parents, families, and community members revealed a desire for more robust and regular communications to promote transparency.

We took this feedback seriously. 

As a result, a comprehensive strategic communications plan was developed and shared with the school board and community. Its goal was to advance open, honest, and ongoing communication with our school community.

The goal was—and continues to be—to promote transparency, keep families informed, communicate important safety and operational information, celebrate the accomplishments of our students and staff, and provide taxpayers and community members with a clearer understanding of what is happening in their schools and how taxpayer dollars are being spent.

Our communications plan established a multifaceted approach that includes district and school newsletters, website updates, email, social media, video, community and Board meetings, media relations, and direct engagement with parents and community organizations. 

The District also worked to accomplish these goals in a fiscally responsible manner. The NSPRA (National Association of School Personnel) recommends that schools with over 2,000 students and less than 10,000 students staff two dedicated communications specialists. 

Holly Area Schools with over 3,200 students, 450+ employees, and a community of approximately 30,000 residents falls into that category.  

Unlike many districts across Southeast Michigan, Holly Area Schools has not added a full-time communications director or similar communication staff positions to the District's permanent staffing structure.  Instead, the Superintendent of Schools and an administrative assistant have taken on these additional responsibilities.  To support these efforts, the district contracts a professional communications firm providing assistance, review, and access to professional printing at a fraction of the cost of a full-time staff member.

This approach allows the District to access specialized communications expertise and services while avoiding the full ongoing employment costs associated with another administrative position, including salary, health insurance, retirement contributions, payroll-related expenses, and other employee costs.

In total, our district spends two tenths of one percent (0.21%) of our annual budget on communications.  This includes the fees for our district website, our Skyward parent messenger system to announce school closures, the Munetrix transparency page, printing costs, advertising for vacant positions, responding to misinformation and disinformation, event flyers, and the Broncho Press.  The cost of support from the professional communications firm is only a fraction of the 0.21% we spend on total expenditures for communication.  

We believe our approach to communication represents a responsible balance between communicating effectively and transparently with the community while remaining mindful of taxpayer resources. And, I hope you agree the results are clear.

I encourage our community to visit our website District News to peruse our numerous announcements and local media coverage. You may also engage on our social media channels. 

I also encourage you to peruse the Broncho Press End of Year 2026 Broncho Press_web-friendly.pdf which was launched in response to community feedback and has been positively received by our community.

We are also proud of our track record of communicating safety and security updates, and received positive feedback for our commitment to effective rapid response, especially when time matters. We have also seen ongoing communications boost employee morale, and help in our ongoing efforts to recruit and retain students to our district in a competitive landscape.

As always we welcome your feedback and ideas on our communications program. Feedback and input makes us stronger as a district. In addition, we want to help tell positive stories about the great work our students and staff do each day, so we welcome your ideas and stories as potential communications material for our next press release, social media post or Broncho Press article.

Sincerely, 

Scott M. Roper, Superintendent