Posts from — June 2009

MCH invited a special panel of leading education administrators from across America to share their insight regarding school spending and the impact of ARRA stimulus funding in 2009 and beyond.

Panelists for the webinar were Kim Brightwell, CFO of the Blue Springs School District in Blue Springs, MO and Marjorie Murray, Director of Special Projects at Seminole County Public Schools in Sanford, FL. The event was well attended and there were a number of targeted questions from our audience. Key takeaways from our panelists:

• They have been overwhelmed with emails and calls from vendors and have a difficult time sorting through inquiries and replying appropriately.
• They appreciate vendors who take time to understand their particular school district’s needs and who were willing to work with them on delivery dates, payment schedules, etc.
• Marjorie and Kim agreed that they were more likely to give their attention to a strategically written direct mail piece that related a vendor’s products and services to programs approved under the funding guidelines.

Feedback regarding the webinar content was positive and included high praise for our panelists. Here are just a few of the comments we received in response to the survey question “What did you like best about the webinar?”:

• “The honest talk from two decision-makers in the trenches.”
• “Confirmed our thoughts about volume/pressure being placed on administrators by suppliers.”
• “Two educators doing different things so we could see both ends of the spectrum.”

Attendees were reminded to utilize all of the MCH resources available including the BudgetAware™ Bulletin, white papers, and other information at www.mailings.com.

To listen to the webinar in its entirety, you will need to listen to Part 1 and Part 2.