Does your district need community engagement?

the ISSUE
Similar to most public school districts, it’s likely you have building issues that need resolved, but you probably also rely on voter approval to secure the funds to make those facility dreams a reality.

the QUESTION
How does a district guide an often divided, opinionated community to come together to support a single idea that will enhance school facilities?

the ANSWER
BLDD’s Community Engagement. With 90 years of successful school district experience paired with a 9 out of 10 referenda success rate and $1 Billion in funds raised for districts around the Midwest, we know a thing or two about engaging communities to garner the support you need.

What is Community Engagement?
Community engagement is a process that brings together your community members to help develop a master plan for your district’s facility needs and ultimately pass a referendum to help pay for the goals in that plan.

What is the BLDD “secret sauce?”
Our community engagement process is easy and successful for districts because of our secret ingredient: input from your citizens! We know big, open-forum meetings are the WORST, so our process is designed to keep CAVE people (citizens against virtually everything) from stealing the show. We’ll work in small groups on a variety of activities designed to move the process forward, so it’s easy to reach consensus and allow your citizens’ voices to be heard.

BLDD clients find our Community Engagement process to be the most effective tool for attaining referendum success. It succeeds because everyone has a voice, everyone is heard, and the best ideas quickly rise to the top.

How does Community Engagement work?

1. Start with the WHY

Help your citizens understand the challenges of your teachers, staff and students
Go on building tours and talk to stakeholders within the district
Help citizens make informed investments with their tax dollars

2. Uncover the LANDMINES

Discover issues that will keep your citizens from voting “yes” at the polls
Participate in a variety of activities that help you dig deep and uncover the best path to move your district forward

3. Give voters AUTHORSHIP

Have your citizens generate ideas alongside our architects
Work in small groups to develop consensus, eliminate weak ideas and expand on the most promising solutions

4. Choose the BEST OPTION

Compare life-cycle costs and functional adequacy of top ideas
Make an informed decision on the best master plan path using QLEO (BLDD’s master-plan modeling and cost-benefit analysis software)