Members of the Derry Township School Board started discussing their priorities for the coming budget year Monday night, and it became clear they want to focus on communication.
That means coming up with better ideas to connect the school district with the community, and more back-and-forth communication between the board and the administration.
It could mean putting more information on the district's website, using facebook and twitter to connect with the community, asking the business manager to provide budget forecasts and setting goals for what the board wants to a accomplish.
"We need a more comprehensive communications strategy," board member Chris Barrett said.
Member Brian Shiflett said he also hopes the district can stay under the Act 1 index for raising taxes next year and will not have to apply for exceptions.
Communication was also a key part of a presentation given earlier in the meeting by a district teacher.
Brianna Crowley is a "teacherpreneur," who spends half her school day teaching high school English and the other half as a teacher leader paid through an organization called Center for Quality Teaching.
She told the board the organization helps teachers become leaders both inside and outside the classroom. It is supposed to "elevate the voice of teachers" when it comes to advocating for government policy, building relationships with businesses, working with universities that train teachers, connecting the school and the community and helping teachers learn from each other.
Crowley writes a blog, sends out information about her classroom via twitter and has had several articles published. She has been invited to be an advisor to Shippensburg University to help keep the teacher education current with real life trends.
"Teachers need to explain what they do better," she said.
She said the program "has no desire to charge ahead and upend the hierarchy" but believes teachers should be included in policy decisions with the administration as well as with local, state and national government in a collaborative way.