Communications director reports spike in website and ParentSquare engagement as district returns to school

Diego Perez, director of communications for the San Mateo‑Foster City School District, briefed the board Aug. 29 on the district’s communications metrics and outreach efforts.

Perez said the district’s annual report launch and back‑to‑school activity produced notable traffic spikes — including roughly 608 page views during one early‑August week — and that the district recorded about 900,000 total users since the last reporting period, with 206,000 new users. ParentSquare usage is up (200,000 messages, thousands of comments and appreciations) and the district saw more than 10,000 podcast downloads last year. Perez said the district does not use paid advertising and relies on organic reach, Hootsuite for cross‑platform posting and translation features in ParentSquare to reach multilingual families.

Trustees raised concerns about overcommunication and asked what guidance is provided to sites and PTAs to streamline posting; Perez said he provided principals with a communications plan and that the district offers ParentSquare training and workshops for families and PTA leaders. He noted a plan for board partner visits, summits and ongoing content to showcase district programs.

Next steps: communications will share the PTA access list and continue principal training and community workshops on ParentSquare.