agormesce Catalyst Preparing Students for Life communications 4 croup Referendum Communications Strategy and Support Proposal Hillsborough County Public Schools faces a starkly competitive envionment fr recruiting and retaining high quality teachers and support staff, 3s well as securing resources for other vital needs to ensure student sucess, Effectively educating the community onthe dsti’s needs, the impact referendum would create for students, and how referendum funds would be spent and safeguarded is crucialto address this issue. Catalyst Communications Group is ideally suited ‘with the unique background, celationships, and experience needed to deliver this critical referendum communicatians strategy and support. The Challenge Facing Hillsborough Schools 1B. Successfully educating the public ahead of an upcoming referendum requires ‘thoughtful planning, careful strategy, and detailed timelines |B. Experience shows that a strong stat followed by ongoing phases of well-defined public engagement are key to success |B. The attention ef traditional med, social medi, nd parent groups is focused on public schools asnever before (B. Specilized excerienceis crucial to develop, plan, an execute an effective strategy |B HCPS's Communications team has limited staff and resources to take on the ‘extensive additonal demands f planning the education component for a referendum How Catalyst Can As: Anticipation and Planning ~ Collaborate with HCPS Communications and leadership to lay out ‘a clear communications strategy for referendum education, identifying key messaging, strengths ‘and weaknesses, opportunities for media engagement, needed materials, and a timeline for effective communication Developing Materials ~Colaborate wth HCPS Communications and leadership to create the content for education materials needed to execute the strategy including presentations, ‘graphics, handouts, factsheets, speeches, video scripts talking points, and similar materials.Ongoing Strategy and Adaptation ~ Advise distict leaders on strategy as new issues and ‘opportunities arse adjustng plans and preparing responses as needed, Public Engagement ~ Asst HCPS Communications with engaging the media on referendum coverage, leveraging the Catalyst team’s deep experience and extensive media and community connections to seek stores that help educate the public and support district staff as they respond to incoming media questions. Why Catalyst is Uniquely Suited Unique Background ~ Catalys’s team brings extensive experience successfully passing tax referenda in Hillsborough County and includes former senior leaders for a major schoo! district, a city government, Florida's largest newspaper, a criminal justice agency, and a ‘member of Congress. ‘This yields extensive experience in countless areas directly relevant to HCPS, including leading the voter education effort for Hilsborough's 2018's successful half-penny sales ‘tax, overseeing communications for 2018's successful Al fr Transportation penny sales tax for transportation, working in the public spotlight, navigating bureaucracies, handing issues across departments, managing public records, advising on state and federal legisaton, and understanding the particular needs of organizations that ultimately answer to elected leaders andthe public. Unique Relationships ~€atalyst’s team is led by former journalists who know what reporters are looking for, have insight into how newsrooms operate, and understand the ‘community context of the issues HCPS will face. Catalyst’ relationships wth members ofthe news metia are second to none, with former colleagues and close contacts in newsrooms at the loca, state, and national levels. In addition, Catalyst works with community leaders in government and education across Tampa Bay, so communication strategy takes into account messaging and contacts with both media and non-media decsion-makers. Unique Experience ~ Only Catalyst brings the specific referendum communications experience that can immediately bolster HCPS's team and adapt quickly to develop the needed strategy and materials. Three examples of spect situations successfully navigated by Catalysts team member ‘After an onslaught of negative coverage over fling school airconditioning, '8 Catalyst team member worked with ditt leadership to abandon lengstanding messaging of “i's nat that bad” to acknowledge the issue and lay out how insufficient funding —not incompetence—was causing the problem, District staf built this new messaging into a campaign that led to Hillsbcrough’s first-ever succesful hal-penny sales tax referendum in 2018Following packed School 3oard meetings and an outpouring ‘of frustration from parents over a proposed new bell schedule in Hilsborough, Catalyst team member laid out a fresh strategy for district leaders, The nev direction focused ‘ona reliance on clear data and messaging, public engagement including the opportunity for parents to propose ther own bell schedules, and a survey that femphasized the trade-off of diferent options. This approach led to a new bell schedule that ‘met operational needs for timing and cost savings—adopted at aboard meeting with broad support and only two speakers in opposition ‘Aunty utege the peak of awareness around ignored or forgotten Black cemeteries fteitactetent™”"™"" i Tamnpe Bay tip from the public indicated one may be near or beneath a Hillsborough school. A Catalyst team member managed the ‘communication with transparency and sensitivity—working with staff to research te history, compose factsheets, and shape messaging to the public Staff proposed and then created a Historical Response Committe of history experts and leaders from the Black community to sive district leaders guidance a they learned nev detalls about the lost cametery and made decisions about the future ofthe ste ‘Additional examples of high-profle experience in an education setting include navigating incendiary teacher salary negotiations and protest, a principal arrested for child abuse, attempts to slash school funding, lockowns during a serial king spree, hurricane shutdowns, new strict school security procedures and training following Parland, and many more Proposal Catalyst Communications Group proposes providing referendum communications strategy and Support for Hillsborough County Public Schools through: 1B. Planning and strategy meetings weelly and more frequently ifneeded IB. 24/7 access for ongoing guidance and rapid response 1B. Developing overal strateay, key messacina, nd timelines a Drafting documents, talking points, speeches and remarks, factsheets, media statements, op-ed colurms, and press releases as needed Engaging with meta. on story opportunities For a rate of $5,500 per month, not to exceed a total of $50,000 during a 12-month period Either party may end the agreement at ay time with 60 days notice,Approval ae — foie Corporation Premon fue Founder and CEO. ALM tH-2-23 For Hillsborough County Fublie Schools Date Van Ayres Superintendent