Communication took center stage early Saturday morning as three early‑career superintendents shared candid stories about reshaping district communication to strengthen family engagement and rebuild trust during the AASA National Conference on Education session titled “Leading Out Loud: How Early-Career Superintendents Shape Communications to Build Community.”
The session, moderated by the Donovan Group’s Liam Goldrick, opened with his reminder that authenticity matters in every message: “You talk to your staff differently than you talk to your families. … It’s authentic, and that’s really important.”
From Wisconsin, superintendent Michael McMahon reflected on entering Port Washington–Saukville after years of leadership turnover. To reintroduce stability, he centered his first months on listening, explaining that he “strategized on meeting with 100 stakeholders in 100 days.” The effort reaffirmed a driving principle of his leadership: “If you are not going to own your story, somebody else will.”
McMahon said the district had long relied on its local newspaper to shape its public narrative. Wanting families to hear more directly from district leadership, he broadened outreach through short videos, social media and a quarterly print newsletter.
“It doesn’t have to be a production… it can just be small clips,” he noted, adding that consistent, simple updates helped rebuild community connection.
In Pennsylvania, superintendent Yamil Sanchez stepped into Southeast Delco as the district faced profound public mistrust after a tragic incident in which an eight‑year‑old girl leaving a football game was caught in a crossfire, getting shot by local police. The event, he said, left the district with “an absolutely horrible reputation in the public’s eye.”
Compounding the challenge, the district had no functioning communications infrastructure. “The capacity did not exist … not even to maintain the website,” Sanchez said, citing “broken links” and “information from 2013.”
With outside support, he secured school board approval to rebuild the district’s communications foundation. Predictable, consistent outreach—monthly newsletters, two‑way communication tools and a renewed social media presence—became his strategy to shift the narrative.
“We needed to be very loud about the great things that were happening,” he said, adding that “the kids resonate so much more than any of us.”
In California, superintendent Devin Serrano of Palos Verdes Peninsula USD recalled arriving as an outsider in a politically divided “purple district” with no districtwide communication systems and a warning from her predecessor: “You’re never going to pass a bond and your buildings are falling apart.”
A communications audit soon confirmed the community wanted regular updates. “My community wanted something weekly,” she said. She now alternates superintendent messages with “board highlights,” a rhythm she credits with strengthening understanding and helping the district secure a nearly $300 million bond.
Across the conversation, the leaders emphasized that strong communication is cultural, not technical. As one staff member in Serrano’s district video put it, “People truly feel that it’s not just a job. … it’s a place that they believe in, that they love.”
(Amiela Arcellana is a reporter with Conference Daily Online and AASA’s marketing coordinator.)