HVRHS marketing firm seeks new students

FALLS VILLAGE — The Region One Board of Education voted to hire the One Eleven Group to create a marketing campaign for Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS). The discussion  and action was part of the board’s regular monthly meeting Monday, June 3.

The vote was unanimous, with John Sanders of Cornwall abstaining because he is married to the chief executive officer of the One Eleven Group, Janet Carlson, and is the chief operating officer.

The contract is for one year and for $13,000.

Carlson gave a presentation to the board that focused on the marketing campaign the company did for Cornwall Consolidated School.

She said that the bulk of the company’s clients are in health care, but a few years ago the company began taking on smaller businesses in tourist and service businesses.

And in education.

Carlson said she was surprised to learn that there was no marketing of public schools. She said she found that remarkable, especially with local private schools vigorously marketing their offerings.

HVRHS Principal Ian Strever said he was impressed by the Cornwall marketing campaign, which Carlson said resulted in a growth in enrollment of 31.5 percent in the past year.

The Cornwall Consolidated student population in the 2018-19 school year was 96; it was 74 in 2017-18, 74 in 2016-17 and 92 in 2015-16.

The high school’s leadership team was also impressed, Strever said.

Carlson laid out a plan that starts immediately, with branding, storytelling ads and “reputation management.”

The second phase involves “polishing” the high school’s website with videos and infographics.

The third phase includes speaking tours, scheduled tours of the high school, open houses and outreach, all with follow-up.

“These are the things the private schools already do,” she said.

The discussion among board members concentrated on whether or not it is a conflict of interest for the board to hire the One Eleven Group. Sanders said he was leaning toward not bringing the proposal to the board at all until he heard about the positive response from the high school leadership team.

Pat Mechare of Falls Village noted the code of ethics for board members includes a provision that members shall not use their position for personal gain.

But because the dollar amount is under the $15,000 threshold that requires the board to ask for RFPs (requests for proposals), because the fee quoted by Carlson is steeply discounted, and because Sanders recused himself from the vote, the board was satisfied that the hire did not represent a conflict of interest.