Fayette County Public Schools:
Increased attendance —
added federal funding.
Situation: Unexcused absences cost the Fayette County
School District over $1.6 million in annual Federal
funding. Parents were unaware that funding was tied to
attendance. Communication could inform parents and
encourage kids to make every day in school count. The
district formed a task force and called on Connie Jo, but
had no budget.
Big Idea: The agency used our connections to pair private
enterprise with public concern. Support from our friends,
good corporate citizens and TV stations enabled our school
system to launch a $500,000 multi-media public awareness
campaign called School Counts.
Results: Attendance soared to a record 94%! $200,000 was
added to school coffers in one month alone. And School
Counts won a coveted Gold Medallion from the National
School Public Relations Association for excellence in
educational public relations programs.
Stu Silberman, Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent:
“School Counts was an innovative, one-of-a-kind initiative
conceived by Group CJ. This successful effort was an
unprecedented partnership between private business, mass
media, marketing professionals and our school district.”
