By DEB WUETHRICH

If all goes as planned, Tecumseh Public Schools will be one of three schools featured on a television show on Wednesday, March 24 at 8 p.m. With a 6-1 vote (Jason Sines voted no), Tecumseh Board of Education members approved the spending of $25,000 to contract with a professional marketing firm and be a part of WXYZ Channel 7 Detroit’s quarterly program called, “Best Schools in Michigan.” The programs highlight the best attributes of three featured schools each time.

The school board members held a special meeting Monday, Feb. 1, to learn more about a marketing plan that would include the professional production of a DVD that would air on the show and then be given to the district to use as it wishes.

Members of the board’s Executive Committee initially met last Thursday with Sue Goldberg, a representative of Sussman and Sikes, a marketing firm from Southfield, to discuss the possibility of being on the March show. The special meeting was held because the company required a short-turnaround commitment on the project.

“Marketing our schools has been something we’ve talked about quite a bit as a board and set as one of our goals,” said Board President Debbie Johnson-Berges. “We think we have a truly exceptional school with a lot of great programs, and that’s something that needs to be shown to those thinking of moving into the Tecumseh area.”

The board viewed a 20-minute video that had previously aired to get a feel for what the effort might do to help promote the school. The show featured the Berkley School District, Lake Shore Public Schools, and Lincoln Consolidated Schools, showcasing different assets. Johnson-Berges said that the program is said to be seen by an estimated 200,000 viewers, with commercials leading up to the program. Once the show airs, the district could put a link on its website directing people to the show, as well as have DVDs made for such uses as handing out to realtors or showing in group settings.

Johnson-Berges said that the first school to participate, Fraser Public Schools, received 324 new enrollees in its School of Choice program as a direct result of the program.

“All we have to do is attract three-and-a-half students to earn back the $25,000 we’d spend,” she said, taking into consideration the Foundation Allowance received for each pupil. She said that the district spent $10,000 in radio ads last year, “and to tell the truth, I’m not sure we really got anything for that $10,000,” she said.

Board members discussed the benefits of having professionally produced marketing materials to help share the district’s positive programs, such as its high ACT scores. Some potential concerns also were discussed. Board member Jason Sines said he was uncomfortable with spending the money without having some time to make plans for how the resulting materials would be used after the broadcast.

“It’s hard to spend $25,000 now when none of that is figured out,” he said. Sines said he believed the district needed to focus more on the local community and retaining students before expanding to a statewide level. He also said, “It might be helpful to weigh the costs of different production companies. I have no knowledge base if this is a good deal or not because there’s nothing to compare it to.”

“What makes it difficult for us is we feel like we’re being pressured to vote on it tonight because we have a short window,” said board member Lou Englund. “But we want to be one of those few schools in there. I’m counting on the fact that we did the homework. I would feel bad to kill it and feel bad not to give it a shot.”

Board member Jimmie Rice said he came into the meeting unsure of what his vote would be but discussions about how the DVD and materials could be used locally in helping to share the district’s successes with the community as well as to attract new students found him favoring the move. He said that he would like to see the district “make hay while the sun shines,” and spend time with the staff to get everyone fired up while the opportunity is presenting itself.

“The whole thing could be an opportunity to change the climate and atmosphere here as well as to involve the school at the same time,” Rice said. “We don’t want it to be just a rah-rah shot. There’s a possibility it could make a lot of things different in a lot of ways.”

Johnson-Berges said she views participation as just the beginning of marketing efforts.

“I see this as the start of a marketing campaign that we could use to bring the board to other things,” she said. “I think this could be the start of a corner we’ll turn in marketing ourselves and being proud to be from Tecumseh, and being proud of our teachers, staff and students. This becomes our springboard for pulling things in and making that commitment to the community and to the area.”