The Top Places to Work in PR: Nonprofit: Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Being a school district that operates in a major metropolitan area usually makes for inevitable bureaucracy-driven redundancies—but not so for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

“Our close-knit, collaborative approach to meeting the internal and external communications needs of the school district eliminates duplicity and provides a wealth of support for every individual in our busy communications department,” says one employee, also noting that the chief communications officer and the executive director work diligently to cultivate an environment in which creativity can flourish.

This commitment benefits staff across the school system’s various communications functions, including media and community relations, internal/external publications and Web site development. It also contributes to the unusually low turnover rate within the department, which employees attribute to “the strong sense of history within our ranks, and an understanding of the urban culture we serve.”

In turn, the district’s workforce is extremely diverse, reflecting the community it serves. Altogether, this makes for a dynamic internal culture that mirrors each employee’s passion for children and education.

“Because kids and their families are at the heart of everything we do, our work every day becomes a matter of heart,” a district staffer says. “While the messages we deliver can stem from both positive and negative circumstances, our mission as a communications team remains constant: to deliver the most accurate, informative and useful information possible for our internal and external publics.” PRN

October 19, 2009