Minneapolis schools aim to raise bar with hiring of PR expert

Susan Eilertsen sat next to Minneapolis public schools' lobbyist Jim Grathwol during a recent meeting of district administrative chiefs and listened as he outlined several priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Eilertsen is Minneapolis schools' first-ever cabinet-level communications chief. As Grathwol's presentation progressed she asked what risks the district would be taking with its legislative agenda next year. And she wanted to hear it in "common street language." No acronyms, no jargon and absolutely no education speak. It was a theme that she would repeat throughout the day as she met with educators and administrators from throughout the district.

"People used to operate in silos. Then they would come into communications and say we need this [press release] by tomorrow," she said. "Now we're trying to teach them the difference between emergencies, planned communications and how to think about communications decisions."

Eilertsen joined Minneapolis public schools last August after working as an independent communications and business consultant for several years. She previously served as senior vice president at the Minneapolis branch of New York-based public relations giant Weber Shandwick.

Less than two months after she took the reins, Eilertsen recruited Stan Alleyne to serve as the district's marketing and communications director. He comes to Minneapolis after having spent more than a decade as a reporter and school public relations professional in North Carolina.

Minneapolis has grappled with high turnover in its communications department in the past, with six directors leading the department within four years.

Ask Superintendent Bill Green about Eilertsen and he makes it clear those days are gone. He said the chief communications role is integral to Minneapolis schools' efforts to "raise the bar" across the district.

As a member of Green's senior leadership team, Eilertsen provides input on all major academic and policy decisions. Like other members of Green's cabinet, she's responsible for aligning her department with Minneapolis schools' five-year strategic plan to improve academic achievement.

To date the best example of her influence on the district is the inaugural state of the schools address.

Dozens of civic, business and nonprofit leaders gathered at the downtown Minneapolis library last month as Green explained that the district didn't meet its goals in four of five academic areas. Why were they so forthcoming with mostly bad news?

"We promised to report out regularly on our progress or lack thereof, and we felt it was extremely important to follow through with that," Eilertsen said.

Less than a month after the address, city voters approved Minneapolis public schools' $60 million year excess levy.

"We're setting a new standard," she said. "We're asking for more from our principals, teachers, students and families, and they're expecting more from us, too."