Austin ISD 2022 Bond Election

Project Description

After working together for five years on the implementation of the 2017 Bond Program, the Austin Independent School District selected Buie & Co. to serve as the public relations agency of record for the district’s historic $2.44 billion bond election in 2022.

Austin ISD brought Buie & Co. on in early 2022 to help support the bond planning efforts of the Bond Steering Committee. This included planning and setting up hybrid committee meetings, supporting communication efforts with committee members, and hosting community meetings to inform stakeholders about the planning process.

After the Austin ISD Board of Trustees approved the final bond package in August, Buie & Co. worked quickly to develop and implement a communications strategy to raise awareness and provide the factual information needed for community members to make an informed decision. 

Paid Advertising
Buie & Co. designed and placed print ads within English and Spanish publications that reached approximately 914,000 readers, as well as digital and environmental ads that garnered nearly 8 million impressions.

Earned Media
We organized two press conferences and developed print and broadcast media pitches that secured 165 unique pieces of coverage as well as endorsements from the Austin American-Statesman and the Austin Chronicle.

Collateral
The Buie & Co. team designed signs for every facility in the district outlining what improvements they would receive through the 2022 Bond. In total, 415 signs were printed and installed across the district. The team created more than 25 pieces of collateral and helped produce 120 individual facility fact sheets, which were all produced in English and Spanish. The team also helped keep the community informed about the bond package by managing the 2022 Bond website, which had over 28,000 site visits between August and November.

Public Outreach
As part of the public education efforts, we drafted messaging for principals, staff, trustees and Austin ISD committee members to use and share with their networks. The team also planned and hosted 13 Community Conversations to educate the community about the 2022 Bond. 

On Election Night, all three Austin ISD bond propositions passed, paving the way for much needed improvements across the district including safety and security upgrades, repairing failing building systems, modernizing 25 school facilities through full or phased renovations, and significant investments in new technology.