DeSieghardt Strategic Communications has been hired by the Lindbergh Board of Education to assist the school district in developing a strategic plan for communications and community engagement.

Board members voted 6-0 to hire DeSieghardt Strategic Communications of Stillwell, Kan., at a cost of $11,700. Board Treasurer Katie Wesselschmidt was absent from the May 8 meeting.

The school board last month issued a request for proposals, or RFP, for a consultant to help establish a comprehensive plan for strategic communications and community engagement that will “extensively en-gage … parents and community members and lead to support for district initiatives.”

Director of Community Relations Mary Meyer told board members that the district received four responses to the RFP. Of those four responses, three firms were interviewed, she said, adding that a committee recommended hiring DeSieghardt Strategic Communications.

The firm, owned by Ken DeSieghardt, was hired by the district last year to conduct a telephone survey that eventually led to the voter-approved Proposition R — a $32 million no-tax-increase bond issue that voters approved in November. The cost of that survey and a corresponding communications audit came at a cost not to exceed $21,800.

“… With the Community Engagement Committee, we came up with the recommendation for DeSieghardt Strategic Communications. And Ken (DeSieghardt) has worked with the district before and submitted an excellent proposal, building on everything he already has done with the (communications) audit and surveys from last year and just taking us a step further with the strategic plan and plan for community engagement,” Meyer said.

“We recommended Ken DeSieghardt because of his familiarity with the district, the proposal he put together, his really solid understanding of branding and he is bringing in also Rick Noble as part of the proposal, who has been a professor in marketing (with) advertising agency experience … It was a very solid proposal that can really carry us where we want to be with our strategic plan,” she added.

DeSieghardt’s cost to assist the district in developing a strategic plan for communications and community engagement will be $11,700. The cost includes:

• Three days — or the equivalent — on site conducting internal and external research.

• Additional one-on-one interviews as defined in collaboration with the Lindbergh School District — interviews may be conducted in person or by telephone.

• One on-site day during the alignment phase working with the client team or teams.

• Preparation of draft expression materials and on-site review with the client team or teams.

• Creation of draft launch strategy.

• Review of that strategy on site with the Board of Education.

• Final presentation to the Board of Education.

Travel expenses to and from the district for the on-site days will be complimentary, according to DeSieghardt’s proposal. Out-of-pocket expenses would be hotel accommodations — if necessary — and any meals required while on site.

In a separate matter May 8, the board voted 6-0 to award a contract not to exceed $122,270 for fire-alarm equipment that will be installed as part of Proposition R.

Proceeds from Proposition R will fund a partial building replacement at Sappington Elementary School and a minor building addition at Kennerly Elementary School.

Proposition R also will fund a variety of projects in schools throughout the district, including new roofs, the replacement of rooftop HVAC units, fire alarms, classroom doors that lock from the inside for elementary schools and security cameras in most buildings.

Karl Guyer, executive director of planning and development, told board members new fire alarms will be installed in all district buildings with a “minor adjustment” at Lindbergh Early Childhood Education.

“In evaluating how to proceed with that process, it was recommended that the district prepurchase the actual equipment itself — if you will, the bag of parts to furnish and install fire alarms at the seven campuses …,” Guyer said.

Five firms submitted proposals and McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., the construction manager, recommended awarding a contract to ABF Security in an amount not to exceed $122,270. That amount includes two alternates — clear plastic cover plates for the alarms and annual inspections of the alarm systems for four years.

Installation of the fire alarms will be included as part of future bid packages, Guyer told the board.