Lake Washington School District’s efforts in spring 2009 to engage and communicate with the community about budget cuts won a Golden Achievement Award from the National School Public Relations Association.

The Golden Achievement Award recognizes exemplary public relations activities, programs and projects. Each entry is judged against specific criteria, including evidence of each of four main steps of all public relations programs: research, analysis/planning, communication/implementation and evaluation.

This year, 56 Golden Achievement Awards were presented to school districts in the U.S. and Canada. Lake Washington’s is the only award in the state of Washington.

The budget input program included surveys, public meetings and extensive communications around the budgeting process. The centerpiece of the effort consisted of four well-attended public meetings during which parents, staff and community members took part in a process to prioritize budget cuts.

Those who could not attend the meetings had an opportunity to provide input on priorities online. A section on the district’s Web site provided updated information through the entire process, summarizing survey results and results of the input process.

While the final budget did include difficult cuts, the program ensured that parents, staff and community members had a significant role in shaping which cuts were made and what programs were preserved.