Urban districts are navigating declining enrollment, funding cliffs, political polarization, staffing shortages, and growing public distrust. A recent New York Times analysis framed this not as a temporary post-pandemic dip but as a long-term structural shift driven by demographics, migration, and declining birth rates.If you have ever had to communicate a school closure, budget cut, or a consolidation, this panel is for you. Three communications leaders from major urban districts will share how they kept community trust intact while leading through changes nobody wanted to make.Moderator: Sherwin Johnson, Executive Director of Public Engagement, Jackson Public Schools
Candice Grose, Chief of Communications, Portland Public SchoolsAlexandra Coppadge Wright, Chief of Communications and Customer Service, School District of PhiladelphiaChrystal Wilson, Assistant Superintendent of Communications, Detroit Public Schools Community District