In a district as dynamic and complex as the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), communication is not merely a function; it’s a mission-critical force. The External Affairs team stands at the center of that force, tasked with connecting families, students, partners, media, and the broader Cleveland community to the district’s stories, strategies, and successes.
However, when managing high-stakes messaging in a fast-paced environment, often with limited experience and a small team, the challenge isn’t just keeping up. It’s about leading with clarity and confidence. While they can’t – or won’t – hire qualified staff to lead the team, they can afford at least one crucial team member – Artificial Intelligence (AI). Under the proper guidance and vision, Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a powerful ally, not just a helpful tool.
AI Can Be the Strategic Partner CMSD’s Communicators Need
Unlike smaller districts, CMSD carries the weight of a complex public narrative, urban challenges, generational change, commitments to equity, and public scrutiny. The External Affairs team must tackle that challenge head-on with communications that are not only timely but also purposeful.
AI can help in drafting compelling narratives, simplifying complex data, and tailoring messages to specific communities, languages, or family needs. It’s not about replacing staff — it’s about enhancing the team with intelligent tools that improve clarity, relevance, and trust.
Inexperience Is Real — But AI Can Build Skill and Confidence
Let’s be honest. The External Affairs Leadership Team isn’t always prepared for the full weight of the role. They make more mistakes, hesitate, and lack the experience to navigate nuances or prevent confusion. AI can close that gap.
From grammar and tone checking to content analysis and message generation, AI tools can serve as digital mentors, helping staff produce more polished and accurate work while reducing the burden of constant oversight. When guided effectively, these tools empower staff to learn more quickly and contribute sooner, with fewer costly errors. Used wisely, AI doesn’t just produce content. It builds confidence.
Enrollment Is Down. Budgets Are Shrinking. Marketing Can’t Be Passive.
CMSD has an open enrollment model that lets families choose from dozens of schools, each with its unique identity, programs, strengths, and stories. However, as overall enrollment continues to decline, the competition for students is fierce, and budget cuts only intensify the pressure. This is where AI can be transformative.
AI-powered tools can help CMSD tailor outreach to the right families with the right message—highlighting what makes each school unique. Magnet programs, STEM academies, bilingual offerings, and arts integration—every school has something to offer, but only if families know about it, understand it, and believe in it.
Using AI, CMSD can:
- Examine neighborhood-level data to forecast which families are most likely to explore new school options.
- Personalize communications according to interests (e.g., arts, sports, college prep)
- Automatically generate campaigns and landing pages tailored to each school’s tone and voice.
- Refine messaging in real-time based on engagement analytics.
In summary, AI can assist CMSD in moving away from generic marketing for the district and toward promoting the appropriate school to the right family. It’s not about selling. It’s about serving. And AI helps make that possible at scale.
AI Can Help the CMSD Board of Education Understand the Community More Clearly
In a district as politically and socially complex as CMSD, public trust is crucial. Yet, too often, Board of Education decisions are made in secrecy — influenced more by the loudest voices in the room than by representative, data-informed insight. AI can change that.
By analyzing community feedback across platforms — from surveys, emails, and social media to public comment transcripts — AI can assist the Board in identifying patterns, surfacing emerging concerns, and detecting potential backlash before it occurs. Sentiment analysis and predictive modeling can forecast how specific decisions (like school closures, rezoning, or curriculum changes) are likely to be received by various constituencies, allowing the Board to communicate more transparently and plan more strategically.
Most importantly, AI can eliminate bias. It can provide CMSD leadership with a broader, more balanced understanding of what the public truly thinks, not just what a limited number of advocates, critics, or interest groups express. When used wisely, AI doesn’t replace public input. Instead, it honors it by making it clearer, fairer, and more difficult to ignore.
Reaching Families with More Meaning and Less Noise
CMSD’s families are racially, linguistically, and economically diverse. AI tools can facilitate real-time translation, personalize email subject lines based on engagement history, and recommend optimal channels by demographic group. This fosters communications that feel timely, intentional, and genuinely useful — not just informational.
True engagement isn’t about broadcasting; it’s about building relationships. AI assists the External Affairs team in creating communications that resonate deeply with the families served by CMSD.
Timeliness and Crisis Preparedness at the Speed of Trust
In a large urban district, responsiveness is not optional; it’s essential. AI tools can help CMSD’s team address emerging issues by suggesting holding statements, monitoring social sentiment, rapidly translating updates, and identifying misinformation before it spreads. AI doesn’t replace human empathy or institutional judgment. However, it enables the team to act more quickly, intelligently, and consistently, particularly when every minute counts.
Smarter Media Relations for a More Nuanced Story
CMSD’s story deserves to be told in full, and not just in crisis. AI tools can assist the team by identifying education trends, framing story pitches with language that resonates, and tracking sentiment in coverage. In a media environment that often highlights shortcomings, this kind of insight enables the district to proactively shape narratives instead of merely reacting to them. With AI, CMSD’s voice becomes clearer, sharper, and more strategic, making it more likely to cut through the noise.
A Call to Lead, Not Lag
AI won’t do the thinking for you, but it can enhance your thinking. For CMSD, the opportunity is clear: leverage AI to improve accuracy, strengthen connections, minimize errors, and expedite the growth of a developing team — all while competing more effectively in a crowded, choice-driven market.
But let’s be honest: CMSD isn’t embracing AI, not because it isn’t needed, but because leadership lacks the vision and understanding to act. While charter and private schools adopt new technologies to enhance their messaging, personalize their outreach, and grow their enrollment, CMSD is falling further behind.
Enrollment is on the decline. Budgets are becoming tighter. Families have choices, and they are exercising them.
The External Affairs team doesn’t just need better tools—it needs bold leadership willing to modernize how this district communicates and competes. AI is not optional; it’s essential. Continuing to ignore it is not just shortsighted; it’s negligent. The future of school communications is already here. The only question is whether CMSD will finally catch up or remain behind.