$27,250 has been approved for a redesign that will be ready sometime this fall.
The South Portland School Department will have a new, updated website sometime this fall, according to Superintendent Ken Kunin, after the Board of Education approved funding for the redesign earlier this month.
Kunin said one reason the district is giving its website a new look is because the experts say an “organization’s web presence should be revamped every four years (and) we’ve had our current website since 2011. We are excited to be working with Finalsite, a website design firm serving over 1,200 school districts and educational organizations worldwide.”
Kunin added, “We want our website to be a go-to place for (timely) information about our schools for students, parents, staff and the community. We need an up-to-date resource for news and information about our district and our schools that is easily viewable and searchable from a variety of devices.”
Overall, he said, “Clear, thoughtful and thorough communication is essential.”
By using Finalsite, Kunin said, the new website would also be “well integrated with other social media platforms (and able to) communicate up-to-date information about schools and school activities.”
Kunin said the redesign would take a few months and while the goal would be to have the new website up for the start of the year, he also said, “we plan on taking the time to do it right and so may not launch until October or November.”
According to its website, Finalsite serves more than 1,500 schools and more than 1,100 clients world wide.
Before choosing Finalsite, Kunin said, the school district used a team of staff and community members, led by Andrew Wallace, the director of technology, “who evaluated all proposals for functionality, customer support, cost and the (overall) look and feel. We are excited to be working with the Finalsite team to design a web presence that will further the mission of our district and our schools.”
– Kate Irish Collins
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