The National School Boards Association held its 2018 Annual Conference from April 7 to 9, 2018, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. SchoolPresser, the WordPress for Schools company co-founded by our founder Brian Messenlehner, exhibited at booth 918 to meet the school board members and district leaders who decide how districts spend their technology budgets.
A simple pitch on the show floor
The booth banners made the case in a few words: WordPress design, hosting and support, with clear yearly pricing for small, medium, large and extra large districts, and an offer of 50 percent off a district's annual web site budget. SchoolPresser's message to attendees was just as direct: move your school website to WordPress and save money year after year.
That message landed because school boards are responsible for taxpayer dollars. Many districts were paying recurring license fees to hosted school website vendors, and WordPress offered a way out without giving up features.
Why WordPress works for districts
The SchoolPresser approach built on years of district work and on the WordPress in Schools panel Brian joined at WordCamp Philly in 2015:
- No license fees for the software itself, because WordPress is open source.
- One platform for the district and every school, using WordPress Multisite with shared design.
- Staff friendly editing so principals, teachers and coaches can update their own pages.
- Ownership. The district owns its content and can change vendors without starting over.
Newark Public Schools is one district that made this kind of move. Read how we handled the Newark Public Schools migration.
One year later
SchoolPresser was back on the NSBA show floor the next spring. Read about NSBA 2019 in Philadelphia.
Where AlphaWeb fits
AlphaWeb carries this school district experience into every education project. Our WordPress for Schools work covers district wide migrations, Multisite networks with consistent templates, staff training, accessibility, and hosting and support afterward. If your district is weighing a move off a hosted school website vendor, our guide to school district website migration is a good place to start.
At a glance
- Event: NSBA 2018 Annual Conference
- Dates: April 7 to 9, 2018
- Venue: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas
- Presence: SchoolPresser booth 918 in the exhibit hall
Have a question about this event or a project like the ones mentioned here? Reach out to AlphaWeb and Brian will be glad to talk it through. We are always happy to compare notes on WordPress, mobile apps and migrations.
