Once the budget is ready, the principal will have to what is called “sell it”. Today, it means that the new budget needs to be approved by the School Board. As far as the School Board largely depends on the public opinion, i.e. the opinion of taxpayers whose money make up a part of the budget and who suffer from raised taxes on their property, creation of favorable public opinion through public relations tools is recommended.

The most appropriate way, it seems, will be to reach the public and influence the formation of its opinion through the media as well as social media. This is explained by the fact that the media have become an instrumental in delivering information, in particular needed information, to the people in the community. This is typically done through television, newspapers, local magazines, and, recently, the social media.

Below are presented a few public relations strategies which may be employed in order to help a school principal position his or her budget for super exposure so that the public and School Board will provide the awaited support. Here it is necessary to mention that ‘public’ stands for ‘a group of people sharing a common interest or common values in a particulasr situation’ (Reddi, 2010, p.68). The strategies discussed below are elements of the public opinion-based campaign. Campaigns that are designed to impact the opinion of the public may act effective in winning support of specific decisions when an initiative is to be passed (Gould, 2009, p.25).

First of all, it is important to outline what the public wishes to hear about the budget. This will help stress exactly those points that are necessary when describing the proposed budget. The principal may also do some preliminary research as to which media to use in the local area to garner the public support.

Next, it is advisable to develop story lines. This means writing up stories about the proposed budget and highlighting its strengths. The lines will inform the public about the advantages of this very budget. It is recommended to incorporate some recent research so that the story sounds more credible and convincing. Importantly, the principal should find time to rehearse a bit as to what he is going to say about the subject once he us asked to expand on the topic by reporters.

Further, distribution of well-structured and compelling press-releases with the information about the proposed school budget strengths is advised. This may be done through sending the press-release via e-mail or fax.

The press release needs to be candid and contain information that will be of interest to the taxpayers whose children attend the school and who pay money to make up a part of the budget. It is possible to phone the media personnel in order to ensure that they have obtained the release. This is explained by the fact the staff receive multitude of things daily via e-mail or fax, so phoning will help stay sure about the principal’s press-release position.

Proactive conduct is recommended. In his or her efforts to convince the public and the School Board members, the principal is advised to take a proactive stand. This means that visibility for the proposed budget should be generated. This may be reached by attending various meetings, for instance council meetings, where the principal will have an opportunity to speak about his new budget.

In this way, people in the community will learn about the benefits of the new budget from the principal himself/herself.  The school principal may also visit various social events in his or her locality where he or she will have a chance to speak for some time on the topic of interest (i.e. proposed school budget). This will help garner support from the public and form a public opinion about the relevance of the proposed draft.

Also, the use of social media platforms is highly recommended. The sites that host the social media, for example Twitter, Google+, and Facebook, are one of the most recent frontiers for someone who wishes to influence the public thought. As many PR professionals unanimously agree, the use of the social media is an excellent and rewarding way to introduce the idea to the general public and reach wide audiences practically at no cost at all.

Efficient ways of making the news about the budget visible may be used, yet it is important to observe a few etiquette rules while reaching the audience. Once the principal places his ideas about the budget on the Internet he or she may utilize the benefits of impactful interactions with various representatives of the community. It is recommended to keep people engaged and offer the public meaningful and valid information about the budget. In this way, the school principal will find many supporters of the school budget without launching a large-scale and costly media campaign.

Finally, it is recommended that once the proposed budget is approved of by the School Board, the school principal should not stop informing the public about what is going at his or her school, how funds are spent, and which goals are being set for the immediate future. This two-sided interaction will serve to benefit both sides. Of course, when a need arises for the school principal or administration to obtain extensive support from the public, the already established mechanisms can be used to reach the new goal. 

In conclusion, this paper looked into the ways of getting the public support from the people of the community as a means of persuading the School Board to approve of the suggested budget. Specifically, reaching the community via the traditional and social media, as well as through personal activity and interactions has been discussed.