Somerton school dist. redesigns website
SOMERTON — The Somerton Elementary School District has launched a redesigned website with a downloadable app that district officials say will provide parents, students and the public with the most up-to-date information about school events.
The site, www.ssd11.org, was redesigned by the Little Rock, Ark.-based technology firm Apptegy in a project that began in the summer and was wrapped up with last month’s relaunch.
The site, which has Englishand Spanish-language versions, includes a live feed option that allows prompt postings of news and information that the district wants to get out to parents and the public. The live feed has an app the public can download on cell phones and other mobile devices.
“The advantage that the new page gives us is more accessibility for the people and it allows us to more easily update information,” said Jerry Cabrera, the district’s assistant superintendent. “But it also allows us to immediately notify parents and the public whenever there is some urgent information from the district or the schools.”
The redesign, done at a cost to the district of $12,000, comes after more than a decade without upgrades to the site, Cabrera said.
The live feed got its christening earlier this month when the district used it to notify parents of Orange Grove Elementary School students that a power outage would force cancelation of the day’s after-school activities.
“Most people have access to a telephone or a device that can download the app,” Cabrera said. “It’s the most practical way to keep them informed. I believe it’s going to be a very good tool for the district, assuming more people download and use the app.”
The webpage has links to each of the five Somerton schools and to the district’s adult education program, and has information about the district events, class calendars, school board proceedings and other information of interest to the public.
Cabrera said in the district plans to post information about district’s budget as a way to make school spending and finance issues more transparent to the public.