Skip To Main Content

2025-26 Events

Spring Conference 

Friday, March 27, 2026
Puget Sound ESD
Renton, WA
 

Call for Presenters | 2026 WSPRA Spring Conference
We’re excited to come together for a day of connection, learning, and sharing what really works. WSPRA is now accepting presentation proposals for the 2026 WSPRA Spring Conference on Friday, March 27 at Puget Sound ESD in Renton.

We’re looking for practical sessions that help take the stress out of school communications, including bond and levy strategies, social media content creation, communications planning, crisis communication, and other real-world topics shaping our work.

Proposals are due Friday, Feb. 6. Selected speakers receive a $100 gift card.

Apply today

 

Lunch & Learn Series via Zoom: Free for members

Crisis Communications: Bringing Calm to the Chaos with Julie Thannum, APR & Justin Dearing, APR
Lunch and Learn
12 to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Free for members via Zoom (watch for calendar invite via email)
 

Effective crisis communications involves more than reputation management; it’s crucial for establishing and maintaining trust while ensuring organizational resilience. Join Julie Thannum, APR, and Justin Dearing, APR, as we explore best practices and strategic approaches to crisis communications planning and response. This webinar will cover key elements of an effective crisis communication plan, how to anticipate potential crises, proactive strategies to focus on before, during and after a crisis, the importance of clear messaging and timely communication and leveraging social media and digital platforms during a crisis. Participants will learn to navigate through turbulent times with confidence by transforming chaos into clarity with the goal of emerging from the storm stronger than ever.

Beyond the Search Bar: How AI is Changing SEO and What it Means for School PR with Laurin Moore
Lunch and Learn
12 to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 21
Free for members via Zoom (watch for calendar invite via email)

 

Search engines aren’t what they used to be, and neither is your community. As tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Perplexity reshape how families find information, the rules of SEO are evolving fast. Instead of links and keywords, AI search engines now pull direct answers from live content. You want those answers to come straight from your district’s website. Don't let the rest of the internet write your story!

In this interactive lunch-and-learn, Laurin Moore of CESO Communications will unpack how public schools can adapt to this shift. You’ll learn how to make your district website more “AI-friendly,” strengthen your storytelling for both humans and bots, and take practical steps (many free!) that boost your visibility in AI-driven search results.

Mind the Gap: Leading and Communicating Across Generations with Julie Thannum, APR and Nicole Kirby, APR
Lunch and Learn
12 to 1 p.m.
Tuesday, May 19
Free for members via Zoom (watch for calendar invite via email)
 

In school communications, we’re working with teams that span several generations, which can lead to gaps in understanding or even values. Whether you’re a Boomer, a Gen Xer, a Millenial or a Gen Zer, you’re working with people whose lived experiences are different from yours, which means their approach to their work is different as well. You’re also communicating with families and staff who come from different generations, so their priorities and information preferences vary. In this session, CESO senior strategists and past NSPRA presidents Julie Thannum, APR, and Nicole Kirby, APR, will share the latest data about the generations and how to best work together to close those generational gaps and take advantage of the different perspectives to make your team and work even stronger.