Case Study: Menlo Park City School District rebuts rumors and rebuilds public trust with OpenGov

Menlo Park City School District Rebuts Rumors With OpenGov

Menlo Park City School District, which serves about 2,941 students with a $45.4M budget, faced a major communications challenge after two 2016 parcel tax measures failed to reach the required two-thirds despite earning majorities. The district found that traditional outreach—PDFs and board meetings—couldn’t counter rumors and misinformation spreading on social media or give residents the contextual, easy-to-find financial information they needed.

To fix this, the district implemented OpenGov, uploading multiple years of financial data, adding annotations and narrative context, and launching a detailed website and FAQ so residents can explore interactive reports on demand. The tools boosted transparency, helped rebut misinformation (even earning praise from some opponents), and are now being used internally for budgeting and planning as the district prepares to re-engage voters on a future parcel tax.

Menlo Park City School District

Ahmad Sheikholeslami

District’s Chief Business and Operations Officer