Peabody school board member: More effort needed to boost city’s image

PEABODY – Peabody has long been known as a hardworking and rather modest community along the North Shore, but School Committee members feel that perhaps they’ve taken too big of a piece of humble pie and it’s hurting the perception outsiders have of the city.Committee member Beverly Ann Griffin Dunne reported to the board Tuesday night that the members need to work on changing the negative perception that has possibly discouraged many people from moving to Peabody and putting their children through Peabody Schools.One of her many “points to ponder” included organizing a time for real estate agents to visit the schools and school administration to promote the many positive opportunities they have to offer, as opposed to the often reported low MCAS scores.Mayor Michael Bonfanti couldn’t have applauded Dunne’s proposal any more, for changing the perception of Peabody into a positive one has been a task of great importance to him.”We need to do a better job,” he told the Committee, acknowledging how combative the city has been with problems related to drugs and flooding.Bonfanti said that people don’t often recognize the many great things happening in the community, such as free all-day kindergarten, the presence of nurses in every school, and the many scholarships students receive to go to prestigious schools such as Harvard University.In reference to the school athletic and transportation fees, Bonfanti agreed that they’re not particularly positive, but in comparison to area communities, Peabody’s are “relatively low.”He also urged the current School Committee to keep up their positive tone in an effort to combat the negative portrayal created by past members.”The idea is a good one,” said Committee member Dave McGeney. “I’d like to see more of a dialogue set up.”McGeney suggested conversing with real estate agents about the problems they face when trying to sell the Peabody community to prospective homeowners.”This is one thing we should really try to get up and off the ground,” said McGeney.McGeney referenced other communities that currently participate in promotional campaigns with realtors. According to McGeney, the cost of such a project is often shared by the school and the real estate agency, if not covered in full by the companies involved. He also said that both parties reap in the benefits of the combined efforts.”Sometimes we’re penalized for being too humble,” said McGeney, who’s an advocate of Dunne’s plan to boast about the city’s successes. “We need to overcome that.”Bonfanti said that he would talk with the Peabody Chamber of Commerce about a possible promotional project and get back to the Committee.