Finance Campaign: Abilene ISD
The challenge
Abilene Independent School District (AISD) in Texas sought to foster financial transparency and literacy in its community. The district knew that an understanding of finances among its stakeholders would be essential year-round. Abilene ISD partnered with CESO Communications on a 12-month contract that included finance communications and other tactics.
Our approach
Abilene, Texas, is named the Storybook Capital of America. The town is centered on children’s literature and is adorned with storybook sculptures and a whimsical culture promoting children’s art and literacy. This anecdote, uncovered during initial discovery conversations with Abilene ISD, became central to the identity of the finance communications work. AISD identified that it wanted a graphic identity for this work that was separate from its district logo, so CESO Communications leaned into the theme of literacy, and worked to create a character that matched Abilene’s whimsy and would teach the audience about budget information and public school finance. After learning that the bison is a recurring symbol in the town, CESO arrived at William the Bison.
William appears on social media, in animated video, and on the finance microsite Budget Blueprint, joyfully holding the blueprint for Texas school finance. As visitors browse the microsite, William shares the ins and outs in an accessible way so the community can become a part of AISD’s financial story and understand the complexities of school finance, the local budget and the local tax rate. Calls to action on the site include submitting a question and registering to vote.
The microsite and other informational assets launched in July 2025, just in time to communicate about the district’s Voter-Approved Tax Rate Election (VATRE). CESO Communications assisted AISD with election communications, creating assets that included a video, logo, social media plan, emails, and more. Budget Blueprint hosted VATRE information alongside transparent, accessible Texas school finance information, providing a comprehensive picture of AISD’s financial situation and how an approved VATRE would benefit students.
“To help each child and family write their own rich chapters, AISD works hard to lay the perfect foundation, finding and providing just the right resources for every unique journey.”
-Budget Blueprint microsite
Our impact
Families and community members were highly receptive to Abilene ISD’s Budget Blueprint finance campaign. The project included easy-to-understand messaging that focused on facts and how Texas schools are funded. Voters passed the VATRE on Nov. 4, 2025, securing more than $10 million annually to close the operating budget deficit, recruit and retain high-quality teachers and staff by offering more competitive salaries and benefits, address the district’s aging bus fleet and facility maintenance concerns and expand innovative instructional programming.
Abilene ISD continues to partner with CESO Communications for ongoing communications support, to keep the microsite informative and up-to-date and help its community understand that being proud of public education is something to be shared.
Together, Abilene ISD and CESO have worked to shape communications around school finance in ways that don’t just impact elections but lean into the culture of a community to resonate deeply and tell the stories that matter.
