Groton — Groton Public Schools has hired a part-time communications coordinator to promote the schools and their programs, as the district continues to compete in an atmosphere of school choice.

The Groton Board of Education set up an ad hoc communications committee about six months ago, and a parent volunteer on the committee helped organize the communications plan. The district then decided to hire the parent.

Rebecca Beyus, 42, who has two children at Northeast Academy, started in the job Sept. 21 and will work 20 hours a week. Groton is using $20,000 from a federal grant provided for professional development and school promotion to cover the cost, Superintendent Michael Graner said. Beyus will respond to media calls and handle social media among her tasks, he said.

“Our main goal is to let our parents and our students and the people who live in our town know the really terrific things we’re doing in our schools,” said School Board member Lee White, who served as chair of the ad hoc committee and formerly worked in publications for Connecticut College.

Groton has been focusing more on communication as the school environment in Eastern Connecticut becomes more competitive. Growth in the number of magnet schools has given parents more choices if they wish to send their children elsewhere.

Last year, 406 children from Groton attended magnet schools outside the district, mostly in New London.

New London Public Schools has marketed its programs. The district has a full-time marketing and communications manager and also has used the services of a professional marketing firm.

This spring, Groton expanded its own magnet programs, turning Northeast Academy into an arts magnet school. The district also may expand the International Baccalaureate program offered at Robert E. Fitch High School.

“We have a lot of things going on with the expansion of the magnet school,” Graner said of Northeast. “We should at least publicize what we’re offering.”

Beyus worked for Cronin and Company, an advertising agency in Glastonbury, from 1998 until 2006 and from 2013 until April of this year. In her role with Groton Public Schools, she plans to create a district Facebook page and look at other ways to boost the district’s presence in the community.

“With 10 schools, there is always so much going on in our district,” she said. “There are a lot of accolades, a lot of programs, grants (and) partnerships being created with different organizations. Our sense is that a lot of the community doesn’t know about those things.”

White said she’d also like to publicize the accomplishments of graduates.

“We have people who have graduated from Fitch who then went on to colleges and started businesses. We want to find out who those people are so we can put them into newsletters, like you do in an alumni magazine,” she said. "We want to do that, too."

d.straszheim@theday.com