Earlier this fall, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (NLPS / SD68) launched a fully redesigned web platform—spanning the district and all 38 of its schools. As one of Vancouver Island’s largest education networks, NLPS needed a solution that could scale efficiently, support daily operations, and reflect the unique identity of each school while staying connected to the whole.
The new platform brings major improvements to how content is created, shared, and maintained. District-level announcements, documents, and calendar events can now be published once and instantly shared with selected school sites—removing redundancy while giving school staff full control over their local content.
Each school site retains its distinct voice, branding, and community focus—but benefits from a consistent technical foundation behind the scenes. It’s a system designed for flexibility, collaboration, and long-term sustainability.
Accessibility at the Core
From the start, accessibility was more than a checkbox—it was a design priority. NLPS’s values around inclusive communication informed everything from the page layout structure to the editor workflow.
Standard features now include:
- Adjustable font sizing and high-contrast modes
- Dyslexia-friendly font toggle and reading guides
- Intuitive mobile navigation and page hierarchies
- Shared calendar tools that respect both district and school-level schedules
NLPS also provided input that helped us enhance the calendar logic, allowing events to be grouped and color-coded in smarter ways, while reducing editorial overhead.
Built to Grow With the District
The platform is built on a WordPress Multisite environment—allowing for shared functionality, centralized control where needed, and independent school-level flexibility. It’s a setup that can adapt as NLPS grows, ensuring new schools or initiatives can plug into the ecosystem without starting from scratch.
Looking Ahead
This project was particularly meaningful for our team. NLPS played a key role in shaping several tools that have since become standard in our education builds, and their trust in our process helped push the platform forward.
We’re proud to support their district-wide communications, and excited to see how this system grows alongside their evolving needs.
Explore the new site at www.sd68.bc.ca
