Who Makes K–12 Purchasing Decisions?

Understanding the Influence Web with a Persona-Based Guide

Holly Hatch

Livy Traczyk

Effective marketing plans start with well-researched personas or profiles of your target audience, their pain points, and how your unique product or service solves for them. Personas are a foundational tool in any marketer’s toolbox because they inform the messaging and segmentation of marketing efforts.

In many B2B markets, identifying the target audience is often a matter of understanding who signs the check. Typically, those are the same people who use the product. However, in K–12 the check holders (e.g. district or school administrators) are often not the users of the products they purchase and are rarely the sole decision-makers.

Depending on your organization’s product or service, the end users may include two, three, or more different job roles within the K–12 ecosystem, none of whom have the authority to purchase new software, services, or products at scale. However, these users interact with the product in various ways with an array of distinct purposes. Therefore, having their buy-in matters when a district or school leader decides to implement (and renew) a new solution. In other words, the phrase “decision by committee” really does apply to the K–12 buying and decision-making cycle.

In this article, we examine a few of the main players who contribute unique perspectives on what best serves their student population, and who yield influence on which products are ultimately chosen.

Defining the Term “Persona”

Before we get into the “who” let’s define the “what.” Gartner Marketing defines customer personas as:

“Archetypal representations of existing subsets of your customer base who share similar goals, needs, expectations, behaviors and motivation factors… Personas are used to design messaging, customer journeys, service experiences and product features to meet customer expectations and needs.”

By understanding your ideal customer, you can more effectively segment your marketing messages by persona to address what they care about. This kind of precise targeting increases the chances that your emails get clicked on, your social posts get read, and your content gets downloaded!

Defining Key K–12 Personas and Their Roles

Below is a list of five common K–12 personas, only two of which have budget authority. We’ve outlined at a high level just a few of their key responsibilities, priorities and challenges. If you are new to creating target audience personas or new to K–12 marketing, you can use this framework as a starting point for creating your own tailored profiles.

District-Level Personas

Superintendents | The Ship Captain: Steering District Decisions with Data
Superintendents navigate choppy waters, balancing budgets, policies, and student outcomes while keeping their eyes on the horizon for long-term success.

Responsibilities: Setting district-wide policies, managing budgets, hiring school leaders, and working with the school board to develop and implement a shared vision, just to name a few!
Priorities: Ensuring equitable access to high-quality instruction, retaining staff, and meeting performance metrics while staying compliant with state and federal education laws and regulations.
Common Challenges: Balancing budgetary constraints with community and school board expectations on how to meet the diverse needs of students. Retaining top talent in an environment where turnover can disrupt the continuity of learning.
Role in Purchasing: Full: Purchasing authority for district-wide contracts and implementation of technology and major infrastructure projects.

How They Engage with Marketing:
Superintendents want to know, “Will this work, and is it worth the investment?” They’re drawn to research-backed success stories and district-wide impact metrics. Picture this: they’re skimming a white paper during a busy morning, scanning for phrases like “20% improvement in student outcomes” or “$50,000 saved annually.”

What Content Works Best:
Case studies, ROI calculators or reports, and white papers with real numbers.

Curriculum Directors | The Master Chef: Crafting the Perfect Recipe for Learning
Curriculum directors mix standards, resources, and teacher input to cook up a learning experience that feeds student success.

Responsibilities: Evaluating and implementing curricular materials across multiple subjects and grade levels, ensuring alignment with standards, and coordinating professional development across campuses.
Priorities: Providing teachers with the best resources, integrating technology, and tracking the effectiveness of instructional programs.
Common Challenges: Keeping resources up-to-date, gaining teacher buy-in for new initiatives, and providing the professional learning and training educators need to drive student success.
Role in Purchasing: Limited: While they can recommend purchases, large curriculum expenditures typically require approval from superintendents, school boards, or district committees.

How They Engage with Marketing:
Curriculum directors focus on practical alignment—does your tool check all the boxes for standards, teacher workflows, or student engagement? They’re the ones watching a product demo or flipping through a guide during lunch, looking for proof it won’t create more work for teachers

What Content Works Best:
Product demos, curriculum guides, and testimonial videos from other schools or districts.

Ready to craft your personas? Use our free template to get started!

School Level Personas

Principals | The School’s Quarterback: Calling Plays to Keep the Team in Motion
Principals rally their staff and students, adjusting the game plan to make sure everyone stays in the end zone of success.

Responsibilities: Managing day-to-day operations, overseeing faculty and staff, and ensuring student success.
Priorities: Supporting teacher well-being, filling staff vacancies, and meeting state academic standards.
Common Challenges: Reducing teacher burnout and creating a positive school culture.
Role in Purchasing: Limited: Principles can approve operational and instructional needs for their specific campus, but larger expenditures require approval from district-level administrators or school boards.

How They Engage with Marketing:
Principals juggle everything from hiring staff to keeping their teachers happy. They’re looking for tools that reduce teacher burnout and simplify operations. Imagine them scrolling through a testimonial video between meetings, hearing another principal say, “This saved my team hours every week!”

What Content Works Best:
Peer testimonials, quick comparison charts, or social proof.

Special Education Coordinators | The Puzzle Master: Ensuring Every Piece of a Student’s Success Plan Is Accounted For
Special education coordinators tailor solutions to support students’ unique needs and help them achieve academic and social-emotional growth.

Responsibilities: Managing the implementation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
Priorities: Oversee behavioral, academic, and emotional interventions for students, tailoring strategies to individual needs.
Common Challenges: Analyzing program effectiveness and allocating resources to support special education initiatives.
Role in Purchasing: Limited: Budget discretion is permitted for resources and services directly related to supporting students with special needs, but the extent of their authority depends on district policies and organizational structure.

How They Engage with Marketing:
For special education coordinators, it’s all about personalization. They want tools that make IEP management easier and interventions more effective. Picture them in a workshop, engaging with an interactive demo and thinking, “This could make compliance so much easier” or “This would really accelerate growth for students.”

What Content Works Best:
Webinars, live demos, and resources tailored to department needs.

Teachers | The Frontline Heroes: Turning Resources into Real Results
Teachers transform tools into magic, using creativity and grit to engage students and achieve classroom goals.

Responsibilities: Delivering whole group and small group instruction, managing classroom behaviors, assessing student progress, and meeting diverse student needs so that every student’s learning journey is supported.
Priorities: Engaging and motivating students, reducing administrative workload so more time can be spent with students, and growing professionally.
Common Challenges: Addressing diverse learning styles with limited time, lack of quality resources, and avoiding burnout.
Role in Purchasing: Influencer: While teachers can buy classroom supplies from an allocated budget set by the principal (though often they pay for them out of their own paycheck) their ability to make financial decisions is restricted by school and district policies.

Teacher Buy-In Matters! Even the best resources fall flat without educator support. When teachers are excited about a product, they’re more likely to integrate it into daily instruction—turning district purchases into real classroom impact.

How They Engage with Marketing:
Teachers need practical solutions, fast. They’ll try anything that’s easy to use, saves time, and keeps their students engaged. Imagine a teacher watching a 90-second tutorial video after class, thinking, “I could use this in my classroom tomorrow!”

What Content Works Best:
Free trials, short video tutorials, and quick-start guides.

Ready to craft your personas? Use our free template to get started!

Conclusion
A Kaleidoscope of Decision Makers: Reflecting Every Perspective

Most K–12 organizations focus their marketing on superintendents and principals, thinking they’ve hit the mark. But the reality? There’s a whole kaleidoscope of voices shaping decisions behind the scenes. Teachers, curriculum directors, special education coordinators—all these perspectives shift and blend to influence the final purchasing decision.

Knowing who your stakeholders are and what makes them tick is the secret to creating marketing that truly connects. Want to dive deeper? Let’s talk. Our team specializes in crafting data-driven campaigns that resonate with every decision-maker in the education space. From big-picture strategies to targeted outreach, we’ll help your message hit the mark every time.

Get Expert K–12 Marketing Guidance—Tailored Just for You!

Book your free 30-minute consultation with Spyre CEO Emily Sumner and level up your marketing strategy today!

About Holly

Holly Hatch is a digital creator, content strategist, and fearless navigator of the ever-shifting marketing universe. Whether she’s crafting compelling narratives, cracking the code on engagement strategies, or pushing the latest marketing tech to its limits, she’s always chasing the next big idea to help K–12 clients make their mark. If it involves storytelling, strategy, and a bit of creative flair, she’s all in. Off the clock, she’s capturing her latest adventures on film, experimenting in the kitchen, perfecting her handstands, or loading up on the latest AI and tech trends.

About Livy

Livy Traczyk is a former PreK teacher turned K–12 marketing leader with a knack for growth—whether it’s nurturing brand affinity, driving campaign performance, or keeping her indoor plants thriving. She creates compelling, results-driven marketing strategies that take root and flourish, always keeping student learning at the center. Outside of work, she’s busy wrangling three energetic sons and tending to her ever-growing collection of houseplants.