School District Moves to Spiff Up Image

By Teresa Rochester

Looking to dress up a shabby image and centralize its source of information, the Board of Education gave a thumbs up to hire a public information officer to the tune of $60,000 to 70,000 a year for the school district, Thursday night.

In a 6 to 1 vote (Board Member Dorothy Chapman cast the dissenting vote) the board approved the position, saying it was a long time in coming. Board members described the public information officer as being the person responsible for accurately educating the public about the school district.

"This person will give a real clear snapshot about what is happening in the classroom," said board member Margaret Quinones. "They will be the real journalist, the real photographer of what's going on in our classrooms."

The search for a public information officer answers calls from the superintendent's hand-picked Financial Task Force to create such a position in response to the public, whose harsh criticism reached an all-time high in the last eight months during the district's financial crisis.

"A common theme running through most of the input the board has received during this past year, including public testimony, reports and suggestions from advisory committees and the Financial Task force, has been the need for the district to have the ability to communicate with all members of the education community in a way that is coordinated, ongoing, clear and timely," stated a district staff report.

The board's vote mandates district staff to begin the search for the new employee, whose position will run the district close to $100,000 a year. Approximately $60,000 to $70,000 will go toward salary and the remainder will go to materials such as brochures and mailers. Supt. Neil Schmidt told the board the money for the position is from a previously approved budget.

Several board members said they were surprised the district did not already have a public relations person. According to officials the district has had several public information officers in the past but the position has been dissolved as the district tightened its fiscal belt.

"I was surprised there was not a public information officer," said the board's Vice Chair, Tom Pratt. "I get calls all the time from people who don't know where to go for information… There's a labyrinth they have to go down to get information."

Community response was split down the middle - with both members of the public disagreeing.

Ocean Park librarian Celia Carroll called on the board to spend the money on hiring librarians, while Cheri Orgel, the newly appointed co-chair of the Parcel Tax Committee said the position was necessary.

"This is an important expense that needs to be addressed," said Carroll. "Take the $100,000 and place librarians into the elementary schools. You show by your works you're serious. I don't know that you're serious by spending $100,000 for a public information officer."

"I'm asking you to be responsive," said Orgel. "We need to have an informed, educated community."

The board also voted 6 to 1 (Chapman dissented) to hire a special education consultant to review the district's special education policy, procedure and resources used in achieving compliance. The district has been slapped with several special education noncompliance findings by the state this year.

The consultant, Fred Weintraub, will begin work later this month and report to the board in late June with his findings. According to staff, the report will include how the district can achieve and sustain compliance, resolve parent complaints and achieve effective communication between the board, parents and public and staff.