Thursday's Alexandria Gazette contained a blurb noting that school superintendent Morton Sherman, who abolished ACPS spokesman Amy Carlini's job earlier this year, has now retained consultant Alan Hilburg for a few months to help draft a communications plan and a new job description for the post of director.
Alan Hilburg?
The high-powered PR flack, who specializes in crisis mitigation, reputation management and "personal brand issues", has popped up over the years serving such clients as Leona Helmsley, Al Sharpton, Don Imus, Oliver North, and a Las Vegas casino owner who was fined by the Nevada Gaming Commission for throwing lavish birthday parties honoring ... Adolf Hitler. Mr. Hilburg also lent his counsel to William Aramony, the former head of the United Way of America (located on Alexandria's waterfront), who was ousted after using the charity as a personal bank account to keep his floozies in style.
He was profiled in the Chicago Tribune as a leading spin doctor who "has made defending difficult clients a career."
A former president and CEO of Porter Novelli Consulting, Mr. Hilburg's environmental clients have included Chlorine Council, Occidental Petroleum and Occidental Chemical (he represented them in connection with the Love Canal toxic waste controversy) Shell, Exxon, Mobil, Philips, Chevron, ARCO, BP, Dow Chemical, Lyondell Chemical, Lockheed-Martin, Merck, Aerojet, Raytheon, Johnson Wax, Gillette, Nokia, HP and more than 36 other Fortune 500 clients.
Mr. Hilburg has also worked in the tobacco industry, and while serving as a spokesman for the Council on Smokeless Tobacco was quoted in the New York Times stating: "It has not been scientifically established that smokeless tobacco causes adverse medical effects."
So why has someone with this profile been engaged by a small school district like ACPS to create a trivial communications plan and write a job description? Mr. Hilburg owns a home in our neighborhood but is listed as a parent donor at the private Madeira School. Is he "volunteering" his time like architect Lee Quill or has he been recruited?
And more ominously, does this mean that ACPS is preparing to fall back on spin rather than focus on making solid academic progress?
26 comments:
Ouch! So how do Ms. Morris and her District A colleagues explain this move?
Oh, this does not bode well at all. What a waste of school dollars. And, when did the Superintendent get an "assistant"? Past superintendents were able to muddle on without one. Money seems to be spilling out everywhere, noticeably in the private sector when dollars are desperately needed in the class room. Who on earth is in charge here? Does anyone know?
Hilburg charges quarters not dimes. Who's picking up his tab?
"Past superintendents were able to muddle on without one."
Neither Perry nor Baker resorted to spin doctors when in trouble. TC GW JH all have public relations problems but this is over the top!
I guess the fertilizer factor will reach new heights when budget time comes and the ACPS doesn't want to trim any in-house waste but wants cuts to happen everywhere else in the budget.
"Neither Perry nor Baker resorted to spin doctors when in trouble."
Thats because if you have ethics and morals and you do the right thing as a human being should do, by taking responsibility and punishment without ever trying to cover it up, you get squashed.
The spin doctors who lie to our faces and hide their agendas seem to get rewarded. It's sad to say this but this is how it seems to always playout. This city is lacking leaders who can look you in the eye and tell you how it really is.
Just my personal opinion, but I feel the schools were better off with Perry and the Police Dept. was better off with Baker. Granted, their mistakes were foolish in nature and dangerous to the public, but the way handled themselves after the fact are lessons that can and should be learned by all.
"Just my personal opinion, but I feel the schools were better off with Perry and the Police Dept. was better off with Baker. "
I would agree with that. There seems to be more "la-la" land thinking in the City leadership now.
What else would ACPS have at this point but spin?
Many of the ACPS leaders that I have seen at the JH community sessions seem trapped in a dream world of their own making.
If only we build a new school building, parents will show up....
Um...NO
Mr. Sherman
Please tell me why it is to my family's advantage to entrust my child to your school system. I can think of no good reason to leave an obvious achiever in your care. Regarding Jefferson Houston, pols like Englin and Krupica citizens like Quill said no and the school board member who fought the hardest was tragically vilified. Private school sells well including middle class African Americans.
A Parent
Dear Parent,
It has not been scientifically established that ACPS causes adverse learning effects.
Mr. Sherman
With the proposed public/private development of the Jefferson Houston property (plus land they seemed to think they could take from the Housing Authority), Alexandria's School Board took the final step away from focusing on the education of our students (the job they were sworn to do) and entered the realm of politics and redevelopment, which up till then had pretty much been the purview of Council. Since the end of the 90's, the focus on education has become weaker and weaker till now the quality of our children's education is in crisis mode. Teachers and some principals are trying their best, but each School Board seems to fail them more and be more removed from what is actually happening in our classrooms. Why are we discussing real estate development instead of education?
"that ACPS causes adverse..."
Mr. Hilburg replies how?
I am not sure of Sherman's political persuasion, but his stubbornness and the (expected) stubbornness of Folkerts is amazing. As most parents express private disgust at ever wanting to send their children to this K-8 experiment, they sit there and acts like its not them
They believe instead that they have not explained himself properly, or we are being willfully stubborn, or have a financial interest in not agreeing.
I simply believe they are dead wrong.
"It has not been scientifically established that ACPS causes adverse learning effects."
So that's why science labs now are needed. Dorkin' answer bro!
"It has not been scientifically established that ACPS causes adverse learning effects."
So that's why science labs now are needed. Dorkin' answer bro!"
Me thinks The Growler recognizes the prose.
?Mr. Hilburg has also worked in the tobacco industry, and while serving as a spokesman for the Council on Smokeless Tobacco was quoted in the New York Times stating: "It has not been scientifically established that smokeless tobacco causes adverse medical effects."
Why are we discussing real estate development instead of education?
ANSWER: POLITICS AS USUAL
" Why are we discussing real estate development instead of education?"
If ACPS had to discuss educational achievement at JH or the overall performance of the school system then they would be laughed out of the room.
Somehow they seem to think a new building will get PG parents all fired up to send their kids to JH. Good luck with that.
The article in today's Alexandria Times is why Sherman hired a bloody high powered PR flack. There are rumors not just of bullying in the Gordon case, but other, worse behavior by certain coaches at TC, that are completely unrelated to the Gordon case. Those aren't part of the suit that this article talks about, but tongues all over town are wagging about how much will come out about all those other cases.
http://www.alextimes.com/news/2010/oct/14/bullying-lawsuit-raises-questions-of-acc-2/
"The article in today's Alexandria Times is why Sherman hired a bloody high powered PR flack. "
Another fine reason to send your children to the new JH or let them anywhere near ACPS.
http://www.alexandrianews.org/2010/10/alexandria-school-chief-defends-consulting-expenditures/
"Since becoming the superintendent of the Alexandria City Public School system in August, 2008, Dr. Morton Sherman has spent $4,200,274 on consultants. Some teachers, principals and members of the Alexandria community want to know why."
Why? Because he can.
"Our outside advisors are ‘knowledge transfer agents.’ "
Good quote Mort. I am a consultant myself and in my life, I have never been called a "knowledge transfer agent"
And ACPS wonders why some people are fed up with them and refuse to send kids to their schools....
Holy sh-t! Merry Mort has reportedly spent over $4 million on consultants. From Alexandrianews.org
"Since becoming the superintendent of the Alexandria City Public School system in August, 2008, Dr. Morton Sherman has spent $4,200,274 on consultants. Some teachers, principals and members of the Alexandria community want to know why."
I was simply stunned at the amount of money spent by the School Board for consultants. Hiring outside experts for in service training for teaches is one thing but that wasn't were the bulk of the money went. How dare they blow away so much money on outside, profit making consulting firms when our classroom are overcrowded, our children in need of more classroom assistance, and most of our schools in need of work? Where were their heads?
For those of you who haven't received the agenda for this coming Monday's Jefferson Houston meeting, you will be delighted to know that the first 3-4 items on the agenda will be led by Mr. Quill. I fear that the "taken off the table" development issue is about to be plopped right back onto the table, albeit in a slightly different form. Didn't the Board or the Superintendent pick up on the fact that Mr. Quill simply exacerbated the concerns of the neighborhood and the parents of children at Jefferson Houston? His treatment of citizens who stood up and spoke was inexcusable and frequently condescending. As a member of the audience, I was embarrassed that any citizen of Alexandria who came and spoke in good faith was so treated. And now we are expected to return for more?
"I fear that the "taken off the table" development issue is about to be plopped right back onto the table, albeit in a slightly different form."
You are correct. The private-public partnership option is still on the table, although not with regard to the school (according to what a school board member recently said) but rather in terms of the Durant Center and swimming pool. I expect they they will try to lure the community into opening the door by offers of improvements to the swimming pool and durant center.
At the last Jefferson Houston Community meeting, Mr. Quill promised us actual drawings of possible plans for a new Jefferson Houston school. I hope we will all hold him to this promise. Also, school building aside, we need to be told what is planned for the rest of the site as it isn't possible to discuss a school separate from the site as a whole. If the rest of the property is to be densely developed, it would clearly affect the school community and its very nature. I am afraid that the new approach will be to distract the community from the dense development by focusing on the school alone - a divide and conquer method.
Post a Comment