Newark Schools, get a grip, not a PR spin doctor

The Advocate's on-line announcement that Newark City Schools plan to hire a PR expert for $59,000 salary brought a slew of negative comments, many bordering on outrage. Presumably that figure didn't include benefits, and presumably Keith and Company still don't get it.

The proposal is similar to Superintendent Richards and the school board giving staff and teacher raises immediately after the defeat of a previous levy request.

It is a continuation of NCS leaders unwillingness to acknowledge that citizens are seriously telling the schools and the state to loosen their stranglehold on property owners - and also get a grip on their spending practices.

Still they think - and this new hire proves it - that no request for more money will be refused by voters if the proper PR spin can be sold as truth.

That philosophy has traditionally worked because the superintendent and the newspaper cheerleaders who write editorials didn't have to counteract the free flow of speech by citizens using the Internet.

While this PR spin doctor would cost taxpayers $59,000 a year plus bennies, the mayor of Newark isn't making a lot more - $70,634. Add the mayor's benefits and his cost to the city is about $97,000, but no vacation or sick leave.

Compare that Keith Richards' $201,433 total compensation plus 30 days vacation. Then compare all this to the average salary in Newark of about $29,000, as I reported here in How to improve Newark City Schools, and you'll understand exactly what the problem is with spending $59,000 in taxes to purchase more BS from NCS.