Our Views: PR additions odd priority

Item: State aid to public education has been frozen for four years. Many teachers have been laid off in public schools.

Item: New voucher “scholarships” are being paid for at private schools with funds constitutionally dedicated to public schools.

Item: Top state education leaders are hiring two new communication directors at six-figure salaries.

What’s wrong with this picture?

The often-controversial agenda of state education Superintendent John White will be burnished by a new $12,000-per-month aide. She is Deidre Finn, a Floridian who formerly worked for then-Gov. Jeb Bush.

On a contract, that may be extended, she replaces another communications director who left. But at the same time, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is advertising for a communications director of its own.

The proliferation of spokesmen is a well-known fact of life in government, but there seem ever more of them in the administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who rules BESE and is de facto boss for White, and who has press relations that the word “rocky” does not begin to describe.

Further, why does the part-time BESE have a staff at all? If the Jindal administration is so dedicated to efficiency, why cannot the Department of Education provide staff services and thus save some money?

Item: White already has a press secretary. Finn is an addition to that official.

Question: Does an honest and forthright public official need a six-figure communications director as well as a press secretary?

Comments

1) Comment by timesright - 29/09/2012

Money for vouchers, yet a freeze on MFP. Money for a press secretary and a communications director, yet a freeze on teacher salaries. Money is going where it's not needed. You got this editorial right, Advocate. Finally!

2) Comment by Iamhopeful2 - 26/09/2012

John White has put his foot in his mouth so many times he needs a spokesperson until it can be extracted. We'll see if his Louisiana Believes missives will contain fewer admonitions to teacher unions, fewer references to right wing AstroTurf pro charter Jeb Bush organizations like Michelle Rhee's Stand For Children, fewer bogus "research" reports fed to him by Murdoch's press. So far he persists in providing mangled meaningless statistics like his ADvanced Placement poof. But then if lies and misrepresentations are removed from his rhetoric what will he have left? Certainly not $12 grand a Month's worth of wisdom.

3) Comment by [e-mail] - 25/09/2012

I don't often agree with "Our Views" but on this topic you are 100% correct; there is no need and certainly no justification in the hiring of "communication directors" and then paying them six figure salaries. This is a slap in the face; this is a ridiculous farce and those clowns will be doing nothing but parroting propaganda designed to make mediocre performers look better while they dig their hands ever deeper into taxpayer pockets.

4) Comment by Traveler - 25/09/2012

"Question: Does and hones and forthright public official need a six-figure communications director...?" Answer: No, an HONEST and FORTHRIGHT public official does not."

5) Comment by civitasiveritas - 24/09/2012

Bless you Oh Advocate staff for THIS one! Your batting average is not very good, and you don't often get a clean hit, but this time you knocked it clear out of the park! White lies. Hence the need for so many people to help "spin" his messages. Actually, he DOES seem to be better at muddying the water.

6) Comment by Old Man Kensey - 24/09/2012

Question: Does an honest and forthright public official need a six- figure communications director as well as a press secretary? Answer: only when the spin is no longer being bought.