Teachers get schooled
Sacramento city superintendent gives the union a hard lesson in media management
By Cosmo Garvin
cosmog@newsreview.com
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This article was published on 06.10.10.
 New Superintendent Jonathan Raymond (right) was lauded by the Sacramento County grand jury. But the jury didn’t contact anyone from the SCTA for the union’s side of the story. PHOTO BY LILLY FUENTES-JOY |
Full disclosure: The author of this story is married to a Sacramento city school teacher. |
Sacramento City Unified School District’s Jonathan Raymond, in his first job as school superintendent, has worked press and public opinion like a pro. He says that 250 district teachers will lose their jobs if the union doesn’t make concessions. He’s hired a new “chief communications officer” to help get his point across, to the media and to district employees. And the local press, The Sacramento Bee in particular, has helped Raymond amplify the message that any layoffs will be laid at SCTA’s feet. One Bee cartoon even portrayed a union official driving a bus over a group of young teachers. Ouch.
The SCTA’s rep was further damaged when a Sacramento County grand jury last month blasted the union and praised Raymond. “Superintendent Raymond has an excellent plan to resolve longstanding educational problems in the district and needs the support of the community to accomplish his goals,” the report reads. It goes on to say, “It is time for unions to become more of an advocate for children.”
Meanwhile, SCTA President Linda Tuttle is rarely quoted in stories, either because she couldn’t be reached or didn’t return calls. Perhaps she’d forgotten PR rule No. 1: If you want to look really bad in the press, don’t talk to the press.
She did agree to talk to SN&R however, perhaps feeling that the local alternative-weekly would be more labor-friendly. And it turns out that the SCTA actually does have an alternative plan—which the union claims will save $4.3 million and help prevent teacher layoffs.
State budget cuts, along with declining enrollment in the district, have produced a $31 million budget shortfall this year. The SCUSD board of trustees is expected to vote on its budget June