Surprise! Cozy Low Bid for PR Contract
Four bids were received for the district’s proposed Public Relations services.
$50,400 (Massachusetts)
$46,800 (California)
$39,500 (Massachusetts)
$18,000 (New Hampshire)
The low bid is from SERESC, the organization where superintendents go off to their final taxpayer funded reward. About SERESC Our former superintendent, Mr. LaSalle, now heads this organization and Dr. Metzler is one of six fellow superintendents from neighboring SAUs who comprise the Executive Committee. You might remember SERESC as being the organization that gave us Mrs. Metzler as the Spanish consultant for kindergarten.
SERESC is quick footed, if nothing else. They recently managed to snag Jason Grosky’s wife, Gretchen Grosky, as a PR consultant and have proposed her as the service provider in their bid. Mr. Jason Grosky is chairman of the Timberlane Budget Committee.
The Community Relations Committee, which disgraced itself by opening these bids outside of the publicly announced time and place for the opening, will be deciding on their recommendations at their next meeting in early December. Then they will put their recommendation forward to the school board who will bless the committee’s hard work and thank them for finding such a marvelous consultant right in our own backyard! Actually we don’t look in backyards. We climb up on ladders and peer into bedrooms.
Mrs. Grosky is a former journalist and editor who registered her own PR company, GMG Strategies LLC, with the state of New Hampshire in August 2013.
I should stress that no decision has yet been made and no contract has yet been awarded, but I smell her name plate being printed.
Only five short years ago our policy KDCA (student communications) said this:
“The best possible community relations grow from a superior teaching job in the classroom. Enthusiastic pupils with serious intentions, well directed by sympathetic and capable teachers, are certain to communicate with the parents and the community. The School Board believes this is the cornerstone of good community relations.”
That earnest and encouraging paragraph can no longer be found in any of our policies.
See Dr. Metzler announcing that he had given Rob Collins of the Community Relations Committee Mrs. Grosky’s name at the May 29 School Board meeting:
http://vimeo.com/album/255898/video/97162461 FORWARD TO 3: 24: 40 .
Should you be concerned about the independence of elected officials in the district or the SAU, let me reassure you that there is nothing to worry about. It’s business as usual. The wife of SAU board member, Jason Cipriano, was hired as a full-time teacher at Timberlane in August.
Atkinson Town Hall
The Norman Rockwellian picture of Atkinson
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
26 comments:
The aforementioned policy from
the KDCA is most important at
this time. We the people have to see that it is still in our
policies. What kind of people
are teaching our children.?
after a costly and extensive search for a Superintendent with good communications skills among many other qualifying attributes, why the need for a PR consultant?
Judy Graham
Every time i watch Donna green she looks like a bumbling fool who has no facts for her wild comments.
Yea like the whole administration doesn't. While hiding the cr%^ they pull off.
Timberlane plans to hire public relations consultant still causiing a stir
By James Niedzinski jniedzinski@eagletribune.com | Posted: Sunday, November 9, 2014 12:15 am
PLAISTOW — The decision to look for a public relations consultant is progressing for the Timberlane Regional School Board, although there are still vocal dissenters.
A request for proposals seeking a public relations consultant was issued last month.
The public relations consultant, if hired, would help the district with media relations efforts, write and publish opinions for newspapers as needed, develop branding for the district, develop social media efforts as well as "develop and assist in crisis communication", according to the RFP.
Four companies responded to a request for proposals, according to Sandown School Board member Donna Green, the only school board member who opposed the new position.
Friday, she said the companies are the Southeastern Regional Education Service Center in New Hampshire, Skooline LLC in California as well as Callahan and Klein Communications and EDMark Collaborative, both of Massachusetts.
The school district includes Plaistow, Atkinson, Danville and Sandown.
But the way the bids were revealed only fueled the fires raging against the public relations consultant.
Officials said a notice mistakenly went out saying the bids would be unsealed at the Community Relations Committee meeting at 6:30 p.m.Thursday. The bids were actually opened earlier that day.
One Atkinson resident, Leon Artis, said he got a notice on Nov. 3 saying the bids for the position would be opened on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m.
He then got another notice from the School Administrative Unit in Plaistow on Nov. 5 around 4:45 p.m. saying the bids were already opened at 3 p.m. that day.
The notices were a mistake, according to board member Robert Collins, who also chairs the Community Relations Committee.
"They were opened, it was in public," Collins said.
But Artis questioned how people would know about the bid openings, given the incorrect notices.
"There was a mistake in the notice that came out from the SAU," Timberlane Regional School Board chairman Nancy Steenson said. "But the original RFP had the correct date, and that's all there is to it."
It was clear from the start, Collins said, based on the RFP, the bids were meant to be unsealed at 3 p.m. on Nov. 5.
The RFP was issued in October, and said bids have to be submitted by 3 p.m. on Nov, 5 "and then opened and publicly read."
"That meeting notice may have mislead people, I apologize for that," Collins said.
Green, who has turbulent relationship with some of the other School Board members, continued to press the issue.
"How could such a calamitous mistake be made," she said.
Green has clashed with board members in the past, as others have called her blog posts inaccurate and misleading. She posts thoughts and concerns on her blog, mainly about reining in school spending and budgeting issues.
Green has also had run-ins with Superintendent Earl Metzler.
Metzler's wife, an employee of SERESC, was hired to develop a foreign language education program in the district.
Metzler previously said he made the Timberlane Regional School Board well aware his wife worked for the company.
He did not return calls for comment on the public relations consultant bids Friday.
Collins emphasized notice about the bids was a mistake, there was no intent to mislead anyone.
Green said it discredited the Community Relations Committee and compromised bidding process, but Collins was quick to disagree.
The subcommittee will delve into the bids in detail at a meeting on Dec.4, and likely make a recommendation to the School Board that night, Collins said.
Others have also been upset with the idea of hiring a public relations firm as well.
I couldn't agree more with Judy Graham. The board members should do their jobs and represent the taxpayers as they can by doing what they should be doing as a board by doing the job of the PR consultant. All they have to do is to act on what is before the board and take the time to make the definite and final decisions necessary to become a reality. That is their jobs as I see it thus saving us the cost of a PR person. They have control of what is released to the public, not just the superintendent. JMHO
The 1st Public Meeting Notice sent from the SAU on Nov.3rd:
NOTICE OF MEETING
The Timberlane Regional School Board's Community Relations Committee will meet on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the Superintendent's Office, 30 Greenough Road, Plaistow, The agenda will include the opening of public relations bids.
The Public is welcome to attend.
Kate Delfine, Co-Chair
Dr. Roxanne Wilson, Co-Chair
Community Relations Committee
November 3, 2014
(Notice the C0-Chair names)
The 2nd Public Meeting Notice sent from the SAU on Nov.5th at 4:45pm
NOTICE OF MEETING
The Timberlane Regional School Board's Community Relations Committee will meet on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the Superintendent's Office, 30 Greenough Road, Plaistow, The agenda will include review of public relations bid that were opened at 3pm on NOvember 5, 2014 as indicated in the Request for Proposal.
The Public is welcome to attend.
Rob Collins, Co-Chair
Susan Rasicot, Co-Chair
Community Relations Committee
November 3, 2014
( Notice the C0-Chair names changed and the bids had been opened already)
Source: http://timberlaneandsandown.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/pr-bids-opened-tomorrow-at-630-not/
Contact earl.metzler@timberlane.net if you do not want tax dollars spent on a PR contract. Let him this means less educational money for the children.
Read todays ET article on the voting of a PR representation. It appears they are going ahead with a vote to select the PR company no matter what the people want. Why contact Metzler as asked above in the last post. The board and Metzler do what they want any way.
I'm convinced that this PR hire is a direct result of Mr. and Mrs Green's efforts to shine some light on the budget process and question its transparency. Absolutely ridiculous defensive position to spin . Earl, your losing us- show some conviction In what your doing- now you and most of the board will be peeking from behind her PR
skirt
Ha. How many Co Co chairs are there: Donna, please don't get discouraged - they treat you like crap- our Atkinson Reps appear to be only cheerleaders without a field- they don't think outside the box, they are the box
Actually, it's men in general who are more likely to cheat, don't cook or clean and are dead beat dads. We live in a world where men don't take part, which is why there are so many single mothers caring for children on their own. The useless fathers are too busy worrying about their own interests and expect women to pick up the slack. Intelligent women are realizing they have no use for men like this and can live happily without them.
Down with dead beats.
Get your facts right...a lot of women have multiple fathers for their kids....more money for them from working people. They don't want the fathers in the kids life,they don't have the dough the government has.
Perhaps it is time to take more interest in just how our local school boards are doing business. The Timberlane School Board for example seeks to punish anyone who tells the public about the secret workings of the board. It is now easier to get information from the CIA than from the regional school board. What are they afraid of? Some states have a Sunshine Law that forbids all public boards from hiding their meetings from the public under the guise of executive meetings and personnel matters and right to privacy, which can be a cover-up for corruption.
"to steal half of your money "
"your" being the operative word.
On October 22, .Lt. Baldwin closed his investigation of Donna Green filed by SAU in July.
It was claimed on July 24th that Mrs. Green was 'both disrespectful and harassing to several employees.'
SAU Video link: http://youtu.be/gIz_nquIkAE
Baldwin did not respond to the first letter sent by Mrs. Green's lawyer and had to make a second request on Oct. 24th under the Right to Know law.
Lawyer letter link here
http://timberlaneandsandown.wordpress.com/2014/07/
Link here to emails by Nancy Steenson and Dr. Metlzer
http://timberlaneandsandown.wordpress.com/2014/07/
July 24, 2014
Mrs Green – Today it was reported to me that you were both disrespectful and harassing to several employees. Of course I will investigate this report and if validated I will need to limit your access to the SAU. This is both disturbing and unfortunate. I will also be consulting with both the Plaistow Police Department and district council.
Respectfully,
Dr. Earl F. Metzler II
How much of this game, SAU lawyer fees and false reporting cost the taxpayer?
I wonder...but the more important question is to ask how much Mrs. green has cost us...the recount alone that she lost was expensive...along with many other things.
The Papaprofessional had said she would have requested a recount if they lost by (4) votes.
But the more important question is to ask how much this cost us.
Facing a potential lawsuit from the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, the Timberlane Regional School Board voted, 5-1, last night to amend two of its recently adopted rules. Both rules violated members’ rights to free speech, according to the NHCLU.
At the board’s organizational meeting, new chair Nancy Steenson of Danville asked all members to agree to eight new rules put in writing by Collins.
What are the rules in question and what was proposed? When is/was the vote?
School Board Squabbles Over Public Relations Bid Opening
Posted on November 13, 2014 by Matt Rittenhouse
SANDOWN – Fifteen minutes were taken up at the start of the Timberlane Regional School Board’s Nov. 6 meeting in discussing what happened around the communication of a public bid opening for a public relations contractor for the district.
The school board recently put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the position with a deadline of earlier this month, based on a board goal for the year.
The board’s second goal for the year, right under Academic Excellence, reads, “The Board will follow through on the Citizen Advisory Committee’s recommendation to dedicate district resources towards a centralized, consistent and professional public relations and community relations effort.”
But when the bids were opened a day earlier than notice given by the district, Sandown school board member Donna Green cried foul, insinuating that the change was unethical and made to defraud the public and to open bids without the benefit of public oversight. Notice was given at one point that the bids would be opened during the Nov. 6 board meeting.
In a follow up post Green said one of the bidders, SERESC – Southeastern Region Education Service Center – has put forward the wife of Timberlane Regional School District Budget Committee member Jason Grosky. SERESC is an education consulting group with which the district contracts.
Enough is enough from the Timberlane superintendent and his band of rubber-stampers. Why would the taxpayers want to pay for a public relations person to make him look good? Stop the closed door meetings, stop the nepotism, stop the runaway budget, and get back on track. You are not respected from this vantage point. Most families in the district do not make more $200,000 like you do. How will your PR person find all good things going on? We don't want or need you to have a "mini me" to follow you around.
Timberlane honored as high school of the year
By ADAM SWIFT
Union Leader Correspondent
Published May 9, 2014 at 8:38 pm (Updated May 9, 2014)
ShareThis
PLAISTOW — Timberlane Regional High School students and faculty have a lot to be proud of, so when the administration planned a pep rally in the gym on Friday afternoon, it wasn’t unusual.
Not until the tail end of the rally did teachers and students realize just how much they had to celebrate. That’s when it was announced that Timberlane Regional High School had been named the New Hampshire High School of the Year as part of the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Award, popularly known as the Edies.
“To all the teachers and all the students, congratulations,” said Principal Don Woodworth. “You deserve it.”
The pep rally itself was an hour-long example of how much the students and staff at the school have achieved, as teachers and administrators recognized excellence in academics, athletics, and co-curricular clubs and organizations.
To heighten the excitement, the rally was punctuated by cheers from the cheerleading squad, songs from the band, and a performance by the school’s dance team.
“The pep rally was just a facade,” said assistant principal Maria Di Nola. “The students didn’t know about it; the teachers didn’t know about it. This year is our year.”
Towards the end of the rally, Spaulding High School Principal Peter Weaver, who was on the high school of the year selection committee, made the announcement that Timberlane had topped all other high schools in the state.
Weaver commended the staff and students who were interviewed during the selection process, and he praised the school’s high level of academic achievement.
What makes Timberlane a successful school, Weaver said, is not just the level of achievement reached by students and staff, but their willingness to make the high school an example for other schools to follow.
“We’ve had a tremendous year,” Woodworth told the students. “I’m proud of the staff and I’m proud of you.”
The awards for the outstanding elementary, middle, and secondary schools are determined by criteria developed by the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards board of directors and applied by selection committees composed of experienced New Hampshire educators and community leaders.
Awards are given to one high school, one middle school, and one elementary school each year. Bedford High School was the 2013 High School of the year.
aswift@newstote.com
No PR person was required.
Girard at Large @GirardAtLarge ·
Free speech not welcome at Timberlane RSD?
Details LIVE @ http://www.girardatlarge.com/
Girard at Large @GirardAtLarge ·
RTK requests by Budget Committee members in Timberlane RSD STILL being ignored.
Details LIVE @ http://www.girardatlarge.com/
Can ANYONE explain to me how the SB can expend money on a NEW POSITION WITHOUT APPROPRIATION?
Sure, it's political corruption.
Post a Comment