MCPS is hiring a new agency for its crisis communications

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I guess they got tired of Chris Cram and his spectacular failures. I hope this results in better, more coherent explanations for all of the sh*tshows going on in MCPS. Or at least more believable lies than the stuff we've been getting to date.

I don't know that this group can do much with $105,000, but this is the co-founder of the agency. https://www.precisionstrategies.com/team/stephanie-cutter/

Cram isn't the spectacular failure here. That is occurring above his pay grade. The superintendent is flailing for a deflection because the heat is on her. $105,000 is not going to make that go away.

I’m going to guess that for this fee Dr. McKnight will get one glowing profile placed in a national publication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM - MCPS is terrible at communicating during a crisis!!!!

MCPS - *hires communications firm*

DCUM - OMG MCPS is spending money to fix the communications problem!!!!!

*this* no matter what they do the same people will find a way to spin things negatively

Don't they already have someone internally to deal with communication? Why are taxpaying paying for this person AND for an agency to do what this person should be doing?

Fire the person if they are so incompetent that you need to spend more to higher someone who knows what they're doing.

This is common. It’s a huge organization. More work than one person can handle.

There would not be so much work if they just stopped behaving unethically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM - MCPS is terrible at communicating during a crisis!!!!

MCPS - *hires communications firm*

DCUM - OMG MCPS is spending money to fix the communications problem!!!!!

*this* no matter what they do the same people will find a way to spin things negatively

Don't they already have someone internally to deal with communication? Why are taxpaying paying for this person AND for an agency to do what this person should be doing?

Fire the person if they are so incompetent that you need to spend more to higher someone who knows what they're doing.

This is common. It’s a huge organization. More work than one person can handle.

There would not be so much work if they just stopped behaving unethically.

lol this is so true

[Anonymous]

MCPS does not have a communication crisis. It has a morals, ethics and trust crisis.
No amount of money can fix that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM - MCPS is terrible at communicating during a crisis!!!!

MCPS - *hires communications firm*

DCUM - OMG MCPS is spending money to fix the communications problem!!!!!

For MCPS and all of us here, if nothing else, i hope this crisis firm finally convinces you that your posts do more harm than good.

Agreed. I often wonder what kind of people come here to defend the indefensible or deny the undeniable. But I guess it could be parents who find the idea that MCPS might have even a single problem that might affect their child to be too painful to acknowledge. A mystery...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're talking about a school system that sent out a letter to families about the attack in Israel without using the words Israel, Jew or Jewish. It felt very hurtful.

You're right. That letter was oddly neutered and avoided mentioning what should be uncontroversial to mention.

My guess is that since it's easy to get blasted as being pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel, they decided to just mention war and not say anything about either side.

My guess is that it's because there are many Muslims in MCPS, as well. While I'm sure many Muslims abhor violence, the conflict between Israel and Palestine is complicated. IMO, Israel is not always innocent. I'm not saying they deserved it. But, put yourself in the shoes of Palestinian civilians over the past 50 years.

Yeah, no, you are wrong on this, sorry. The letter that mentions war and natural disasters (what?!) is unbelievably tone deaf. It would be like referring to the murder of George Floyd as “the disagreement in the Midwest” or referring to 9/11 by saying every perspective should be heard. Any terrorism should be condemned. Hamas is a terrorist organization. There are many things that are complicated but this part is very simple.

Thousands of people were killed in an earthquake in Afghanistan. I think they were probably referring to that.

[Anonymous]

Taliban says 2,400 killed after earthquake ravages western Afghanistan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/08/afghanistan-earthquake-rising-death-toll/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS does not have a communication crisis. It has a morals, ethics and trust crisis.
No amount of money can fix that.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM - MCPS is terrible at communicating during a crisis!!!!

MCPS - *hires communications firm*

DCUM - OMG MCPS is spending money to fix the communications problem!!!!!

*this* no matter what they do the same people will find a way to spin things negatively

Don't they already have someone internally to deal with communication? Why are taxpaying paying for this person AND for an agency to do what this person should be doing?

Fire the person if they are so incompetent that you need to spend more to higher someone who knows what they're doing.

That's what I was wondering..

Didn’t they hire an agency a couple years ago? Is this a replacement or do we now have two agencies and internal staff?

+1 Isn’t this the third PR contract since Dr McKnight became Superintendent? Are they making new contracts for each individual crisis? So odd.

If it’s per crisis, it makes you wonder what the total tab (lawyer’s, settlements, PR, fines, etc.) the Biedleman scandal will cost MCPS. PR for this type of crisis seems self serving by MCPS administrators and BOE members who are trying to save their own positions. Here’s a thought - enforce the Code of Ethics and have a sense of morals then perhaps there wouldn’t be a new crisis every couple of months.

[Anonymous]

I’m sure the board of Ed will just rubber stamp her request. Like someone said above, MCPS would not be such a PR disaster if they actually attempted to support children, families and teachers. Is there any one high up in Central who is even remotely competent?

[Anonymous]

I'm curious about the purpose of the hire.

Usually when firms bring in crisis PR firms there's one of two types of situations - a scandal like the CEO was caught embezzling or harassing an employee and they want to rebuild the company brand and disassociate with the crisis or there is a major tragedy where the purpose is the communicate effectively for the mental and physical well-being of the community.

Taxpayer money should not be used for personal branding of administrators or for the public to regain trust in particular individuals or the institution so if that's what they are using it for it's worrying.

[Anonymous]

lol, they did not even solicit bids or put out rfps to hire the crisis comms team. It’s listed as “emergency procurement” on the BOE board docs. Your crisis is only an emergency because you ignored it for so long and let it get super scandalous and then did not swiftly take action when everyone was made very very aware.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about the purpose of the hire.

Usually when firms bring in crisis PR firms there's one of two types of situations - a scandal like the CEO was caught embezzling or harassing an employee and they want to rebuild the company brand and disassociate with the crisis or there is a major tragedy where the purpose is the communicate effectively for the mental and physical well-being of the community.

Taxpayer money should not be used for personal branding of administrators or for the public to regain trust in particular individuals or the institution so if that's what they are using it for it's worrying.

+1

[Anonymous]

Israel, Palestine and Hamas is none of MCPS's business. Stop pushing all the world's problems onto a local school district. There ar plenty of private yeshivas and mdrassas to attemd, and other countries to live in to choose from if your want your child to be enmeshed in foreign geopolitics while at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Israel, Palestine and Hamas is none of MCPS's business. Stop pushing all the world's problems onto a local school district. There ar plenty of private yeshivas and mdrassas to attemd, and other countries to live in to choose from if your want your child to be enmeshed in foreign geopolitics while at school.

+1 Keep politics and progressive issues out of schools, focus on learning.

In the schools with higher Jewish populations, I think it was appropriate to address the recent troubling events, but it is inflammatory to use biased words like “terrorist.” So I don’t have a problem with the neutral tone of the MCPS’s messaging.

My DC’s school has a large Arabic population and didn’t get any message at all, on a side note. Just think that’s interesting.