MCAS Hires Communication Director
Betsy Kohn will start next week at an annual salary of $60,000.

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The Michigan City Area Schools board hired a local woman Tuesday to serve as director of communications, but not before some board members objected.

Betsy Kohn will fill the position and according to MCAS Superintendent Michael Harding, start her job early next week.

No one objected to Kohn, but to filling the position.

Board member Beryle Burgwald said he objects to spending any money that will not directly affect students, helping them to improve math and reading skills.

"I can't think of a school corporation that needs a communication director more than ours does," board member Rick Carlson said.

Nathaniel Gipson and Board President Jeff Jones said the strategic plan calls for hiring a communications director.

"It also calls for building a $10 million fieldhouse in the strategic plan," Clyde Zeek said, "but we're not building it now."

Burgwald made a motion to remove the position from the budget, but it failed in a 4-3 vote, with Jim Kintzele and Zeek voting to remove it while Carlson, Gipson, Jeff Jones and Kathy Lee voting to keep it.

In the consent agenda, Burgwald, Zeek and Kintzele voted no to the administration's recommendation to hire Kohn, while the rest of the board voted yes.

The budget item lists her salary at $60,000 annually.

I would have voted with Mr. Burgwald.

Me too

MCAS Hires PR Person For $60,000 A Year

Editorial

A certain irony is evident in the hiring of a public relations person for the Michigan City Area Schools.

The school system certainly needs to improve its image in the community and in the area. But no spin doctor is going to change the fact that much of the school system's reputation is deserved.

While any organization the size of the Michigan City Area Schools needs to designate someone to handle media inquiries and prepare information for public release, we believe the schools have enough administrators already, and someone on staff could coordinate those efforts. Moreover, the $60,000 a year salary is far more than the schools need to spend for someone in this position.

The public relations function of the schools should be carried out by everyone in the system, particularly building principals. Certainly with the high level of competence required of a principal, they should not only be permitted but encouraged to communicate to the public about their schools.

If school principals can't trumpet the achievements of their schools, who can? Well, teachers can, and they, too, should be encouraged to speak publicly about the successes of the school system.

And when something goes wrong, if principals can't respond, then the school superintendent should.

Michigan City Area Schools adopted a strategic plan that includes improved communication as one of its goals, and that's good.

The Michigan City Area Schools has been reluctant to discuss the school system's issues, and that reluctance comes from the top, Superintendent Michael Harding.

Throughout the system we see a reflection of that reluctance. The culture of the Michigan City Area Schools needs to embrace the idea of open communication. Whether the news is good or bad, what happens in the schools is important to everyone in the community, and a full, honest and open discussion of all these issues is imperative.

The worst thing to do would be to try to sweep the unflattering news under the rug and ignore the problems, then pretend that everything is just fine.

Hiring a PR person isn't going to change anything. Public relations is a legitimate task to conduct, but most often it is aimed at creating an image rather than revealing the truth.

Our Opinion
The Issue: Michigan City Area Schools has hired someone to boost the image of the schools.

Our Opinion: Public relations is a legitimate enterprise, but it doesn't equal full, honest and open discussion of the issues, and that's what the Michigan City Area Schools must embrace.

It smells like mcas just hired a spin-guy, a local version of Tony Snowjob. What if--here's a wacky idea--if the administration just spoke openly and honestly for themselves?

They acutally had someone in that position before and she retired. This is the first time they are filling it in a few years. She was a really nice woman, but NO ONE in the MCAS was allowed to talk to the press without clearing it through her. I got reprimanded once for writing a letter to the Anvil Chorus on a topic that had absolutely nothing to do with MCAS at all (but it was a controversial issue and I was on the side of controversy--of course). They told me that in the future, any letters I want to write had to be approved by her. That was when Anast was Super.

Out of curiousity, did they site a specific contract clause or rule for that?

'I'm Not Here To Be A Spin Doctor'
Betsy Kohn takes new job as communications director for Michigan City Area Schools.
MICHIGAN CITY - The new communications director for Michigan City Area Schools first came to the city for tennis.

And on those tennis courts, she met her true love as well.

At Northwest Racquet Club, Betsy Kohn met Rudy Kohn.

They are now parents of a daughter, Sydney, 7, who is taking tennis lessons.

Betsy Kohn previously worked as managing editor of Sweet 16 magazine. Before that, she was managing editor for Guideposts for Teens and Guideposts for Kids in Chesterton.

Kohn's hiring came under some fire at a recent school board meeting, but not because board members objected to Kohn. The disagreement was about whether the school corporation could afford the $60,000 per year position.

For seven years, Kohn worked as manager of publication services for

the National Association of Elementary School Principals in Alexandria, Va. The missions and the challenges of education are familiar to her.

"Clearly, the community is interested in communication issues," she said, referring to Strategy 7 of the Strategic Plan. Strategy 7 speaks to the need for "an open exchange of information and ideas, both internally and externally."

Already, Kohn has been meeting with school officials and community leaders.

"I'm not here to be a spin doctor," she notes. "I believe in being honest."

Kohn, however, knows the law forbids school officials from commenting on some issues, particularly matters involving personnel and student privacy.

She is aware the school corporation is struggling with ISTEP scores, yet she says teachers and students should be recognized for achievements and accomplishments.

While some students struggle, she said, others are taking courses that earn them college credit. Many graduates have been accepted to universities including, in recent years, Harvard and the University of Notre Dame.

Although the community frequently hears about the woes of parental indifference, Kohn has seen parents working diligently for school improvement.

"It truly is inspiring to see how hard the schools and community are working together," she said.

One of Kohn's goals is to improve the MCAS Web site. While it is full of technical bells and whistles, she said, she believes it could use a more focused attitude.

For example, she hopes to create a feature that would allow parents to ask questions and to get answers.

She has a master's degree in English with a concentration in professional writing and editing from George Mason University. Her husband is area coordinator for Junior Achievement and she serves as a volunteer for it. She also serves as a mentor in the Hours for Ours program.

Kohn invites the community to contact her at bkohn@mcas.k12.in.us.



Contact Deborah Sederberg at dsederberg@thenewsdispatch.com.