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Wednesday, January 17, 2018
OUSD to spend over $200,000 on PR
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
a news service of
Orange Net News /O/N/N/
Orange Unified Board to spend $219,000 on a Public Relations contract calling the educational tax dollars "discretionary money"
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| Deligianni-Brydges stops fighting and starts spending |
Board President Dr. Alexia Deligianni-Brydges first major accomplishment on the OUSD Board will be spending over $219,000 on a Public Relations contract. Deligianni who has portrayed herself in her election campaigns as a "fiscal conservative" was elected as OUSD Board President in December 2017. Those campaigns include her trustee position and her unsuccessful runs for California Superintendent of Public Instruction and for the state Assembly.
In her last contested OUSD Trustee race in 2012, Deligianni promised voters she would:
" Continue putting students first in all of our district's decisions, and ensuring money continues to go directly into our classrooms not bureaucracy."
"Continue to provide fiscal responsibility for taxpayers, and fighting for continued strong fiscal oversight.."
It appears that as Board President, Deligianni has stopped fighting and started spending.
"Continue to provide fiscal responsibility for taxpayers, and fighting for continued strong fiscal oversight.."
It appears that as Board President, Deligianni has stopped fighting and started spending.
For more information click on Deligianni Campaign Promises
The new Public Relations spending comes just over a year after OUSD voters for the first time approved a property tax hike bond -Measure S.
The new Public Relations spending comes just over a year after OUSD voters for the first time approved a property tax hike bond -Measure S.
After the Trustees had mock PR campaigns from two public relations firms presented at their last meeting on January 8th, (without a price-tag attached), at this week's Thursday's Board meeting the Trustees will be voting on a $219,425 contract with VMA Communications using educational tax funds that the agenda item describes as "discretionary" .
This Thursday's January 18, 2018, OUSD Agenda Item 12 B (page 6) calls the $219,425 in "discretionary" educational tax dollars for a public relations contract a "limited budget".
With increasing pension costs, the OUSD Administration's staff has for months been predicting a deficit in future budget years.
No rational or needs assessment for hiring a public relations firm is listed in the Agenda Item explaining why OUSD needs to spend the over $200,000 in educational tax dollars the staff describes as "discretionary ". No data collection plans on how to assess the effectiveness of spending over $200,000 a year in educational tax dollars are included in the Agenda Item. In five years, at the current rate without increases, the public relations contract will cost over one million dollars in educational tax dollars.
The VMA website lists 30 school districts as "clients". The only Orange County school district on the client list is Buena Park School District
Why would little Buena Park School District
The move by OUSD Trustees to jump into a traditional PR contract comes just as PR is shifting to earned media.
The VMA website describes its services to its clients as:
VMA will:
- Develop appropriate, harmonized messaging and communications plans to deliver that message.
- Create marketing and educational publications and brochures.
- Conduct outreach campaigns.
- Mobilize an image restructuring
- Write, produce and place Public Service Announcements.
- Write, design and distribute email blasts and newsletters.
- Develop website content and design.
What does over $219,000 a year in educational tax dollars actually buy in an era of internet and social media?
Here's what the evidence shows.
Here's what the evidence shows.
A Google search of "news" for the VMA client Buena Park School District
What will over $219,000 buy Orange Unified? Well since OUSD will not be doing any measurable data collection, ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE will. Beginning with this issue, we will be helping you keep track of what your $219,424 in educational tax money buys you with the VMS Public Relations promise of "
Here is the January 2017 baseline Google News for OUSD without a $219,424 Public Relations contract:
Four OUSD trustees are up for re-election in November of this year. Self-described fiscal conservatives Rick Ledesma and Timothy Surridge, plus Kathy Moffat and Andrea Yamasaki.
INSIDE the OUSD Agenda
Agenda Item 9 A: Recognition of the CIF Football State Champions El Modena and Orange High Schools
Agenda Item 12 A: Approval of a Deferred Maintence Plan for Summer of 2018
Measure S: Several Measure S Bond items can be found throughout the agenda: Item 13 Information Items and Item 14 Consent Items.
NEXT OUSD BOARD MEETING Thursday September 11, 2014
CLOSED SESSION 6:00 pm
OUSD Regular Session: 7:00 pm
For the AGENDA-CLICK ON: AGENDA
For more information call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting, questions call Business Services at 714-628-4015
ARCHIVAL Information and direct news can be found at:
the Greater Orange News Service http://greaterorange.blogspot.com/
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
and the
Greater Orange News Service
are independent news services of /O/N/N/
Orange Net News
