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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
OUSD Charter controversy, new $50,000 PR firm and Killerfer sold
ORANGE Unified Schools INSIDE
Independent insight into OUSD
a news service of
Orange Net News /O/N/N/
OUSD Trustees approve controversial Orange County Classical Academy
Six hours after the Thursday December 19, 2019 started at nearly 1:30 am on Friday December 20th, the Orange Unified School Board voted to approve the controversial Orange County Classical Academy charter.
Voting against the recommendations of the OUSD Administration, the OUSD Board voted 4-3 to approve the charter that involves former OUSD Attorney and Education Alliance founder Mark Bucher and other controversial leaders.
For more information:
Voting to approve the charter were Trustees Dr. Alexia Deligianni-Brydges, Brenda Lebsack, Rick Ledesma and John Ortega. Opposing the charter were Trustees Kris Erickson, Kathy Moffat and Andrea Yamasaki.
With passions on both sides running high late into the night, upon loosing the vote, the charter opponents in the audience yelled "Remember in November" referring to the November 2020 OUSD Trustee election.
Two of the trustees who supported the charter are up for reelection in November 2020, John Ortega and Brenda Lebsack. Ortega and Lebsack ran as a slate in 2016. Both Ortega and Lebsack are Republicans.
For more information:
Much has changed in the Orange County electorate since the November 2016 election that saw Donald Trump elected President. November 2020 will be another presidential election year. If the charter opponents are serious about unseating the two incumbents, the 2020 national election maybe their best chance.
- GOP voters in O.C. fall below 40% – Orange County Register
- 5 things revealed about how Orange County voted in the November midterm elections-OC Register
- 2020 Did Republicans Lose Orange County for Good?-Politico
Second PR firm will cost Orange Unified taxpayers $50,000
In February 2018, the OUSD Board approved a $213,000 contract for the politically connected local public relations firm Communications Lab owned by Rancho Santiago College Trustee Arianna Barrios.
For more information click on:
OUSD Board to vote on $213,000 PR contract with politically connected local firm
In August 2018, after paying $213,000 to the Barrios firm, Orange Unified rolled out a short-lived disastorious rebranding based on an Islamic slogan:
In August 2018, after paying $213,000 to the Barrios firm, Orange Unified rolled out a short-lived disastorious rebranding based on an Islamic slogan:
Now 23 months later, the OUSD Administration is asking the OUSD Board for $50,000 for the Riverside based public relations firm of Target River.
The Thursday January 16th Orange Unified Agenda Item 11 H of the Consent Agenda portion states:
The District has a need to hire a qualified firm for direct mailings and video advertising services targeting relevant households. Target River constructs, executes and optimizes campaigns to meet client objectives. Target River will work with staff to increase community awareness and student enrollment by promoting Orange Unified’s schools and programs using strategic marketing efforts. Staff has utilized Target River's professional services and are satisfied with their results.
FISCAL IMPACT: General Fund (not-to-exceed) $50,000
01.00-0000-0-5850-7180-101-101-000 (Rivera/Brake)
The Target River website cites the Warner Unified School District in San Diego County as its example of the work the public relations firm does for school districts:
Warner Unified School District has been serving the community and students of rural Northeastern San Diego County since 1938. This small district has so much to offer the students within its 432 square mile range, with small class sizes, an award winning FFA program, high student achievement, and so much more! Warner Unified School District is revamping its curriculum with an infusion of technology, increasing Wifi access and bandwidth, increasing the amount of Chromebooks within the district, modernizing the library, and building a Maker Space.
With all these new changes, Warner Unified is excited to spread the message of their District. Like many other public school districts all over the nation, Warner Unified was looking to boost their enrollment, increase community engagement, and create positive publicity to pass future bonds. Warner Unified School District found the solution to their district’s needs through Target Marketing by Target River. The messages and imagery created by Target River are designed to reach stakeholders of the school district in the most efficient and effective ways to get families to consider or reconsider the districts’ schools.
 |
| Warner Unified's "I Love My School" yard sign promotion campaign |
So let's take a look at what Target River produced for their website's case study school district client Warner Unified. Unfortunately you will not find the 52 second Target River produced infomercial on the Warner Unified website, but you will find it on YouTube (note the view counter is just over 2500 views in the two years since it was posted):
Target River Warner Unified video
As the $50,000 OUSD January 16th Target River Agenda item states:
"Staff has utilized Target River's professional services and
are satisfied with their results "
While the OUSD Target River produced video is not available on YouTube, you can
find the 30 second Target River OUSD video
on the OUSD website- if you know were
to look. This is the link to the OUSD video 30 Second Target River OUSD video (note the same canned format and announcers voice-"all while having fun!"):
Target River actually has more promotional press releases, social media postings and web presence about the Tiger
River partnership with Warner Unified than it does about Warner Unified
itself.
In its self-promotional
materials about Warner Unified Tiger
River declares:
Target River is a
Google Premier and Facebook Marketing Partner. We are well versed in all forms
of advertising, providing an unbiased approach to the selection of media
tactics. We service clients from single site small businesses to national
corporations.
Click
on:
Despite the Tiger
River claim to Google and Facebook partnerships, clearly, Warner Unified
spending money on its own Technology Department to modernize its website and
Facebook pages would most likely have been a smarter investment than Tiger River:
Chapman
University to buy OUSD Killfer site
The years
long OUSD saga with the surplus property known as the Killerfer Site is about
to end.
Action Item 7A has OUSD selling the site to Chapman
University. The historic site is located 2 blocks south of OUSD's Richland High
School and 2 blocks north of Chapman
University's Fowler School of Law. The land that the Fowler School of Law
occupies was once the OUSD District Offices.
After being declared seismically deficient, OUSD sold the site to
Chapman University which demolished the former school building to build the law
school. The law school opened in 1995.
For a complete view of the year's long Killerfer Site saga
click on: Killerfer stories
Inside the January 16th
Agenda
Action Item 7 C Renewal of the Santiago Charter School
charter.
OUSD Public Relations costs
In February 2018 OUSD Trustees voted
$219,424 for a Public Relations contract (Click on):
Here is what spending $219,424
of educational tax dollars on PR buys (For the latest in OUSD News on the web Click on):
NEXT OUSD
BOARD MEETING January 16, 2020
Next OUSD Board Meeting -OUSD BOARD
ROOM
CLOSED SESSION- 5:00 pm
OUSD
Regular Session: 7:00 pm Board Room
For AGENDA-CLICK ON
For more information
call the OUSD Superintendent’s office at 714-628-4040
For budgeting questions call Business
Services at 714-628-4015
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