School District Retains PR Services Of

Former News Anchor, Broadcaster

By John Voket

The Newtown School District, through a cooperative with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), has been retaining the public relations, leadership development, and crisis communications skills of Ann Baldwin, a former NBC affiliate anchor and well-known Hartford area broadcaster.

A rumor that Superintendent Janet Robinson had inked a contract with the communications professional was brought to the attention of The Newtown Bee on Tuesday, November 29, by Legislative Councilman Robert Merola, who heard that Ms Baldwin was being compensated at a rate of $2,000 per month to retain her services.

A Freedom of Information request for a copy of Ms Baldwin’s contract, her rate of compensation, and whether the district publicly advertised to hire a communications professional was issued to Dr Robinson shortly after the information was presented to the newspaper, but it was unclear when, or if, the requested information would be supplied because the superintendent is traveling with two other school administrators in China.

At press time Thursday, the district office had not acknowledged or responded to the FOI request.

School board Chairman William Hart responded to a request for comment via e-mail saying, “The BOE’s strategic plan and goals for the past couple of years have highlighted the need to improve communications with the community. To that end, the District has contracted with CABE for some help.”  

Mr Hart said since Ms Baldwin does not fill a staff position, there was nothing to advertise. 

“I believe that this would fall into the Professional Services budget,” Mr Hart said, adding that he did not see any urgency in publicly communicating the retaining of Ms Baldwin.

“As this work has been going on for some time, it doesn’t seem like an urgent issue,” Mr Hart said. “My recommendation would be that you wait until Janet returns…and get the full story from her. I’m sure that she can provide the budgetary details and talk more specifically about what CABE is doing for the District.”

After then contacting Ms Baldwin regarding her rate of compensation, she told The Bee that the $2,000 per month retainer “sounded a little high.”

“I would check on that and get back to you,” Ms Baldwin said. “But just think what it would cost if they hired a person on staff. Some districts in Connecticut have communications directors whose salary is in the six-figure range.”

Ms Baldwin added that it is more cost effective for the district to retain her services as needed, versus hiring its own person on staff.

According to her own marketing material, Ms Baldwin has more than 20 years of expertise in supplying support in crisis management, media management, marketing, and presentation skills. Before establishing her own business, Ms Baldwin worked for more than 15 years in the television news business as an anchor-reporter for stations across the country, including NBC-30 in Hartford.

In addition to working in television, she also hosted The Ann Baldwin Show on WTIC-AM 1080.

Ms Baldwin said she has been working with the district for several months, and will also handle workshops with district staff, including professional development for the district’s leadership team.

“I’m just one of a lot of consultants who work for the district,” she said. “CABE is a client of mine, and through CABE I work with a variety of school districts. I’m an asset if I say so myself. I help them get information out in an effective way.”

Shelton Prom Flap

Ms Baldwin said her most recent high-profile work was advising the Shelton School District last spring, when it denied a student access to the prom after he asked his date to attend by hanging a banner on the front of the high school building.

That story brought international attention to the district and resulted in a social networking phenomenon that elicited donors from around the country who, in part, offered to provide everything from a tuxedo, to limo, catering and even a facility for the student to host his own “alternative prom” if he was not allowed to attend the official event.

The Shelton district finally capitulated and permitted the student to attend, and the furor quickly disappeared. Among her other clients are Connecticut Humane Society, New Haven County Medical Association, ING, Post University, and the Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation.

The former news anchor said beside working with district staff, she plans to work side by side with students in the high school’s communications program, teaching them the ropes and hopefully improving the scope and quality of programming on the district’s cable access station.

“Newtown has so many great things, from its culinary program to its auto shop where teachers get their cars fixed to a special ed program that provides pickup and delivery of dry cleaning,” she said, “so many hidden treasures.”

But she agreed that school districts also face a significant amount of negative publicity.

“My job will be to help make educators better communicators,” Ms Baldwin said. “That’s not what they are trained to do.”

‘Caught Off Guard’

School board Vice Chair Debbie Leidlein said she was disappointed that Mr Hart did not feel it was necessary to communicate the district’s intent to retain a communications liaison to his own board, and that she was caught off guard about the issue when contacted by The Bee.

“It’s ironic that we are trying to improve our communications,” Ms Leidlein said. “This doesn’t set a great example.”

Ms Leidlein said she is also concerned about where the retainer fee for Ms Baldwin is coming from, considering the district’s last financial report appeared to have little wiggle room for increasing discretionary or professional services expenditures.

“Specifically, I’d like more information on the contract. I’d like to know if we are paying whether we use her or not,” Ms Leidlein said. “This is exactly why the board needs more control of, and caps within line item budgets and transfers.”

The school board vice chair admitted that the addition of Ms Baldwin may be a positive development, “but since it was not communicated, people immediately start becoming suspect and start questioning it.”

When contacted, former district teacher and incoming school board member John Vouros sounded incensed by the assertion that teachers needed assistance promoting their students’ work.

“We have educators who are fabulous communicators,” Mr Vouros said. “They don’t need their hand held to explain the great things they are doing with their students.”

Mr Vouros said instead of retaining a communications consultant, the district’s funds could be better spent on its students.

“Janet told me she was paying [Ms Baldwin] $2,000 a month, although she’ll probably deny she said that,” Mr Vouros said. “But that $24,000 can be better spent hiring a part-time sixth grade foreign language teacher instead of having that Chinese music program. Or how about hiring a few educational assistants, or getting help with the Gates program?”

Newly elected school board member Laura Roche also expressed concern about where the district was coming up with the retainer.

“She has been working for the district for more than three months? Why are we hiring a publicist? Who authorized it, and why has it never been discussed at a Board of Ed meeting?” Ms Roche commented. “Where is this $2,000 a month coming from?”

Ms Roche agreed that it was ironic that district officials would try to hide the fact that it had hired a communications professional to improve its own public relations skills.

Mr Hart confirmed that the Newtown District purchases a number of services from CABE, such as their policy service and various training activities.

“Given the challenges of effectively communicating in this environment, it seems to make sense to me to get some expert help, and from what I have seen it is beginning to have a positive impact,” Mr Hart said.