|
|
|
Ackerman message machine uncovered
Sources tell City Paper that former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman ran a School District communications team dedicated to promoting and defending her personally, and which coordinated public rallies in her favor and spent taxpayer time and money on "propaganda."
Ackerman message machine uncovered
A personal PR team.
Two knowledgeable sources tell City Paper that former Superintendent Arlene Ackerman ran a School District communications team dedicated to promoting and defending her personally, and which coordinated and assisted public rallies in her favor, communicated regularly with private supporters, and spent taxpayer time and money on various kinds of "propaganda," including protest signs and a farewell tribute video. Since Ackerman's departure after negotiating a nearly $1 million buy-out of her contract, one source says the same team continues to manage Ackerman's antagonistic public relations campaign against Mayor Michael Nutter and others.
The three Communications staffers who allegedly orchestrated a personal public relations campaign for Ackerman — former Director Jamilah Fraser, and staffers Shana Kemp and Elizabeth Childs — resigned last Monday, the same day that Ackerman's buyout was announced. According to one source, the three were told they would be fired if they did not resign because they had gone rogue, spending the majority of their time working for the Superintendent even as she was headed for the door.
These sources say that Jamilah Fraser and her two deputies were dedicated to protecting and promoting Ackerman above all else. (Fraser and her two deputies were hired in November 2010, 11 months after two staffers were fired in the wake of a highly critical Philadelphia Magazine cover story titled "Queen Arlene.")
"The Communications office was running a PR support operation for Ackerman," says one source with detailed knowledge.
"It was a Communications office for the Superintendent, not for the District. It was like a personal PR team," says a second source." Around the District, "the Communications office was seen as the propaganda department for Dr. Ackerman."
Ackerman, frequently criticized for high central office salaries, paid top dollar to the three people directing her message machine: Fraser received a salary of $170,000 and Kemp and Childs made $135,000 each.*
Acting Communications Director Fernando Gallard would not respond to specific allegations laid out by these sources.
"We are currently focusing on the work ahead, and we're busy making sure that we have a successful school year starting this September 6. That is going to be the only focus of my office here and I'm not going to comment on any allegations regarding the past work done here in the District Communications office."
Fraser and Kemp declined to comment for this story, and Childs did not respond to repeated interview requests.
The team directly assisted in production of pro-Ackerman events.
As criticism of Ackerman grew louder, the superintendent echoed allegations made by activists that she was unfairly targeted because of her race and sex. According to CP's sources, the Communications office, under Fraser's direction, was in touch with the same small group of African-American activists, coordinating and making posters for a July 22 rally in support of Ackerman.
"They made posters and then handed them out to 15 or so supporters," says the second source.
One sign asked, "What About Our Children?" Another defended Ackerman's signature school turnaround initiative, reading "Keep Promise Academies" with a picture of a crying young African-American boy.
Pamela Williams, a District security guard and outspoken Ackerman supporter, was in and out of the Communications office both before and after the July 22 protest. (The District later opened an investigation because Williams was out of work on disability at the time.)
Emmanuel Bussie, an outspoken pro-Ackerman activist and regular sight at SRC meetings, allegedly coordinated his activism with the District communications team.
"They organized rallies in support of the superintendent," says the second source, "They had been working with Emmanuel Bussie, and he was, I guess, their contact person to get people to come to rallies."
At an August 3 SRC meeting, he compared Ackerman to Rosa Parks and called for her to stay.
"We've got your back," he told her at the hearing.
Bussie, an ally of Sharif Street, son of former Mayor John Street, recently voiced national political ambitions on his Facebook page ("Family and Friends, I think I am ready to elevate NATIONALY (go to that next level) what do you think? Am I ready?, he wrote on August 22").
Bussie told CP, "I'm in communication with everybody, and it was never about coordinating our actions."
"We just absolutely adore this woman for what she stands for," saying that Promise Academies delivered resources to students most in need, particularly long-underserved African-Americans.
"Even if I was a regular visitor to the Communications office, and I wasn't a regular visitor to the Communications office, it was to ask for data."
And he does not see a problem with the District spending money to support Ackerman.
"As a matter of fact, I think they should have spent more money and more resources to retain Dr. Ackerman."
The PR war goes guerilla.
According to CP sources, during Ackerman's last week in office, Jamilah Fraser and her deputies fought a rear-guard guerilla public relations war, beginning with a sensational August 18 appearance at a principal's meeting. Ackerman entered to Sade's "Is It a Crime?" and recited the Maya Angelou poem "And Still I Rise."
She asked, "Is it a crime to stand up for children instead of stooping down into the political sandbox and selling our children for a politician's campaign victory?" And then, she dared the SRC to fire her — knowing full well that her departure was already being arranged. Indeed, she was negotiating it.
The District-produced video tribute.
The team's final offensive was mounted last Monday, as word of Ackerman's imminent departure spread: a well-produced video tribute to Ackerman emerged on the District website as an overlay, so that users had to click through it to access the rest of the website.
About an hour later, the video was gone — removed by angry District officials. The video is now on Ackerman's brand-new personal YouTube channel (though "Adding comments has been disabled for this video"). Set to a maudlin classical score, the video describes the sorry state of Philadelphia public schools before Ackerman took the helm in 2008, and features inspiring testimonies from teachers, principals, students and parents testifying to the success Ackerman oversaw.
But the clips edited into the video were compiled from a variety of sources, and one featured principal was surprised to hear that her interview was used to promote the Superintendent.
"That was, to my knowledge, something in-house, maybe to be shown on the School District channel in the future," says John Webster School Principal Christine Connor.
Connor told CP that her interview was filmed in May to mark Webster's graduation from Empowerment School status.
Both sources consulted for this story confirm that the video was produced by Fraser and Kemp, working on the taxpayer dollar.
Still going.
Ackerman's message machine is still at work, says the first source, coordinating an increasingly aggressive media strategy that has included sharp-tongued interviews with Ed Week, Fox 29 and 900AM WURD.
During the WURD interview, Ackerman said the communications staffers "were ushered out like criminals."
Indeed, Ackerman seems to be turning up the heat with each interview: last Thursday on WURD, she urged parents to "vote with their feet" and take their kids out of Philadelphia public schools. And in a major surprise, she voiced support for school vouchers that would deliver public education funds to private schools--a controversial pet project of State Senator Anthony Williams, an Ackerman ally. She now plans a series of workshops for parents to, she says, "help them navigate the system."
At last Wednesday's tumultuous School Reform Commission (SRC) meeting, the activists that the communications team cultivated over the past year shouted in protest, and one person even accused black SRC members of "lynching" Ackerman. Shana Kemp was reportedly in the room.
* NOTE: An earlier version of this story said that Jamilah Fraser's $170,000 salary was higher than Mayor Michael Nutter's. In fact, Nutter's current salary is $171,525.
Illustration: Evan M. Lopez
Follow me on Twitter @DanielDenvir
Ackerman should be arrested— Tyrone Biggums- Is *anyone* surprised? And why is this woman not under arrest for stealing public funds? This story is sickening.— Jen D
- Stories like this are exactly why people in the suburbs are fed up with our tax dollars going to these cities. Whether it is Philly, Newark or Camden ... millions of dollars are wasted ... nothing is changed ... scores don't rise, yet they continually ask for more funding. All the while local surburban schools lose money and raise our property taxes. I get tired of listening to these clowns at the Inky claim that the city schools are underfunded or towns are racist for not joining the school choice program (the claim against the town i live in). The cities are just run by crooks and thieves at various levels who use kids and the race card as a crutch to continue stealing.— JimW
- Stories like this are exactly why people in the suburbs are fed up with our tax dollars going to these cities. Whether it is Philly, Newark or Camden ... millions of dollars are wasted ... nothing is changed ... scores don't rise, yet they continually ask for more funding. All the while local surburban schools lose money and raise our property taxes. I get tired of listening to these clowns at the Inky claim that the city schools are underfunded or towns are racist for not joining the school choice program (the claim against the town i live in). The cities are just run by crooks and thieves at various levels who use kids and the race card as a crutch to continue stealing.— JimW
- I want my tax dollars back. Roll back property increase!!!— Nitroglycerin
- Leroy Nunery II was deputy to the queen. Like nazi deputies, Rudolf Hess and Joseph Goebbels, what did he know? As current acting sup, shouldn't the SRC, the mayor and the press be questioning him about Queenie's office of propaganda? Was he somulent during the last year and 1/2 of her reign? And the unnamed whistle blowers, are they still fearful of being terminated? If so, why? Are they afraid of the SRC and Nunery? Shouldn't this be enough for your paper to visit his office and have him cough up some lies?— lefty
- It's not a crime for the staff to promote Ackerman. Promoting her is in fact promoting the school district and the things they accomplished. Comapnies do it all the time with their CEO's. What is a crime is the amount of money they got paid. It's just proof that there are many areas where the School District can cut costs instead of cutting teachers.— Jimbo123
- I'm a Philly tax payer who happens to work for the SDP. How dare that woman funnel all that money to herself and her toadies??
In the two years I worked here I have *never* seen Ackerman in any of our schools. We teachers pay for classroom supplies out of our own pockets, feed students if they're hungry and give them whatever it takes to help them learn. When I hear how AA abused our system and stole from the kids I want the mayor -or the state - whoever! to take her to court and let EVERYONE know that this b1tch is the worst thing to happen to a school system.
Shana Kemp, I know you're reading this. How can you sleep at night, knowing that you were a part of it?— I Teach in Philly - Would it surprise you to know that contractors were supposed to be supplying classroom supplies and food? Look at the money trail--I think everyone has been shown Ackerman's contract, settlement, etc. But how about the millions of dollars of contracts that are requested by various departments at SDP (like Facilities, Procurement, Food Services)? How about looking at those and then you will see who was paid--probably millions of dollars--to provide supplies but, instead, shortchanges the contract, (perhaps with the knowledge of department heads as SDP headquarters) to increase profits.
— tholonet - Mike P, no the job is COMMUNICATIONS, not public relations. And deliberate MIS-communication is NOT in the job description. Lamely trying to palm criticism of Ackerman's abuse of employee time and resources for her own purposes, her own self-promotion, that has nothing to do with the school district - as racism - denigrates the very term and all of its tragic implications. Put that card back into your deck of deception. You've lost all credibility.— Boru
- D.A. Seth Williams, Where are You?.— Allen15 Fan
- This to will pass. hurricanes, flash mobs, new Supt prospects, mayoral election, PREZ elections, earthquakes, (Charlie Sheen, l. Lohan, Brangelina, Will/Jada, drama) phillies winning Championship, More M. Vick pros/cons, etc, etc,etc,etc. 4got to mention ghadaffi, Iraq/ Iran, all distractions as well as focus on Arlene. We The PPL always fall for these distractions. Always have, Always will these blogs are living proof, we stay 2 steps behind the Real Story!
Any young females missing in aruba or anywhere else lately. Who is donald trump firing.— Lyrra - I love how the term Source is used liberally. that means diddly-squat. Name the source of your information. Crummy reporters.— tulipwalk
- JimW:
Do you know that 1/3 of all Pa tax dollars come from Philadelphia. We keep the state going? The state said in 2007, that they underfunded the School District of Philadelphia $4,000.00 per child, 1.2 Billion per year. Who are you to say that the State is wrong?— Ogbonna - She also used her personal to wipe her arse.— lvazques
- ActiVman
- adventures
- Arts
- Ask A Man-About-Town
- Award Tour
- Awards
- Bad Idea Factory
- Beer
- Below the Curve
- Bikes
- Booze
- Brian Hickey
- BRT
- Budget
- Budget Fuss
- Business
- Casinos
- City Council
- City Hall
- CouncilMANIC
- CP Abroad
- CP in the Community
- Criminal Justice System
- Day Tripper
- Death and Taxes
- Delaware River
- Design
- DROP
- Drugs
- Dubious Distinction
- Elections
- End of Days
- Environment
- Fashion
- Film Fest
- Financial Meltdown
- FrackTrack
- Free Library
- Gambling
- Gay Stuff
- Get Lit
- Greenstorming
- guns
- Hall Monitor
- Health
- Health Care
- Hello, Kitty
- Holidays
- Ice Cubes
- Iggles
- Immigration
- In Memoriam
- Labor
- Lawsuits
- Letters
- LGBTQ
- Maps
- Marcellus Shale
- Media
- MMA
- Mummers
- Music
- MUST READ
- Mysterious Mysteries
- Nation
- News
- Non Sequitur
- Opinion
- PA politics 2010
- Parking Wars
- Parks and Recreation
- People Send Us This Stuff
- Philadelphia Police
- Philadelphia Union
- Philaphemera
- Philly From Scratch
- philly madness
- Photos
- Poverty
- PPA
- President Obama
- Print Edition
- Prisons
- Protest
- Readers Write
- Real Estate
- Rock Bottom
- Schools
- Science
- Screwing Philly
- SEPTA
- snow
- So Lush
- Soccer
- Sporting Life
- Sports Complex
- State Politicians
- State Politics
- Street Art
- Strike
- Stuff We Like
- Taxes
- Taxi Drivers
- Tech Fetish
- television
- The Budget Crisis
- The City Paper
- The CLOG
- The Human Condition
- The Mayor
- The Phightin Phils
- The World
- Things that make you go hm
- Tinfoil Hats Off
- Under the Table
- Under the Tables
- Urban Development
- Urban Planning
- urban wildlife
- Video Poker
- We Call Shenanigans
- Weather
- Web Junk
- Weekend Omnibus
- White House
- What We've Found
- Women's Issues
- Flyered Up!
- How 'Bout That Weather?
- it's always sunny in philadelphia
- Stu!
- Shopping
- get out
- 10-track mind
- ArtsFlash
- Bloggity
- Bruce Being Bruce
- Colleges
- Comedy
- Gigantic Surprises
- Hello Canary
- Hello Puppy
- errata
- get lost
- Inside The Fishbowl
- Library Closings
- Local Support
- Movies
- Murder
- Night Moves
- Recycling
- radio
- Scientology
- Sex
- Sixers
- Skeeze Police
- State Politicians Screwing Philly
- That's a cool stencil!
- Theater
- Things We See
- This Week
- This Week in Oates
- University City
- WIN
- What we don't heart
- trailer!
- what we heart
- Feeling Guilty
- Askadelphia.
- Broke in Philly
- Contest
- Dance
- Dear Paper Doll
- Do A Good Thing
- Education
- Film Fest Schism
- G20-20 Vision
- Goodbye
- Gossip
- Great American Heroes
- PATCO
- Pearl Jam Week
- Puppy
- Stars of the Photostream
- sustainability
- Lower Merion Webcam-Gate
- The Cycle
- Equality Forum
- Bureaucrat of the Week
- Animals
- ElectionEar
- Photostream
