I read with interest Joe Loviza’s justification for the hiring and the outlandish salaries of entry-level public relations personnel.

Striking in his rationale is the complete absence of any mention of improving the lot of the students. The primary purpose of the PR personnel it appears, if any exists, is to polish the image of the school system’s administration. It is indeed a rough image if two highly paid, full-time specialists are required to spit-shine it.

Mr. Loviza’s arguments are weak. As examples, the need to publish guidelines by the VWSD is null. All standards are already posted on the Mississippi Department of Education website, as well as many federal websites. VWSD athletics, musicals, plays, ceremonies, etc., are already available on cable TV. Further, if Hinds is educating 15,000 students on a $100,000 budget the taxpayers of Warren County are being impaled.

The most flaccid noodle in Mr. Loviza’s argument bowl is that teachers are, functionally, part-time employees and therefore should earn less money. One study by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation indicated that the national mean ‘workday’ for the average teacher is 10 hours, 40 minutes, not including coaching or extracurricular activities, or continuing certification requirements.

For a 180-day school year, this is 1,918-plus hours (most occupations have a 2,000-hour workyear). If paid at the teacher scale, each PR person would need to work approximately 3,836 hours annually, or 77 hours per week, to earn her keep. If one considers after hours, night and on-call duty, the positions begin to tippy-toe into a grey area of labor law. Considering the nebulous requirements for VWSD PR staffing the positions begin to sound like personal services/assistant employment.

Vicksburg is already the butt of jokes for personal assistants and bonus payments, followed by lawsuits. Once again, I say, it appears the PR positions are fetid.

Jon Duke

Vicksburg