School District ready to hire communications coordinator by end of February

Monroe County School District administrators want to hire a public spokesperson by the end of February, having planned interviews for next week with applicants from an initial batch of 31.

The new job with the title of communications and community relations coordinator and a salary range of 63,200 to $85,200 will remain open until filled, said Ramon Dawkins, the district’s human resources director.

“We are currently in the preliminary stages of determining qualified applicants for the interview session,” Dawkins said last week, adding that no interviews had been held yet. “The final hiring decision is anticipated to be made on February 28 with School Board approval.”

The five board members had been divided over the prospect of creating the PR/spokesperson job, but Superintendent Mark Porter was able to keep the salary in the new fiscal-year budget.

“I’m not sold on it,” said board Chairman John Dick. “How is this position going to help student achievement?”

Veteran board member Andy Griffiths says the PR person will be a godsend during emergency drills or threats like a recent spate of student lockdowns at Key West High School, all of which were determined to be empty threats or simply misunderstandings.

“They’ve got to get the right person,” Griffiths said. “I want a good, knock-it-out-of-the-park person like Becky Herrin.”

Herrin, a former newspaper reporter, is the longtime spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. She is considered a natural by the local press who works all hours and regularly puts out news releases on various crimes, as well as handling the agency’s social media accounts.

While Griffiths said local law enforcement agencies have asked the schools for this type of position, Dick said police simply want the district to settle on one source of information.

“They’re not saying we need to hire a public relations person,” Dick said.

Porter said the communications coordinator will handle social media, public relations and serve as a source of information for staff as well as the press and public. The job winner is tentatively set to start the week of March 20, Dawkins said.

The board meets next at 5 p.m. Feb. 28 at Marathon Middle High School, 350 Sombrero Beach Road, in the media center on the second floor.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 9:58 AM with the headline "School District ready to hire communications coordinator by end of February."