Anti-seniority TV ad’s sponsors tied to mayor

The battle over teacher layoffs has taken to the airwaves but one of the combatants isn’t exactly what it claims to be. Education Reform Now, which since Feb. 10 has run a TV commercial attacking seniority-based layoffs, purports to be an independent education advocacy group that happens to have an agenda similar to the mayor’s. At least that’s what its president, Joe Williams, told The New York Times.

In fact, a recent article in The Times revealed the web of connections between Education Reform Now and the mayor, noting that the group was working with many of the same political consultants and other personnel whose services Bloomberg has enlisted over the years — not the least of whom is former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who heads the group.

Let’s start with Williams. In addition to his spot at Education Reform Now, Williams is also the executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, a political action committee that supports many Bloomberg allies. Then there’s Patrick Van Keerbergen, in charge of field operations at Education Reform Now. He worked on the mayor’s 2009 re-election campaign.

Bradley Tusk, the manager of that campaign, helped come up with the anti-teacher ad, which was produced by Josh Isay, an adviser to Bloomberg during both his 2005 re-election campaign and as his 2008 fight to eliminate term limits.

But the links don’t stop there. The public relations firm where Isay works, SKD Knickerbocker, also handles communications for Educators 4 Excellence, an organization that is bankrolled by deep-pocketed foundations aligned with the so-called “ed reformers.” Kerri Lyon, an employee of the DOE’s press office until last year, handles Educators 4 Excellence’s account. And the three teachers in the Education Reform Now ad are all members of Educators 4 Excellence.

In the ad, one of the teachers laments, “If there have to be layoffs, we should keep the best teachers — it’s that simple.” Another continues, “Whether that means they’re a second-year teacher or a 22nd-year teacher.”

Don’t be surprised if those lines sound familiar. As The Times article pointed out, Schools Chancellor Cathie Black said much the same thing to members of the state Legislature earlier this month: “The answer is obvious: Keep the most effective teachers, whether they have been in the system two years or 22 years.”

The echo chamber reflects the mayor’s coordinated attack.