Frantic E-Mail Bemoans Scant Submissions For Mayor's Teacher, Principal Awards

By Joe Eskenazi Mon., Feb. 22 2010 at 2:30 PM

Categories: Education, Government

When it comes to submissions, the mayor's office has got it bad, got it bad, got it bad...

An urgent e-mail fired off to every member of the Board of Supervisors and other government officials pleads with them to drum up entrants for the Mayor's Teacher of the Month and Principal of the Year Awards. The deadline turns out to be Feb. 26 -- and, according to Michael Battista, who runs the programs out of the mayor's office and penned said e-mail -- "The submission pool for this event is on the low side."

Some of the recipients of the e-mail were a bit baffled by a candid admission that hardly anyone knew the deadline for these awards was fast approaching and no one had thought to, say, call any newspapers or blogs.

"Let me talk w [mayoral spokesman] Tony [Winnicker]. Maybe Chron or Examiner will post something about the Teacher of the Year award," wrote Battista in a string of back-and-forth e-mails with the mayor's office included in the original e-entreaty. "What do you think about something in sfweekly? or the guardian?: a blurb? in the events section? an advertisement?"

Michael -- save your money.

Readers: You can enter your worthy teachers into the Teacher of the Month contest here and principals into the Principal of the Year running here. Hurry, for God's sake -- but, since we hear the submission pool is rather low, your entries have a good shot at winning this thing!

Good luck. Next time, just give us a call.