Kicking Kelly to the Curb

Santa Fe says no to the privatization of substitute teachers.

The same company that introduced “Kelly Girls”—that 1960s fleet of office secretaries—took a stab at providing substitute teachers to Santa Fe Public Schools last year. That is, until NEA-New Mexico got that idea filed under B—for BAD!

In an unusual, but effective way to reach members, NEA-NM started a blog (or Weblog) at www.kellysubs.blogspot.com that helped organize protests, kept alive the privatization issue, and asked the key questions: “Who stands to gain?”

With $200,000 going to Kelly Services, it was obvious who gained. Who lost? The subs, making just $60 a day—and the teachers and students left rudderless when Kelly couldn’t fill positions.

Thanks to NEA-NM’s cyber efforts, Santa Fe Public Schools did not renew the Kelly contract. Using the Internet is “the kind of thing that tips the balance. Another tool—and a valuable one,” said State Communications Director Marguerite Kearns.