First they had a new foreign language teacher, then parents thought they didn’t-but they actually did. District 97 Supt. Constance Collins last week assured parents at Lincoln Elementary School that the teacher she recommended for the school this year will not be removed.
Collins recommended an extra teacher in August after Lincoln showed an increase in student enrollment for the 2008-2009 school year. The district makes enrollment projections in the spring and Lincoln was projected to have 410 students, but by this fall roughly 430 had enrolled. Enrollment data for the entire district routinely changes as the school year approaches, Collins said, with new students coming in and some transferring out before the fall.
But rumors swirled the second week of school at Lincoln, 1111 S. Grove Ave., that Collins was being pressured by a Dist. 97 school board member to change her mind. The superintendent was notified of the rumor from Lincoln Principal Catherine Hamilton, who was hearing it from parents. Collins told Wednesday Journal last Friday that she never changed her mind about adding a teacher, nor did any board member contact her about reversing her decision.
“We don’t take a teacher away after we know what the assignments are, which are done at the end of the school year. Those numbers are set,” she said. “But we do look at if we need to add a teacher.”
Collins said there were more students overall in the district than anticipated, and based on new enrollment numbers within the last week, Irving Elementary School, 1125 S. Cuyler, will also receive another teacher this school year.
Collins approved the addition of the Lincoln instructor on Aug. 29. Parents were notified by letter and through the school’s listserv. According to multiple sources connected with the school, at the Lincoln PTO meeting on Sept. 3, a parent informed the PTO about Collins being pressured by a board member about withdrawing the teacher.
This set off a flurry of phone calls and e-mails among parents and from parents to the administration and board. On Sept. 8, a day before the school board meeting, Collins sent another letter out to parents stating there was no change in her position.
Lincoln PTO Co-President Dewitt Kelly said he didn’t know how the rumor started and, along with other parents, called administration to get clarification. Some parents, speaking during public comments last week, criticized administrators for not returning calls, not doing so promptly, or not having answers to their questions when they did. Some parents, though, said Collins did return their call.
Some also alleged that a Dist. 97 staff member was calling parents telling them not to attend the board meeting, but they didn’t say who. Collins said she needed to get accurate information about the claim, but maintained no administrator should be telling parents not to attend a public meeting. Kelly added this isn’t the first instance where parents received little or no communication from the district concerning a school-related issue.
“The level of communication is not consistent with the goals of the strategic plan,” he said.
Collins also acknowledged there was a communication breakdown from the district after rumors started to surface.
“We have to make sure, and it is our goal, to communicate as pro-actively as possible from the district office, and so we have to take a look at where we had the breakdown and when there is some misinformation out in the community, we want to make sure we nip it in the bud immediately.”
Several parents also wanted clarification on the district’s student/teacher ratio of 19.5-21.5 and how that applies to potential staff changes. Some believed pressure was being put on Collins because Lincoln was slightly over that ratio this year.
Board President Michelle Harton said the district will clarify to parents how the ratio is applied and the role of the board in decision-making. Harton added she and other members became aware of the controversy just days before the school board meeting. She told parents that no one board member can make a decision for the entire body. The board, she added, doesn’t have the authority to add or remove teachers from the classroom. Instead, a recommendation comes from the superintendent and administration, which the board later votes on.
“This rumor was a surprise to us,” Harton said. “Any time we put staff in the building, we want staff there for the entire year. The board historically supports the decision of the superintendent.”
CONTACT: tdean@wjinc.com
