Six teachers cut in North Lyon County
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Originally published 10:59 p.m., March 8, 2010
Updated 08:39 a.m., March 9, 2010
Board of education members somberly waded through reading after reading of formal motions Monday night, as they voted -- one employee at a time -- not to renew contracts of six teachers in the North Lyon County school district.
The vote was the culmination of repeated executive sessions, when board members listened to remarks from the public about specific teachers and later met for longer executive sessions with Superintendent Mike Nulton and also with Northern Heights High School principal Doug Boline to discuss certified staffing needed for the 2010-11 school year.
When the board resumed its open session, member Wayne Symmonds moved to extend contracts to certified staff as presented. The motion passed on a 5-2 vote, with James Davis and Mike Hanks voting no.
The board then voted on individual non-renewal motions, all of which were made "with regret." The teachers, and the votes, were:
-- Kristi Dekat, junior high language arts teacher, Americus, 7-0.
-- Shawn Wilson, social studies, Northern Heights High School, 5-2, with Davis and Bill McClellan opposed.
-- Joseph J. Vincent Jr., junior high math, Admire, 7-0.
-- Amanda Newman, kindergarten, Reading, 7-0.
-- Megan Thomas, business, Northern Heights High School, 6-1, McClellan opposed.
-- Gina Lyon, science, Northern Heights, 7-0.
To read complete story see the print edition or the online print edition.
For details on this story, see Tuesday's online or print Gazette.
Comments
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wildcatnurse (anonymous) says...
It would be nice to know what was said in the executive sessions. Many students and parents turned out to support Mr. Wilson. One student even gave a speech on behalf of the student body and presented the board with a petition signed by all the students wishing to keep him. A parent spoke on his behalf and also his wife. The board had plenty of proof to get rid of one of the tenured teachers that would have benefitted the students. Instead of taking the hard way...going about with due process to get rid that teacher, they took the easy way and got rid of the great teacher without tenure, against the wishes of the students, parents, and fellow teachers.
It is a sad, sad day when the Board doesn't have the best interest of the students at heart. Isn't that why they want to be on the board in the first place? This was the perfect time to trim the fat in USD 251 and they failed to take advantage of the opportunity. All because they didn't want to deal with the "due process" of getting rid of that teacher. They had proof, that students were leaving NHHS to take their classes elsewhere, during the summer so they wouldn't have to take her classes.
IT IS THEIR JOB TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE STUDENTS AND THEY HAVE FAILED!!!!
I hope the patrons of USD 251 will remember this when it is time to reelect members to the board.
March 9, 2010 at 3:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
I hate to see anyone lose their job, but am very disappointed that Mr Wilson is being let go. Shawn Wilson is a superb teacher, coach and mentor at NHHS. Thank you Mr Davis and Mr McClellan for voting against this decision. I can't help but think that the rest of the board didn't do their homework on this decision. I wish they would have polled the parents and kids of NHHS, they would have heard what a quality teacher Mr Wilson is and how badly he will be missed. Tenure equals affirmative action for poor teachers. Some other school is going to reap the benefits with the hiring of Mr Wilson to their staff, Best of luck to you Shawn.
March 9, 2010 at 3:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
I wonder if the KNEA would support repeal of the statute that forces a Board to fire non-tenured teachers first in situations like this. Give them the opportunity to keep the "best" staff no matter what?
Edward McKernan
March 9, 2010 at 3:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
les_herschler (anonymous) says...
I'm not sure that this needed to be conducted behind closed doors in a secret meeting, either.
March 9, 2010 at 4:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Good point, admireed. Unless all rules regarding tenure are repealed entirely, letting a tenured teacher go will result in an eventual lawsuit that will quickly eat up any savings in funds the district thought they would have made. I'm so sorry to hear about Mr. Wilson. He is a victim of the tenure system.
March 9, 2010 at 5:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cocacola (anonymous) says...
To all of you in NLC, if you have not figured it out yet that Mr. Nulton and the board does not care what the patrons of NLC want then you must have been in a hole this whole time. The patrons of NLC wanted 2 Junior Highs yet they did not get it, they wanted the fat to be trimmed from the top yet the board kept 3 principals and a superintendant. Please tell me why NLC pays a superintendant to sit in a building all day with no students affected? My personal feeling is if you do not directly work with students every day then why do you have a job. Great Job NLC Board Of Education and Mr. Nulton for taking away from your students instead of making decisions that the students, parents, and patrons who pay your salary Mr. Nulton wanted. Anyone for getting rid of the Board and the Superintendant!! Hope you all can sleep at night knowing you are ruining this wonderful district!
March 9, 2010 at 5:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Libertarian (anonymous) says...
My question is why can't the local communities handle their own schools? Why does there need to be STATE statutes to "protect" tenured teachers? Any profession should stand on the merit of their performance, hands down. Many students, who otherwise could've cared less showed up last night in Americus to watch the Board trudge through motions, and anything that was of any real concern to the public gathered was withheld behind closed doors in "executive session." Again, how authoritarian and secretive must a LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD be? What did those students learn last night? My guess is the harsh reality that their school board is simply trying to avoid any legal headaches that might come from actually doing the right thing...quality of education is irrelevant. Tenure decides these kids academic fate. Young teachers, stay away from 251. Best of luck to the students.
March 9, 2010 at 5:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NLCpride (anonymous) says...
Mr. Wilson may have a course of legal action. That is if he can prove that there was a gun held to his head while he signed his contract with the tenure clause in it. Maybe the next contract the teachers sign they will ask that the tenure clause be removed.
Where is the support for the other 5 teachers that were let go? You mean that Mr. Wilson single handly was the backbone of that school? If that is the case then he will have no trouble finding another job.
How many of you are union workers? I'm betting that seniortiy (tenure) plays a big part in your everyday lives at work. If you had a layoff at work who would go first? The highest senior person? NO! it would be the lowest. And as sad as it is, Mr. Wilson just happens to be at the bottom
What would Jimmy Hoffa have to say about this?
March 9, 2010 at 9:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
NLCpride (anonymous) says...
Wildcatnurse do these words sound familiar.............There are plenty of jobs for all the underemployed americans out there, they just are just too lazy or "too good" to take anything beneath their standards.
March 9, 2010 at 9:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Perhaps the board made the right choice concerning the contracts of the other five teachers if no one is contesting the decision?
March 10, 2010 at 12:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sciguy (anonymous) says...
Kansas does not have any provision for "tenure" for a high school teacher. You can not earn a guaranteed position for life.
All you get, after a probationary period of three years (or two if previously earned), is "due process rights". You can still be fired for any reason, but they must state the reason.
Local contracts often specify how staff reductions will be handled. It sounds like this district has not conducted a reduction in force, but has simply elected to non-renew probationary teachers. (This is what I gather from the online version of the story.) If you want a different procedure, then change the negotiated agreement.
If what you want is to get rid of the probationary/due-process provisions state-wide, then feel free to do so. You should come to the bargaining table ready to compensate teachers for the loss of that benefit.
March 10, 2010 at 3:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wildcatnurse (anonymous) says...
Teaching should be like any other profession. Yearly evaluations determine your job status. If you are doing a crap job, you get put on probation or laid off.
How the other social studies lasted this long is beyond me. Even the PRESIDENT of the school board's daughter took history and government over the summer in Emporia so she wouldn't have to take them from the teacher at Heights. Since Mr. Wilson has taken over those classes, no one has left to take those required classes elsewhere. The teacher that is replacing him is a jr. high teacher that has been overheard saying he does not want to teach high school, but is going to so he has a job. So NHHS now has a teacher that shouldn't be there and a teacher that doesn't want to be there. Aren't those the type of teachers you would want teaching your children?
As for no trouble finding a job, schools all over the state are laying of teachers, there will be few, if any positions to be had unless he wants to move. Mr. Wilson has ties to this district, and actually lives in district, unlike many of his peers.
Lastly, NLC Pride, that comment previously made was in defense of illegal immigration. I'm sure if Mr. Wilson is unable to find a job, he will take any job he can find to support his family. It's just a shame that a teacher who clearly makes a difference might not be teaching.
March 10, 2010 at 8:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
AuntOra (anonymous) says...
"The best students in the world are learning here." But are the best teachers in the world teaching here?
March 11, 2010 at 11:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LHWildcat (anonymous) says...
aren't teachers evaluated on a regular basis by all schools districts wildcatnurse, wouldn't the BOE have caught on if someone is really a bad teacher and terminated them during their probationary time (thanks for that info sciguy) if their evaluations were bad. don't let emotion skew your vision and bitterness cause you to deface other NLC educators. also remember 4 other hard working teachers lost their jobs and they are feeling the pain also.
March 12, 2010 at 5:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )