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Students React to Teacher Firings

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By Avi Frier - FJN Publisher

Last week, as many as fourteen teachers at Hillel Community Day School in North Miami Beach were given notice that their contracts would not be renewed next school year. Among the fourteen were three of the most popular teachers in the high school, sparking an emotional response from the student body that included dressing in black and staging a sit-in last Thursday.


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The students also began posting tributes to their teachers and criticism of their school’s decision on a number of web sites, where they were quickly joined by Hillel alumni who posted similar sentiments. One of the web sites, Facebook.com, was also used to make plans for the in-school protests.

A follow-up to Thursday’s sit-in was scheduled for the next day, but it was called off when word spread among the students that the decision was not final, and that the teachers were already engaged in discussions with the administration regarding the renewal of their contracts for the 2007-2008 school year.

In fact, as these rumors of rehiring spread, a number of these teachers were meeting with head of school Dr. Adam Holden, discussing what would need to occur in order to have their employment continue in the fall.

Many of the students believe that their display of support for the teachers brought about the Administration’s perceived change of heart. "It’s amazing how much influence we really have!" one eleventh grader posted on Facebook.

But Holden says the close timing of these discussions to the students’ protests is purely coincidental. "We take into account the views of our students and parents, but there are many many factors that go into the decision making process," Holden said. He referred to the letters the teachers received as "part of the process," commenting, "the negotiation doesn’t necessarily end when a teacher is told they will not be offered a contract next year."

Mrs. Debbie Galitzer, one of the three teachers whose non-renewal evoked the emotional outpouring from the high schoolers, met with the Florida Jewish News in Dr. Holden’s presence last Friday. "Our dialogue has been successful and productive, and no decisions have been made on either end," Galitzer said.

However, she did say that the termination letter she had received a few days earlier made no mention of the possibility of further negotiation.

Holden responded that when the teachers were given the letters, they were told verbally that they could discuss these issues with him if they so desired. The message to the teachers, he said, was that "at this moment in time, we’re not going to extend a contract to you. But if you want to discuss how you can improve, what you can do to change that, my door is open."

Holden said that this aspect of the process was not put in writing to the teachers because, "if we write a letter that says ‘as it stands now’ [as opposed to definitively stating that the contract will not be renewed], we’re still contractually obliged to them, and we can’t go out and fill the position if we need to."

But Keith Wasserstrom, a Hollywood attorney specializing in corporate and contract law doesn’t see any legal significance to adding the words "as it stands now" to a termination letter. "While adding these words may give hope to the teacher that they might still salvage their job, it certainly doesn’t bind the school to renew their contract," Wasserstrom said.



Full support of the board



At a special meeting with the Florida Jewish News on Monday, members of Hillel’s executive board explained how the recent events fit in to the school’s overall plan.

Dr. Judy Dach, the board’s Secretary, stated that for the past few years, the board has been working toward the goal of making Hillel a Jewish school of excellence that could compete not only among Jewish schools but among the nation’s best private schools, both religious and secular. Toward that end, they have implemented a three-year strategic plan, Hillel’s "Blueprint to Excellence," which outlines the school’s goals. The Blueprint covers all areas of school administration, including curriculum, finance, communication, and admissions.

The school has worked extensively with the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education ("PEJE"), a Boston-based organization established to help Jewish schools strive for academic excellence, Judaic values, and financial stability. Last year, PEJE, in conjunction with an educational staffing firm, helped Hillel choose Dr. Holden as Head of School.

"Our motto was to leave no stone unturned," Dach said, "and I would ditto [PEJE Executive Director Rabbi] Joshua Elkin’s statement that Adam is God’s gift to Jewish education."

Ellis Sinyor, the school’s immediate past president echoed Dach’s praise of Holden. "This guy is good. I wish we had a lot more just like him," Sinyor said.

According to board Chair, Rafael Russ, Holden was given specific goals for this year, including the implementation of a system of staff evaluation. "We were dealing with teachers who were not accustomed to being watched and evaluated," Russ said. "But our strategic plan dictated that such a system of checks and balances needed to be in place so that we’d be able to maintain a staff of the highest quality educators."

The system calls for evaluation of each teacher by a supervisor, a department head, and an independent evaluator. The resulting evaluation, along with a self-evaluation completed by the teacher, is presented to the principal, who decides on the teacher’s future at Hillel. The principal’s decision is subject to final approval by the Head of School.

While Russ admits that there were some "communication glitches" in the way the system was implemented last week, he stressed that it is more important to take a step back and look at how far the school has come in recent years.

"As a board, we feel very confident and support the process," Russ said.

"We don’t make decisions based on public opinion," Sinyor said. "We are focused on becoming a model for Jewish education in the United States. We know where we’re going, and we’re not going to be swayed."



Objecting to the methods



Despite the board’s confidence in their direction, they were disturbed by some of the methods through which objections to the school’s decisions were expressed.

"Things on that website are completely unacceptable," said Sinyor, regarding the recently established blog SaveHillel.com, where students, parents, and alumni have posted their opinions concerning the recent events. "It is Lashon Hara, and hype."

But a former Hillel parent who wished to remain anonymous said that she hopes the board will read the postings on the site and take them to heart. "The people who don’t care aren’t taking the time to write. Those who are writing are the school’s future and need to be heard."

Additionally, Russ blames the teachers for the students’ in-school protests, accusing them of "leading a crusade, using the children and the classroom for their benefit and their personal agenda."

But students told the Florida Jewish News that the rumors of the firings originated not from their teachers but from fellow students whose parents were either on the board or friendly with board members.

Holden’s detractors, both at Hillel and at his previous post at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy in Overland Park, Kansas, say that they object not as much to his decisions as to the way in which he implemented them.

"No one seemed to care about the relationships these faculty members had with the students here," an eleventh grade girl told the Florida Jewish News. "Dr. Holden hasn’t been here long enough to understand."

In Kansas City, where Holden also fired a significant number of teachers in his first year at Hebrew Academy, a parent expressed a similar sentiment: "He had little care for feelings and how a teacher being let go might affect the community."

Holden says that while his detractors objected to his methods, it is these very methods that his supporters cite as to why they like him. "It’s my job as head of school to take the heat for my decisions," he said. "I don’t care if we have egg on our face, and I don’t care what the perception is outside these walls. I care about doing what’s right and following the process."



Searching for answers



In the interest of confidentiality, school officials would not discuss specific teachers or the reasons why each one is being let go. This has led to much speculation on the part of students and parents as to why this is all happening.

Since a number of veteran teachers (who tend to command higher salaries) have been let go, some have arrived at the conclusion that it was a budgetary move. In fact, Holden was praised by supporters in Kansas City for balancing the school’s budget; according to the school’s IRS filings from 2003, his efforts brought the school’s payroll from $2.3 million to $1.8 million, an unprecedented 18% decrease in human resource expenses.

But Holden insists that budgetary concerns did not come into play in Hillel’s case. "At no time has any teacher’s contract been reviewed in terms of salary," he said.

Gil Bonwitt, the board’s Vice Chair says the decisions are purely for the betterment of the school’s level of education. Bonwitt says that the process challenges each teacher: "Are you educationally sound in the way that you do things, and if not are you willing to grow with us and be that person?"

For many, this explanation is unsatisfactory. "How do you explain them getting rid of Debbie Heber?" a parent asked. "Three years ago, they honored her as a Teacher of the Year. ‘An extraordinary teacher who makes a difference in our children’s lives,’ they said. If that’s not ‘educationally sound,’ I don’t know what you’d call it."

Today, as parents and students watch and wait in the hope that their favorite teachers will be reinstated, the board is prepared to support their Head of School in whatever his final decision may be.

"The Board’s shared intention with the administration is to strengthen Hillel so we may fulfill our mission," Russ wrote in an email to Hillel’s parent body Tuesday. "We can only do so with change. At times, this may mean overcoming challenge or adversity."



Posted by Avi Frier - FJN Publisher on 03/30 at 02:00 AM • Hits: 157



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