It's time to look deeper into teacher terminations

While it’s true that non-tenured teachers in Montana aren’t entitled to job security, I think it’s time we started asking ourselves if this also means non-tenured teachers aren’t even entitled to be treated with respect. 

As the school year draws to a close and Mrs. Kelli Whalen, one of Bigfork’s most talented and beloved teachers, prepares to make her final exit, this is a question that many in the community are grappling with now.

There’s definitely an element of risk when we enter into any relationship, but when we shake hands and begin to work with another person we trust that a basic and mutual commitment will be honored: a commitment to treat each other fairly. 

A teacher has the right to expect that a written school policy requiring performance evaluations will actually be honored — not sometimes or most of the time, but all of the time. What is so painful about Mrs. Whalen’s departure is that she was not even given the benefit of the bargain she made with the school. She performed her best — earning widespread praise from the parents of her students — and was promised feedback, which she received only occasionally and sometimes in incomplete fashion. 

Nevertheless, what little feedback she did receive was all extremely positive. In fact, her personnel file was absolutely flawless.

And then one day, completely out of the blue, she’s told the relationship is over. No opportunity to fix whatever is wrong. No idea what is even wrong.

The purpose of evaluating an employee is not only to guide them and advise them of their strengths and weaknesses, but also to ensure that employer and employee are on the same page. A failure to regularly evaluate effectively cripples teachers in two ways: If they are falling short, it denies them an opportunity to correct any problems or shortcomings via a plan of improvement; and if they are excelling, then there is no written record that argues against a dismissal that may not be performance-related. 

If teachers are not given regular feedback about their performance, then a notice of non-renewal may come suddenly, catastrophically, and without any warning. Does this seem fair to you? If you owned a business, is this the way you would treat an employee? If being a non-tenured teacher is akin to walking a tightrope, then being a non-tenured teacher at Bigfork without the benefit of proper evaluations is like walking a tightrope with an elephant in your arms.

The possibility that non-tenured teachers are being put at risk for dismissal at our school without being afforded the benefit of regular feedback through the required performance evaluations — because evaluations are hit-or-miss — is something that should seriously concern us all, especially if we hope to keep attracting vibrant and talented advocates for our children. 

Talented people want respect and deserve to be treated with respect. And if they can’t be assured of being treated with respect in Bigfork, then they will simply go elsewhere. And the loss will be ours. 

Board of Trustees elections are coming up on Tuesday, May 5. If you’re happy with the way teachers are treated now, then keep voting the way you always have. But if you’d like to see change in the way our teachers are treated, I’d suggest you start investigating alternatives. Christina Relyea would be an excellent choice for teachers and our kids. Please support her.

Monica Harris is a resident of Bigfork.