This story was originally produced by the Valley News. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Tawnie Pedersen didn’t pick up her phone when it rang Friday morning at 7:40 while she was driving to her second day of new teacher orientation at the Claremont Savings Bank conference room.
But when she arrived, Pedersen learned that the unanswered call was to inform her she no longer had a job teaching special education at Stevens High School.
And she was not alone. All the district’s new hires, teachers and paraprofessionals, were told on Friday that the School Board would not be ratifying their contracts, as the district scrambles to cut costs in the middle of an unprecedented financial crisis.
In a phone interview Friday afternoon, Pedersen said several others, some who did not get a call, had already arrived when they were informed of the decision.
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When Curriculum Director Rick Elliot, who was giving the orientation, realized what was happening, he called SAU 6 Human Resources Director Patrick O’Hearn who had phoned the new hires, and asked him to come over from the district offices, which are next door, because people were showing up, Pedersen said.
“You could tell he was brokenhearted,” Pedersen said of O’Hearn. “There were people crying and he was very upset. It was upsetting for all of us. This is so sad for the community. Someone had to know this was a possible outcome (before Friday.)”
In a letter to the school community on Friday, the chair of the SAU 6 School Board called the decision to not follow through with the 19 new hires “very difficult and unfortunate.”
“We understand the impact of these actions and do not take them lightly,” Arlene Hawkins wrote. “Our priority is to act responsibly in the face of these challenges while continuing to support our students and staff.”
By not ratifying the new contracts, the district will shed about $1.8 million in expenses, the letter stated.
It became apparent this spring that the Claremont school district is in deep financial distress that officials have blamed on years of mismanagement and poor fiscal controls. Months later, local and state officials are still working to understand the full scope of the problem.
Classes are on schedule to open Thursday as planned, but the district has warned families the opening still could be delayed or at some point the schools may have to shut down if the district is unable to meet payroll and other financial obligations.
“We know that this crisis has impacted many of you in deeply personal ways, creating fear and concerns for the future of the Claremont schools, our staff and our students,” Hawkins wrote Friday. “Please know that the Claremont School Board and the SAU 6 Board are working tirelessly to put us back on the right track.”
Tammy Yates, president of the Sugar River Education Association, the union representing the district’s teachers, said in a news release that the decision will have an adverse impact on students.
The terminations “will cause bigger class sizes and less one-on-one instruction for Claremont students,” Yates said. “We urge administrators, public officials, and lawmakers to join us in putting the needs of our students and our community first as they work to resolve this issue.”
In addition to letting go of new hires, Mary Henry, the SAU 6 business administrator has been placed on paid leave, the letter from Hawkins said. In her place, Matthew Angell has been appointed SAU 6 interim business administrator.
Angell was in attendance at Wednesday’s public meeting.
Pedersen, a 2006 Stevens graduate, moved back home from Philadelphia with her husband to work at Stevens in special education with plans to build a home here.
While she is confident she can find another job nearby in her field, as there is a shortage of special education teachers, Pedersen said coming back to teach at Stevens was important to her.
“I’m from here. I moved back here to work at my high school,” Pedersen said. “It was all heart.”
She did not want to blame O’Hearn or Elliot for having to deliver the bad news.
“They seemed blindsided by this,” Pedersen said.
These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.
