Shaw Avenue parents support school principal

Dozens of Shaw Avenue School parents came out to the District 30 Board of Education meeting on Monday night in support of Principal Angela Hudson, after rumors surfaced that she wouldn’t be getting tenure.

Hudson, who started as principal in July 2008, is in the final year of her three-year probationary period. Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas came under fire by parents who said they have heard that Hudson will not be asked to return next year.

Margo McKenzie, president of the Shaw Avenue School PTA, said she was disturbed by the rumors and came out to support the principal. Meanwhile, Yvette Thompson said she was “embarrassed” to be a part of the community right now, and said a small but vocal group opposed to Hudson does not represent the majority of the community.

“It breaks us down. It does not build us up,” Thompson said about the prospect of losing Hudson as principal. “If it’s true, I think it’s a step backward.”

Eleanor Hurdle said she was upset, appalled and devastated when she heard that Hudson might not be back as principal next year. In a meeting with Kanas and another parent, Hurdle said she was told by Kanas that the superintendent was alone in having the power to grant tenure.

Later on in the meaning, while explaining the tenure process, Kanas said that legally a Board of Education could not grant tenure to a teacher or administrator without the support of the superintendent. “It is one of the few things a superintendent has to recommend for a board to act upon,” she said.

Hurdle, who stood just feet from Kanas and Board of Education members, said the decision to tenure Hudson should reflect the wishes of the community at large. She said that parents want stability at the school, and that means keeping the principal.

“Ms. Hudson is responsible,” Hurdle said, citing increased test scores in recent years. “If things were going down, she’s responsible. Things are going up. She’s responsible. We love our principal.”

Madelyn Torres, who is on the Shaw Avenue School PTA board, said Hudson is very visible in the school and always available to meet with parents. Torres went on to say that Hudson is always the first person to volunteer for PTA activities, including sitting in the dunking booth at a family picnic and dressing up as a clown for a Parents as Reading Partners program.

Torres also cited the Kindness Café that Hudson started at Shaw Avenue, which rewards students for good behavior with ice cream sundaes after lunch. Hudson makes an effort to foster an environment where students learn how to be better individuals and contribute in a positive way to the community, Torres said.

And Hudson has addressed safety issues regarding student drop-off in the morning, Torres added. “The list goes on and on and on,” she said.

Oneka Chan said that Hudson makes students feel safe and secure in the school, and makes parents feel like an integral part of the Shaw Avenue School community.

Kanas said that the tenure process is confidential because each employee has a right to privacy. She said that every year, teachers and administrators are evaluated during their probationary period, but those reports are not available to the public.

Personnel decisions are never easy, Kanas said, because it deals with people’s lives. However, she said, she and the school board take these decisions very seriously and make sure that it is always done in the best interests of the children. “A district has only three years to make a decision,” she said, “which is essentially a lifelong decision with the way the tenure laws work.”

Board of Education President Elise Antonelli said that all tenure appointments are done at a public meeting. District 30 typically makes these decisions at an April or May Board of Education meeting.

Shaw Avenue parents are hoping for good news in the spring when those tenure appointments are announced. Arthur Registre, who has two children in the school, is one of them. “I, too, along with the parents, do want Ms. Hudson to stay as principal of Shaw Avenue School,” he said.