As the HEA continues to work without a contract, parents are making small displays of solidarity to let teachers know they’re appreciated.
Heather Ross, parent to a Haddonfield Memorial High School senior and a fifth grader at J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School, has been driving around with a sign in the front passenger seat of her car that says “Settle Now.” She said when she learned her children’s teachers were working without a contract, she became concerned and wanted to show her support in some small way.
These small acts of support have been something of a theme in recent weeks, as parents have come to learn about the Haddonfield Education Association’s contract. HEA co-president Stacey Brown-Downham said that at the beginning of the year, the HEA did a survey of its members to ask what they loved most about teaching in Haddonfield and found that one of the overwhelming answers was the parents’ positive relationship with the teachers. Brown-Downham said since learning that HEA members are working without a contract, parents and community members have continued to show their support.
J. Fithian Tatem Parent Teacher Association co-president Jacqueline Tomasso-Miller said the PTA met at the end of the summer and decided it would be nice to have a welcome back lunch for teachers to boost their morale. She said little did they know the timing would end up being so appropriate with the teachers’ contract still in dispute, and the lunch falling on Friday, Sept. 29 — the day after an especially emotional Board of Education meeting.
“It was so well-received by the teachers, and they were so touched that we decided as a PTA that we would like to continue doing things for them going forward,” Tomasso-Miller said.
Nancy Sullivan, a parent to middle schoolers, said she attended the last Board of Education meeting on Sept. 28 where she was disheartened to hear that on top of not having a contract, teachers were working extra hours moving classrooms while the schools undergo construction.
“It saddens me to hear the frustration of our educators regarding the non-renewal of their contracts,” Sullivan said. “They feel undervalued, and due to some of the current classroom conditions, unsafe. Many parents were unaware because they give our children 110 percent daily.”
For that reason, Sullivan sent out a signup sheet to fellow middle school parents for donations on Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised to find it completely filled on Sunday morning.
On Monday, Oct. 3, staff at Haddonfield Middle School and Central Elementary School were greeted with coffee and breakfast bars on a table with one of their HEA signs that said “No contract. Still Working.”
“You feel like you can’t do too much as a parent, but we can offer our support,” Sullivan said.
Brown-Downham said in addition to attending Board of Education meetings, parents have inquired with HEA members about getting lawn signs and buttons to show their solidarity. HEA co-president William Usher said he and some of his fellow Haddonfield Memorial High School teachers received thank you notes from parents in their mailboxes.
In an effort to capitalize on community engagement, the district sent a notice on Oct. 2 soliciting “Dawgs at Work” volunteers to help teachers pack up boxes and relocate classrooms when construction work forces them to temporarily relocate.
“We would love to be able to use our engaged community to help us support our teachers,” Board President Adam Sangillo said.
Sangillo said teachers have voiced their concerns about the burden of moving classrooms and the extra work doing so on short notice entails, and the district listened. He said the idea is to put together a list of parents, students and teams large enough to make quick work of the moves.
To date, around 50 people have signed up, but Sangillo said the district is trying to accumulate a list that goes into the hundreds. He said he anticipates parents wanting to lend a hand.
Brown-Downham said she appreciates that the board is reaching out to parents to help ease the burden of relocating, but she also acknowledged that it would have been nice to have the logistics of moving classrooms figured out prior to the start of school. She said having teachers packing up their rooms until 11 p.m. doesn’t make for well-rested teachers, but she’s glad teachers are now being encouraged to ask for help.
“I think we’re trying to come to an understanding that we’re all in this together,” Brown-Downham said.
Usher said while the contract is still unsettled, he feels that the HEA and the board have taken some positive steps forward. He said he appreciated that Sangillo, on behalf of the board, is willing to meet and not only hear but deal with the frustrations HEA members are experiencing.
“You don’t want anger to build; you don’t want a sense that people don’t feel appreciated to build,” Usher said.
Usher said the HEA’s hope is that they continue to see steady progress and that gradually everyone is made to feel appreciated. He said this past week a mediator was assigned to contract negotiations, with a meeting scheduled to take place in about two weeks. He said when the HEA filed for impasse on Sept. 13, it did not anticipate having a mediator for another two months.
Despite the frustration of working with an expired contract, Usher said he’s as energized to come to work as he’s ever been and being in the classroom is therapeutic. He said he feeds off his students’ energy.
“I think we’re going to make progress,” Usher said. “We are going to mediation. Both sides want it done.”
To sign up for the Dawgs at Work volunteer group, visit https://www.remind.com/join/atwork. Members of the school community can also sign up by texting @atwork to 81010 or by sending an email to atwork@mail.remind.com.
