Mount Prospect elementary school principal: My job is on the line
The principal of a Mount Prospect elementary school who was placed on administrative leave would like to return to her position.
In a letter to Mount Prospect Elementary District 57, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Herald, Jan Ewing, principal of Westbrook School, wrote, "(I) will not resign my position."
Ewing wrote that she is requesting a hearing before the board of education, something she said is guaranteed in her employment contract, and has no problem with that hearing being made open to the public.
Ewing said she is awaiting the school board's reasons for justifying termination or suspension. She added that since she began as principal in July 2007, her annual evaluations have been satisfactory. In July of this year, she was given a two-year contract to continue in her position.
But on the afternoon of Sept. 3, Ewing said, she was visited by District 57 Superintendent Elaine Aumiller and Assistant Superintendent Susan Woodrow with news about her job.
"They told me that I had a choice to be put on administrative leave or to choose to go on leave on my own due to insubordination (for) not attending (a) August 30th meeting," she wrote.
Ewing was referring to a meeting she missed because of another meeting to discuss the school's busing arrangements.
Ewing said the 2010-11 school year at Westbrook has been different because of new construction, new technology, a new phone system, outsourced busing and new staff moving into the building. All of these factors made it a difficult year, she said.
Busing was a particularly daunting issue.
"The bus lists were not complete when school began; changed each day and we did not receive a day-variant schedule for those children taking different buses on different days until Wednesday, September 1st," she wrote.
Meetings to discuss the lists happened each day after dismissal.
She said she e-mailed Aumiller on Aug. 30 to request meeting with her another time. At no time, she said, were there calls or e-mails to warn her that her job was in jeopardy. But she was told to leave on Sept. 3.
Ewing was subsequently asked, in a communication from the District 57 lawyer to her lawyer, to resign by Sept. 23 and told she may be fired at a dismissal hearing.
Ewing gave the Daily Herald a copy of a letter she received on Sept. 3 from Aumiller.
Aumiller wrote that on Aug. 30, "I ordered you to report to my office at 4:30 p.m. to meet concerning your actions of the past few days. You disobeyed my order and did not report as directed. Thus, you are insubordinate."
Aumiller also mentioned unacceptable behaviors with students, parents, staff and the police liaison officer.
In addition, it says there were insubordinate and malicious contacts with board members and staff, primarily by e-mail.
Ewing, a 58-year-old Northbrook resident who has worked in education since 1974, told the Herald, "I would love to be working. I love Westbrook and I enjoy the children and the families and the staff more than any place I have ever worked."
District 57 school board President Joseph Leane said Sunday, "Jan Ewing has decided to publicly tell her story and has chosen to disclose only selected information. I won't speculate on her motivation for doing that."
Leane said the board of education is treating the issue as a personnel matter that will be discussed in closed session by the board. He said Ewing has not been dismissed. In the meantime, Woodrow will handle Ewing's duties.