Crowd supports Vice Principal at school board meeting
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POLSON — So many people attended the Polson School Board meeting on Feb. 14 that the meeting was moved to Linderman School Library from its normal location at the district administration building. Most of the more than 80 people who packed into the room came to speak on behalf of Polson High School Vice Principal Shawn Hendrickson. Hendrickson’s contract was not renewed for the 2011-12 school year without cause. According to state law, the board need not provide a reason.
During the hour-long comment period, PHS students and staff, community members, friends and family of Hendrickson asked the trustees to reconsider their decision.
One comment came from PHS senior Mesa Starkey. She said there had been “such an improvement in spirit at the high school” since Hendrickson came to the school.
“Everything at PHS has been improved,” Starkey added.
A schoolmate of Hendrickson’s from kindergarten through high school, PHS band director Rich Sawyer said the two men also attended Montana State University together and eventually returned to Polson to raise their families.
At PHS, Sawyer said he saw a reactionary style of principalship change to preventative during Hendrickson’s tenure.
“It’s pretty hard to sit here,” Wade Hendrickson, Shawn’s father said, “when Shawn’s done a great job. …Without cause is a chicken way out of it.”
As the parent of a student who graduated last year, Chris McDonald said Hendrickson could relate to Native American and non-Native kids. McDonald said she felt Hendrickson served as a role model to the students, that “If this Native American kid can come this far, so can I.”
After the public comment ended, the board vote was 7 to 1 against extending Hendrickson’s contract.
Addressing the crowd, Trustee Vernon Finley said, “… I wanted you — especially people who encouraged me to run — to see my position. ... It was a vote for keeping the administrative team united or not.”
Trustee Kelly Bagnell said she struggled with the without cause issue.
“That’s Montana law,” she added, “And we’re stuck with it.”
After the crowd left, the trustees heard reports from the technology committee regarding a technology levy.
“Basically what we’re going to do is show need,” Carl Elliott, Polson Schools’ director of support service, HR and IT, said.
The three-year plan, according to the committee, lists the district’s immediate needs: refresh general purpose k-8 computer labs that are five years old or older and refresh the high school’s science department, where 88 percent of the computers are 10 years old.
As well as buying new products, trustees discussed leasing technology from companies using cloud computing. The deadline for a decision on a technology levy is March 24.
After a request from Trustee Finley to include Jan. 4 in the Christmas break because of the traditional jump dance and much discussion, the trustees sent the proposed 2011-12 calendar back to committee and asked them to re-present it at the March meeting.
In other business, trustees approved:
• lettering for rodeo student competitors
• purchasing a new math textbook for K-5, “Math Expressions”
• the personnel report for the elementary schools
• a request for extended sick leave for an employee
• claims for January
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held March 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the district office conference room.
