School Board Again Takes Heat for Letting Teacher Go

For the second time in as many board meetings, members of the Lawrence Township Board of Education last week got an earful of complaints about the public school district administration’s decision not to renew the contract of Tara Harrigan, a physical education teacher at Lawrence High School and coach of the varsity girls softball team.

, several members of the softball team begged the school board to reverse the decision and rehire Harrigan. During last week’s meeting (June 11), parents of some of the softball players spoke against letting Harrigan go and leveled stinging criticisms against the district’s athletic director, Ken Mason.

The parents’ complaints last week came just minutes after school board and district administrators – during the student and staff recognition ceremony that started the board meeting – honored Harrigan and the softball team for winning the NJSIAA Group III Central Jersey championship, which one parent described as the first title ever won in the 44-year history of girls softball at Lawrence High School.  

Board members and administrators responded by reminding those at the meeting that, by law, they cannot publicly discuss personnel matters involving individual employees.

“We understand some of you are here to talk about a specific member of our staff,” Laura Waters, board president, said during the meeting. “We are not allowed to respond to anything or comment on anything related to a staff member. We can listen, and you can say whatever you want, but we can’t respond.”

Karin and Jim Ragazzo were among those who spoke in defense of Harrigan and voiced their displeasure with Mason. Their daughter Kim – a senior who – played on the championship softball team and earlier this year signed a letter of intent to play softball for Dominican College.

“I wholeheartedly believe that without Tara Harrigan being a part of the softball program for the past two years my daughter would not be where she is today,” Karin Ragazzo told the board.

(Audio from the entire board meeting can be found on the school district’s website. Karin Ragazzo’s comments are included in this portion of the audio, while Jim Ragazzo’s comments can be found in this portion.)

Also speaking at the meeting was John Harrigan.

“I stand here in the unique and unenviable position of not only being the parent of a student and athlete on the softball team but also the parent of this teacher and coach… Needless to say, I was surprise and angry when I was told she [Tara Harrigan] was not being rehired,” he said.

“After her students came before you and pleaded for their teacher and coach, I felt it was my obligation to tell you what kind of teacher you decided to let go. I am also in the unique position of knowing the reasons given for her non-renewal and find them laughable. There is not a teacher out there with less than 541 days of service that could live up to the expectations of this department,” he continued.

John Harrigan went on to explain that Tara Harrigan left a tenured position in a Hunterdon County school district to come to Lawrence to teach at Lawrence High School in January 2011. In that previous position in Alexandria Township, she was highly regarded by both her students and administrators, he said.

“She was told by her principal that her leadership ability was second to none and that she should consider running for a position in the teachers’ union to represent the teachers of her district when the time was right. The administration looked to her for ideas on how to make the department better for the students. Keep in mind this was based on her teaching abilities, not her ability to coach softball,” John Harrigan said.

In addition to leading the softball team to its first championship, Tara Harrigan during her brief teaching and coaching career at Lawrence High School organized fundraising efforts for a new fence and scoreboard for the softball field; secured new helmets and uniforms for the girls; and initiated an end-of-year team banquet.

“How does a teacher who is praised and rewarded in a previous position by the administration and students all of a sudden become a bad teacher in what amounts to 10 months? This is also a teacher who spent her own money to purchase a motorized vehicle to teacher her students a hands-on approach to driving in the driver’s education class rather than simply relying on a text book. I’m not telling you anything you cannot independently verify yourselves,” John Harrigan said.

John Harrigan also criticized the district’s athletic director and asked the board: “What steps do you take to ensure your department heads are making prudent hiring and firing decisions?”

The full text of John Harrigan’s comments to the board of education can be found below:

First of all, I’d like to congratulate the Lawrence girls softball team for their accomplishments this year and having a very successful year, culminating with winning the Central Jersey Championship on June 1. I’d also like to thank the school board and administration for honoring them tonight.

At the last board meeting some of the softball players stood in front of you and gave their reasons why their coach and teacher should not lose her position at Lawrence High School. I was very proud of them for standing up for what they believe in. I stand here in the unique and unenviable position of not only being the parent of a student and athlete on the softball team but also the parent of this teacher and coach.

Since that meeting every passing day brought us closer to where we stand today. The girls kept winning, the newspapers got a hold of the story, and this administration was vilified for their decisions in not renewing this teacher’s contract. Ms. Harrigan was very professional every time she was asked about the situation.

Needless to say, I was surprise and angry when I was told she was not being rehired. I had to stand by while she was told she was not returning, to watch the anger of her players and students toward this administration while staying quiet. After her students came before you and pleaded for their teacher and coach, I felt it was my obligation to tell you what kind of teacher you decided to let go.

I am also in the unique position of knowing the reasons given for her non-renewal and find them laughable. There is not a teacher out there with less than 541 days of service that could live up to the expectations of this department. I ask the school board, principals and superintendent: what steps do you take to ensure your department heads are making prudent hiring and firing decisions?

This is a woman who wanted to teach for quite a long time. She attended the College of New Jersey and graduated in 2007. She performed part of her student teaching here at Lawrence High School and in other schools in Lawrence Township. Upon graduating, she accepted a position in the Alexandria Township school district in Hunterdon County. She remained there until January 2011, when she accepted a position here at Lawrence High School.

While at Alexandria she received nothing but praise from her administration and her students on her teaching abilities. At the beginning of her second year she was put in charge of the physical education department and asked to review the qualifications of new teachers in the phys ed department so they could hire the right people.

She was told by her principal that her leadership ability was second to none and that she should consider running for a position in the teachers’ union to represent the teachers of her district when the time was right. The administration looked to her for ideas on how to make the department better for the students. Keep in mind this was based on her teaching abilities, not her ability to coach softball.

Shouldn’t this be about the students? We tell them that their opinions matter and that they should stand up and fight for what they believe in. There’s a website called RateMyTeachers.com. If you were to look up Tara Harrigan in the Alexandria school district you would see the following five comments, every one positive:

• “I love Miss Harrigan. Great teacher. Makes us learn and have fun all at the same time. I love how she plays the games with us! Lots of fun.”
• “She is the best gym teacher and she is a great health teacher too!”
• “Miss Harrigan is real nice. The only bad thing is that she makes us play ultimate Frisbee.”
• “Miss Harrigan is a great gym teacher! She's the best! If you are reading this, don't worry you are doing a great job!”
• “Cool.”

How does a teacher who is praised and rewarded in a previous position by the administration and students all of a sudden become a bad teacher in what amounts to 10 months? This is also a teacher who spent her own money to purchase a motorized vehicle to teacher her students a hands-on approach to driving in the driver’s education class rather than simply relying on a text book. I’m not telling you anything you cannot independently verify yourselves.

From what I see the administration is rubber-stamping the recommendations of the head of the department. The on-going problem with the system, as you know, is that dastardly six-letter word: tenure. Good teachers are pushed aside because they don’t have the 541 days needed for job security. Bad teachers are constantly in our classrooms because they can’t be fired if they manage to survive the first 541 days. A new breed of teachers did not go into this field for job security; they went in because they want to teach. The administrators are scared of these new teachers because they bring new ideas and want to make the profession better while many administrators are content to sit back, collect a check and wait to retire.

Now I’m not naive enough to think that what I say will change anything tonight. But keep in mind, Tara Harrigan left a tenured position to come to Lawrence High School. She was not content to just sit back and put in the years. It was an opportunity to teach and coach softball – something she always wanted to do – and she decided to take it. I just hope and pray that there is an administration out there that will give her the opportunity to be a valuable asset to their school district, something this administration has failed to see.

When we moved to Lawrence in November 2009 we were immediately told by other parents not to expect much from the athletic department at Lawrence High. Never was that more evident than the first meeting we had with the softball coaches at that time. Parents asked when the fields would be ready to play, and we were told there wasn’t much they could do about it, their hands were tied. There was a big pile of dirt sitting on the field up until three days before the season was to start. It would seem those coaches were content to go along with the flow and sit back and collect a check. Needless to say, the girls did not learn anything and their record indicated it.

We come to January 2011 and this new teacher and coach comes in. She had great plans on how to make the program better and get the girls to start believing in their abilities. She starts fundraising for a fence and to fix the scoreboard. She raises thousands of dollars toward that goal. She buys new helmets at the end of year and works on getting new uniforms. At the parent meeting the athletic director stood there and welcomed this new coach and made it a point to say she had left a tenured position to come to Lawrence High School to become a teacher and their next coach and that she would receive the support of the athletic department and we would get a better fence and the scoreboard fixed.

Fast-forward to May 2012. With the second year winding down, we finally got a fence, with maybe three home games remaining; still no scoreboard though. And please don’t use the budget as the reason why this was not done. The team took it upon themselves to raise funds for improvements for the program, but they were told they had to wait. This team also just celebrated it second annual team banquet where players were honored and the girls came together for a night celebration for another year finished – again, something that this coach brought to fruition.

We moved here from Hamilton where both of my older girls – including Tara – attended Steinert High School. They had a well-respected athletic director by the name of Rich Giallella. He would drive around in his golf cart, moving from game to game, supporting the players and interacting with parents. He would attend away games for the county championships, the state games, and even bounce from location to location if more than one team was playing at a time.

You know how many times we saw our athletic director this year? Three times. He came down for a preseason game, I believe, for about five minutes. We didn’t see him again until the first round of states, where he hid most of the game in right field and then implored the umpire to move the game along. The last time we saw the athletic director was the state semi-final game; not the Group III championship game or the game before that or the game before that. The baseball coach came. The athletes and parents were so upset with this athletic director that when he finally does come to support the team all the parents and players can say is “Why are you here?”

In case you did not know, the athletic director is also the department supervisor who decided to recommend not to renew this teacher’s contract. I will let Tara’s past teaching experience speak for itself. In finishing, I would like to again thank and commend Tara for bringing a championship to Lawrence High School. The students will hang that banner with pride. I’m just sad that you, Tara, will not be here to enjoy it with them. Your hard work and dedication was never more evident than when you continued to work with the girls even after you were told you would not be returning. You could have very easily just thrown your hands up and said, “Oh, well, I’m out of here, so why bother.” You made these girls believe in themselves long before that letter came and in my book that’s the definition of a great teacher.

After student Catie MacDuff finished her letter at the last meeting, she was told by the school board that “we all want the same thing.” Well, we’ll see if that happens. Someone has to have the power to make administrators accountable for their actions and, more importantly, their inaction. Thank you.