Teachers Association President: Albair was denied due process

16 years ago

To the editor:
    There are two sides to every story, as we have noticed from the various editorials published in the Aroostook Republican concerning the dismissal of Kristin Albair. As I read them, I was struck by the number of discrepancies between what some perceive to be the truth and the actual facts that came out at the hearing.    Teachers as well as the Administration are bound to the rules of our negotiated contract. There is a certain protocol that must be followed when dismissing a teacher, but unfortunately the Administration and School Board did not follow the rules stated in our contract. From the investigation to the hearing we feel that Mrs. Albair was denied due process, and for this reason the Caribou Teachers Association has filed a grievance. We are prepared to show that the contract and the law were violated.
    The Caribou Teachers Association is made up of teachers who have been extremely loyal to the Caribou School Department. If you visit any of the schools two or three weeks prior to the beginning of school, you will see many of the teachers spending countless hours preparing their classrooms and lessons at no cost to the taxpayers. We are the ones who selflessly donate our time chaperoning dances and even riding bicycles throughout town with the second-graders when they all receive bicycle helmets. We do these school-related activities and more not only because we want to, but mostly because we care about children and education. We are not troublemakers; however, when we feel that there has been a miscarriage of justice, we will take a stand as we are in this case.
    As a result of the hearing, Mrs. Albair has not only been dismissed from her teaching duties at CHS, but her teaching certificate has been revoked. What a huge price to pay! As an esteemed retired colleague recently said to me, "Talk about overkill." I agree.
    Assuming that Mrs. Albair actually did everything that she was accused of, does it justify overlooking school board policies and depriving her the ability to make a living? No one condones the comments that were allegedly made, but I do not think that the consequences fit the alleged crime.
    From the onset of the hearing, it was evident that the testimony given in support of Mrs. Albair was disregarded indicating the decision had been made prior to the hearing.
    The School Board as well as the superintendent were fully aware once they submitted the paperwork of the decision to the state, her license would most probably be revoked, which it was. Unfortunately, this decision caught everyone by surprise, which further added to the frustration felt by the majority of the high school teachers.
    The morale at CHS is at an all-time low with no signs of healing in sight. Not only are they upset at the blatant disregard of the rules of protocol, they have lost trust, confidence and respect for the administration. Sadly, this has trickled down to some in the elementary schools. I have heard comments such as, "We had better watch what we say, because we could be next," "Watch your back," and "I wonder who is next." Is this the type of atmosphere we want within our schools?
    Our schools are a major selling point of our community, and I sincerely hope that the adverse effects of the way things were done does not deter families from moving into Caribou. We are afraid that regardless of any outcome with this ordeal, there will be no winners until trust is restored.

Ruth Dionne
CTA president