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Springfield, Vt., High School Bans Substitute Teacher

Posted on: Friday, 16 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Josh Adams, Eagle Times, Claremont, N.H.

Jun. 14--SPRINGFIELD -- A substitute teacher and former school board candidate has been banned from working at the high school at the request of teachers, according to administrators. The blacklisted sub said the decision is in retaliation for comments he made while running for school board.

John Jokinen received a May 24 letter from Superintendent Rose Rooth stating Jokinen would not be substitute teaching at the high school. Nor is Jokinen welcome at the Precision Valley High School program, Rooth stated.

However, the River Valley Technical Center "has two teachers willing to have (Jokinen) in their classes," Rooth said in the letter.

"The result of my inquiry into the subject is as follows: Judson Bolles, principal of Springfield High School had indicated he no longer wants you subbing in his building," Rooth stated in her letter to Jokinen.

The letter did not give a specific reason for the action. However, Rooth said Tuesday the decision was based on the lack of requests from teachers to have Jokinen teach their classes. Teachers often express a preference in who the district chooses as a substitute teacher, Rooth said.

What is "very unusual," however, is to see such a widespread opinion of one substitute, Rooth said.

"There are substitutes and there will be substitutes that teachers don't want," Rooth said. "If they don't want them, we respect that."

Martha Tarbell, the district's substitute coordinator, said teachers may request certain substitutes for their classes and often provide feedback to administrators. If a substitute gets a poor review, Tarbell said administrators will discuss the issue with the substitute.

According to Jokinen, he was never informed of any poor reviews.

"As a professional courtesy, they owed me an explanation," Jokinen said. "They should have had the courage to tell me it was the teachers."

Jokinen has filled in for teachers at the school on a regular basis for several years, and said he was surprised when months passed without an assignment since his last placement in early March. On March 7, Jokinen lost his bid for a seat on the board to write-in candidate Sam Coleman by a count of 856 to 670. A third candidate, Karen Sherer, received 1,085 votes in the March election.

Upon losing the contest, Jokinen said the district will continue to hire "more teachers who are not qualified."

The district has roughly 85 substitute teachers at its disposal, according to Tarbell, which is slightly fewer than her goal of 100. Five years ago the district had 35 substitute teachers, Tarbell said. For a full school day, substitutes are paid $63. A half day will earn them $35, Tarbell said.

After receiving Rooth's letter, Jokinen said he did not attempt to contact either the superintendent or the principal for more information, but that he initially blamed Bolles for the decision.

In an interview with the Eagle Times, Bolles said he did not initiate any attempts to restrict Jokinen's teaching placements.

"I think my name got put into something that I did not have responsibility for," Bolles said of the superintendent's letter.

On Tuesday, Rooth clarified that Bolles did not push for Jokinen's removal from the high school, but did say the principal supported the decision.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Eagle Times, Claremont, N.H.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Eagle Times, Claremont, New Hampshire

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