State law revoking tenure used to fire Humboldt teacher

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August 12, 2014 - 12:00 AM

HUMBOLDT — A new state law that ended due process rights for Kansas teachers was put to use Monday when USD 258 Board of Education members fired Jeff Wilkerson, a Humboldt Middle School physical education teacher and former high school girls basketball coach.
Members of the Kansas National Education Association and Humboldt National Education Association (KNEA and HNEA) attended Monday’s board meeting wearing red T-shirts to show their support for Wilkerson, an eight-year teacher at Humboldt who was suspended with pay July 25.
Wilkerson’s wife, Briana, spoke with the board for eight minutes in executive session to read an open letter to them and appeal to them to reconsider.
“… Recently I have become disgusted and appalled by the latest unethical behavior demonstrated by the board of education and the administration when they suspended my husband with pay on July 25 with no prior notification or concern with his job performance,” Briana said in the letter, which was made available to the media during the meeting.
Wilkerson was elected HNEA president last fall.
“Jeff did what he was elected to do, which was try to change policy and return USD 258 back to an environment where teachers are proud to work,” his wife said. “In return, the school board has postponed negotiations repeatedly, violated teachers’ negotiated agreement, and is now trying to take away his due process rights.”
Briana Wilkerson’s words had no effect. After another 30-minute executive session with the principals and school attorney Robert Johnson, the board voted unanimously to terminate his employment.
According to one KNEA spokesperson, it was the first time since the anti-tenure law came into effect July 1 that it has been used to fire a teacher in the State of Kansas.
“Tenure or no tenure, businesses and schools cannot operate like this and expect to be effective positive learning environments,” Briana said.
The board, KNEA and Briana Wilkerson all had no comment. Jeff Wilkerson did not attend the meeting.

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