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HUNTERSVILLE Lake Norman Charter School did not renew the contracts of eight teachers, who had a combined experience at the school of more than 60 years, several of the teachers said.
Teachers Beth Cornwell, Jennifer Perry and Tina Brooks told the Observer they're still stunned over the loss of their jobs. They said they'd always received positive annual reviews and had no warning their contracts were at risk.
“None of us had any inkling this was happening ,” Cornwell said. “I never had anything negative at all in my evaluations.”
The teachers, who represented about a sixth of the school's total number of teachers, said they weren't told why their contracts wouldn't be renewed. Perry, who'd been at the school since it opened in 1998, said she considered what happened the same as being fired.
Tom Ghareeb, chairman of the school's board of directors, declined to say why the teachers' contracts weren't renewed.
“It is our board's practice not to comment on specific personnel matters, and I will not do so here,” Ghareeb said in an e-mail reply to the Observer. “The school's administration carefully considers all relevant information as personnel decisions are made. I should point out, however, that no one was ‘fired.' These individuals were informed that they would not be offered positions in August.
“Unlike the situation in public schools, charter school teachers do not have what is known as career status, which some refer to as tenure,” Ghareeb said. “That was part of the greater flexibility given to charter schools by the General Assembly.”
A spokeswoman for the N.C. Office of Charter Schools in Raleigh said she wasn't familiar with Lake Norman Charter's situation but that the poor economy has forced tens of thousands of public school teacher layoffs across the state.
Cornwell said she'll likely retire, although she might do some substitute teaching or tutoring. Brooks said her job outlook is uncertain but that “I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. When a door closes, a window opens.”
