My thoughts on recent events

[voltman]

Disclaimer: The following is a letter to the community about the special education teaching position at the school. I do not want this to come across as sour grapes, as I am Susan’s husband. Yes I am upset, but I want the residents of the island to know what happened. I am a school board member and I would stand up, and do stand up for anyone from the island that is looking for work at the school and is vested here. I believe that is important on a small island with very few ways of generating income. Please do not call the house, I do not wish to speak to anyone about this issue because I have nothing more to say.

Dear Islanders,

Susan Avery applied, but did not get the special education teacher position being vacated by Jenna at the Beaver Island Community School. The new principal decided on another candidate from off island. As a member of the school board, I could not have voted on the matter when it came up in the last meeting, however, I do believe that this was a very poor decision by the school board to vote with the principal’s recommendation. The members of the school board had a choice to agree or disagree with his recommendation. It was their decision. Susan is more than capable of doing this job, but once again, we have the same thing that happens over and over again on Beaver Island where we toss aside an islander and bring in someone from off island.

I am not blaming the superintendent, as he feels he is making the best choice, however I don't think he did. There are very few jobs available here and we keep losing more and more people due to these poor choices. To me it is just common sense that the school board should have stood up for Susan who has, and could have done the job just as well. I do find it ironic that we have now hired the same person who left in the middle of a school year. I cannot help but feel that there are some strange politics going on here again.

Susan did the job for two years before she left because of the lack of support by the previous administrator. She did not just spend the last three years of her life, and all the school fees it took to obtain her teaching license and then her Master’s degree to not teach. She worked really hard and is just as qualified, and now she is being forced to leave the island she has come to call home. Basically it seems to me that due to the scarcity of good paying jobs, when you turn someone down for a job here, that’s it.

Susan leaving the island, means that we will probably both leave - something I do not want to do. If I also leave, then that means we will no longer be able to hire the boys we usually hire in the summer, to help us with firewood which is sold to many different families. The post office will be impacted with their package number count, as we will no longer be sending the volume of packages off island from our eBay store. Susan leaving, means my mother-in-law Rose will also leave, who is another important and contributing member of this community. It is simply a struggle to get by here, everything costs more. Susan almost didn’t apply for the position but did so when several board members approached me and asked me to make sure she applied. Can you imagine how Susan feels after the rug was pulled out from under her again?

We have enjoyed the last eleven years here on Beaver Island. We love it here. My family built a summer cottage here in 1967. We don’t want to go, but Susan needs to put her education to use, and we need a more reliable income as we now have two children at university who are going to need our help financially. Susan has no choice but to leave what we thought was going to be our forever home. This did not need to happen.

I would like to thank John Robert, Rob Turner, Ralph Williamson and Bill Detweiler– my electrician friends who have helped me work towards my journeyman’s license, which I am on the doorstep of achieving.Depending on where Susan ends up teaching, I may also have to leave. If I do, I will drop back in to see you from time to time. Thanks also to Billy, Ron, Richie and Adam for helping me with my firewood business. Also, thank you to the countless others who are our good friends here on the island.

In conclusion, I do want to thank Jessica and Ryann for giving me their support. They have been very helpful, thank you to both of them. I can only say in my lifetime, I have never been stabbed in the back so badly and I still cannot figure out why. I guess it’s a Beaver Island thing. Finally, IF I resign from the school board before my term is up in November, it will be when I am ready to do so and not before.

Dave Avery

[Kim Connaghan Jones]

From personal experience, I can say that Sue is a wonderful teacher. She bonds with the kids and truly cares about their success. The school is really missing out on a great asset.

Dave and Sue have done a lot for the kids on this island. How sad the island will lose such a great family