Letters- Need change at the top

Dear Editor,

The firing of April Simmons by the Hudson School District should be a wakeup call for everyone who interacts with Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten. For the simple fact that I spoke at a Plan Commission meeting and advocated for the denial of the school rezoning, April was summarily fired by our vengeful human resources and superintendent. Was this for the betterment of our children's education? Highly doubtful.

And true to her controlling form, Ms. Bowen-Eggebraaten also rewards those that give her whatever she desires. Such is the case with our district communication specialist Tracy Habisch-Ahlin. When serving as a school board member, Ms. Habisch-Ahlin was a complete lackey for Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten. Ms. Habisch-Ahlin worked diligently to help pass the River Crest Elementary referendum. Only a few months after that the superintendent decided that there was a dire need for someone to disseminate her drivel to the ignorant masses.

While still a school board member, Tracy Habisch-Ahlin applied for the job of communication specialist. Even though her qualifications didn't seem to match up with some of the other applicants (her primary work experience being that of a preschool operator), she was awarded the position. So a position was created out of thin air and given to a sitting board member with questionable credentials because she was the ultimate yes person for Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten.

To make matters even more interesting, the job that started off as a part-time position somehow blossomed into full-time employment with benefits. This school year Tracy Habisch-Ahlin was given a salary of $73,167 plus $13,814 in benefits for a total of $86,981 in compensation. It gets even better than that because apparently Ms. Habisch-Ahlin still has time to run her preschool operation. The preschool that Ms. Habisch-Ahlin runs, Cove Country School, has a current license and on the website (www.covecountry.com) she is listed as the only staff member.

In summary, a well-respected and highly proficient substitute teacher was immediately fired for the simple reason that her husband asked the Plan Commission to deny rezoning of a parcel of property and a daycare operator who was (and still is) a complete lackey for the superintendent was rewarded with an $87,000 year position that is classified as full time but leaves her with more than enough time to run her own business. As a matter of fact I have not seen a single piece of communication come in any form this year at all and I have children at every level in the district?

This appears more like a lottery ticket than anything else.

Sounds like the next change we need to make is at the top.

Bob Simmons, Hudson

Tags: opinion, letters, edcuation