Personnel Decision Turns Personal for Students, Parents

A passionate group of students and parents spoke before the Waukesha School Board Wednesday night, asking the board to reconsider the resignation of teacher Deb Hartlaub, a math teacher at and South high schools.

After telling the board that she was improperly advised by West administration and her union representative about resigning or facing the non-renewal of her contract by the district, Hartlaub asked the school board to reconsider her resignation.

The students who spoke before the board cited her dedication and creative, fun ways of teaching math. More than one said math wasn’t their favorite or best subject but that they succeed in math because of Hartlaub.

“I can’t understand why a teacher like that wouldn’t be allowed to teach and wouldn’t be allowed to bring joy to a classroom the way that she has,” said one student.

Jeff Johnson, parent of two students who had Hartlaub, said she is “one of kindest, most compassionate teachers” he’d ever met.

Johnson’s son suffered a traumatic brain injury his freshman year of high school, causing him to miss two months of school. Hartlaub spent her summer tutoring him, on her own time, Johnson said.

“Without her help, I honestly don’t believe my son would have been able to get caught up and back with his class,” Johnson said.

At times, the testimonials were emotional, prompting people to blink back tears or clear throats. It’s this passion that prompted Hartlaub to ask the school board for help.

“The reason I am coming to you today,” she told board, “is due to the tremendous outpouring of support given to me by students, parents and colleagues.”

At the end of the school year, after reading students’ evaluations and recommendations about her work with them, she realized that she made a difference to her students.

“I knew I needed to do everything I could to keep my job here,” she said. “I really did matter to these kids.”

In an interview later, Hartlaub said that in 2009, as a relatively new teacher in the district, she had been placed on an improvement plan by West administration for reasons that weren’t clear to her.

Two years passed without any problems noted, she said, and she did everything she was asked to do.

“I thought I was doing a really great job,” she said.

Then last February, she was called into a meeting with school administration and her union representative. She said she was given the choice of resigning or choosing non-renewal of her contact, in essence being fired, because she was not “engaging her students.”

“My life has been completely turned over since I was given this news,” she said.

She was told, she says, that if she tried to protest, everyone was going to find out and she’ll never get another job in education. However, she can’t avoid telling prospective employees because they ask if she ever resigned in lieu of a non-renewal.

The end result:  “I’m not going to be able to teach anymore,” she said.

While not commenting on the specifics of Hartlaub’s situation, district officials said a teacher can re-apply for a position with the district following resignation, should there be openings. The candidate would then go through the same hiring process as other candidates.