On March 22, English teacher Jennifer Rosenzweig received a letter from Superintendent Paul Fried stating that he was following Principal Mark Orfinger’s recommendation to deny her tenure. The letter cited a lack of instructional focus as a primary reason for this decision. If Rosenzweig is denied tenure at the School Board meeting on May 4, she will be terminated on June 30 as her contract expires.
This news has prompted much reaction from students, and many have rallied in support of Rosenzweig.
“I am disturbed to hear the news of what is taking place right now regarding her career and will do everything in my power to help her stay in our community for the benefit of us all,” said Adrianna Bachich ’12, a current student of Rosenzweig.
The largest public display of student support occurred at the Board meeting on April 6. President of the School Board Linnet Tse allotted one hour for community members to address the situation. “Our role is to listen,” Tse said that evening, adding that the Board itself cannot make comments on a specific employee.
Twenty-six people spoke on behalf on Rosenzweig, including four parents, 19 MHS students and two Hommocks students, one of which was Rosenzweig’s daughter. Social Studies teacher Kathleen Donnison was the only MHS faculty member to speak, although many others were in attendance. “My colleagues have been incredibly supportive,” Rosenzweig said.
At the Board meeting, Donnison was one of the first to address the audience.
“This is such a situation; Jennifer is such a teacher,” she said. “She will become iconic if she isn’t already.”
Donnison went on to say that a denial of tenure would be an injustice, a sentiment echoed by many. Chrissy Jolly ’11, the creator of the Facebook event alerting students of the Board meeting, called the situation an “outrage.”
Debbie Serra was one of the parents present at the meeting, and she read a letter written by her daughter, Olivia Serra ’10. One portion of the letter read, “She [Rosenzweig] motivated quiet students to speak up and lazy students to participate.”
Others spoke to Rosenzweig’s abilities not just as a teacher, but also as a club adviser and mentor. Eliot Cohen ’10 said he only knew Rosenzweig through clubs. “Just through that small exposure, I have felt her impact,” he said.
Sam Sawyer ’10 also spoke of Rosenzweig with a different perspective than most. Sawyer is part of the Academic Intervention Services program at MHS. He said that last year, Rosenzweig, who was his English teacher, helped him with his organizational skills. He added that he still receives such help from her this year.
The Guerrero family also spoke before the Board. Veronica Guerrero ’11 spoke on behalf of the MHS Student Council, acknowledging that the group had been contacted about the situation. Natalie Guerrero ’12 detailed her experience as a student of Rosenzweig. Their mother, Veronica Guerrero, a teacher, said she was impressed with the support Rosenzweig gained.
Rosenzweig was the last to address the Board and community members, and she first thanked the Board for its time. She then thanked her students and their parents for their support. “They may have to invent a whole new language for what I’m feeling right now,” Rosenzweig said.
Tse closed the meeting and said that the Board had read e-mails about the situation and that Fried had met with students. “The Board does value your input, so thank you very much,” she said.
Besides attendance en masse at the Board meeting, students mobilized their efforts in other ways. Ian Gray ’12 created a Facebook group titled “Support Mrs. Rosenzweig” that has over 550 members.
Jessica Guenzl ’12 demonstrated support through the creation of a petition, which had gathered over 120 signatures in early April.
Bachich created bracelets online. “These bracelets were created in order to demonstrate our support, but also to hopefully bring us all together as a whole to fight for a cause we all feel strongly about,” she said.
Additionally, Emma Bass ’10 helped make armbands out of cotton shirts with the letter “R” on them that multiple students wore to school on the same day.
Around 30 students also attended a meeting with Fried before spring break. Guenzl said she and others gave reasons why they believe Rosenzweig deserves tenure, shared personal experiences and engaged in dialogue with the superintendent.
Rosenzweig said numerous students wrote letters on her behalf that they shared with her. These letters came from past students, whom she asked for support, and present students that wrote on their own accord. Rosenzweig received a significant amount of aid from current seniors, which she attributes to the relationship she formed with them through teaching, helping with college essays and writing 50 recommendation letters. Rosenzweig has been teaching in the Mamaroneck School District for three years. In the New York state public school system, the decision for tenure is made during a teacher’s third year, the last year of what is called a probationary period. “The tenure review process is a rigorous process,” Tse said. “The probationary teacher is formally observed a number of times in each of his or her probationary years.”
First, the building administration observes and reviews the teacher. The building principal then makes a recommendation to the superintendent. Typically, the superintendent follows the advice of the principal, but he has the ability to override a recommendation.
Next, both parties meet with the Board to discuss those eligible to receive tenure. The Board has the opportunity to ask questions. Although the Board can approve or deny a recommendation for tenure, it cannot take action if the superintendent has not recommended the candidate in question.
“When Board members receive feedback from the school community on a tenure issue from parents, students or staff, we do our best to ensure that the decision makers, in this case, Dr. Fried and the MHS administration, are aware of the feedback and take it into consideration when making their decisions,” Tse said. “We are often relentless in our questioning as we want the right decisions to be made for the right reasons.”
As the Board meeting scheduled for May 4, at which the final decision will be made, nears, student support has not waned. “I think the mobilization of support for her [Rosenzweig] from the student body is astounding,” Jolly said. “It continues to grow every day, and it shows how much students and faculty care about such a wonderful person.”
Guenzl agreed. “I think it’s fantastic that people are banding together for this important cause,” she said. “It’s clear from everyone’s unity that we need to be heard.”
Rosenzweig had positive thoughts as well. “We’ve gained so much here, that the outcome is dwarfed in a way,” she said. She did note, however, that she does still care very much about the final result, and said Mamaroneck is where she wants to teach.
