After her speech to the school board, Talani Cisneros, left, gets a hug from Kanisha Jenkins

How do you lose the teacher of the year?

Contributed By: The 411 News

In June, Kanisha Jenkins attended a school board meeting to receive congratulations from the Hammond school district. In May, she had been named the 2024 Indiana Association of School Principals High School Teacher of the Year.

At last week’s school board meeting, Jenkins read her resignation letter. It was effective October 4.

After 17 years with the School City of Hammond, “My decision to resign stems from a series of ongoing issues that have significantly impacted my decision to continue in my role,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins and her role are casualties of the district’s $30 million 2-year corrective action plan, imposed by Indiana’s Distressed Unit Appeal Board which monitors the financial health of public school districts. The DUAB determined revenues the Hammond school district was receiving could not support the amounts it was spending and ordered Hammond to cut its budget.

Jenkins taught the dual credit business courses at Hammond Central. Changes in the curriculum for the 2024-25 school year removed three of Jenkins’ courses. Jenkins was transferred to Hammond’s career center to teach information technology.

“The disruption of over 180 students on my caseload for the benefit of teaching a smaller group of 20 students,” Jenkins said, “exemplifies a troubling trend in administrative decisions.”

Jenkins said Hammond Central lost 15 dual credit courses.

Before Jenkins spoke, her name came up in the discussion of the school district’s personnel report – a listing of new hires, resignations, transfers, and leaves of absences.

“Why are we losing the best teacher in the state of Indiana?” asked board member Kelly Spencer. Jenkins was among the 11 teachers on the list who had submitted resignations. Interim Supt. Brent Wilson said the district’s attorney was investigating the issue and the board would get a report.

Jenkins said after discussions with her union president, it was agreed not to transfer her.

For opposing the transfer and speaking out about the dismantling of the dual credit program, Jenkins said administration officials retaliated. She said false statements were made by the K-12 Executive Curriculum Director and the Assistant Superintendent of Academics.

“The prevailing conditions have created obstacles that hinder our collective mission and I can no longer continue in an environment where retaliation, lack of accountability, and incompetence persist,” Jenkins said.

Another casualty of the budget cuts is Talani Cisneros, senior class president at Hammond Central. Cisneros, a dual credit student was one of the speakers who followed Jenkins in the public expression portion of the board meeting.

Cisneros said the remaining science course she needs to earn 30 college credit hours for the Indiana College Core certificate has been in question all semester.

“You took away our opportunity to earn an associates but won’t give us the right resources to at least earn our college prerequisites,” Cisneros said. “I didn’t think one of the obstacles I would have to face when working for my future would be my own school district.”

Noted by board member Carlotta Blake-King, “The school district has 543 teachers; 157 are substitutes.”

Story Posted:10/27/2024