What’s the HenHud teacher’s union hiding? Why is it endorsing school board candidates?

Regarding “HenHud teachers see a perilous future for our schools. Why doesn't our board of education?,” lohud.com, May 8:

It’s been said that sunlight is the best disinfectant, yet, when it comes to local school board elections, some key players are purportedly allergic to transparency.

Case-in-point: Recent moves by the Hendrick Hudson Education Association, or HHEA, the union representing more than 250 teachers and professionals in the Hendrick Hudson School District.

HenHud is a phenomenal community filled with caring teachers, loving families and wonderful institutions. But it’s also a place where policy divisions have created deep fissures and debates, particularly when it comes to our schools.

I’m by no means an expert on every educational facet. I’m a journalist and commentator who regularly speaks on national issues. To date, I’ve kept my views quiet about our local affairs for a variety of reasons, but recent events have compelled me to speak out.

With the May 21 School Board vote quickly approaching, tensions over the recently implemented Princeton Plan, among other issues, are bubbling over. And the HHEA dropped a proverbial bomb in the midst of the chaos, endorsing two of the five Board of Education candidates.

With all the consternation unfolding as the district debates the configuration of its schools, this move is unhelpful, frustrating, and further inflaming division. With the union offering little explanation or specifics as to why they’ve decided to start hand-picking candidates, it’s hard to imagine the move as anything other than “packing the board” like it’s the Supreme Court.

The HHEA’s decision to endorse reportedly started for the first time last election cycle, and now it continues, understandably and appropriately raising more than a few eyebrows. In addition to the endorsement, there’s the union’s lack of transparency and cavernous vagueness that leaves residents with little to no information about what’s driving its elusive endorsements.

The idea that the union — a body that represents the teachers, not the children — is suddenly bolstering and presumably giving an upper hand to people with whom it agrees ideologically seems problematic.

And the fact this reportedly just recently started in the heat of debate about how our schools should be structured should raise more than a few alarm bells.

I, of course, don’t fault the union for wanting to represent our hardworking teachers, but I do believe it’s improper to do so without any semblance of real transparency. Consider the fact we know virtually nothing about the specific policies or ideologies that led to these endorsements.

“All candidates went through a process of speaking with the HHEA President and filling out a questionnaire,” a HHEA Facebook post read. “A committee of ten HHEA officers reviewed questionnaires and selected endorsements.”

This announcement raises a number of questions. With more than 250 staff, what level of involvement did the teachers truly have in this process? But, more importantly, how did board candidates respond to the HHEA’s inquiries — and in what ways did those questionnaire reactions yield these endorsements?

I was curious, so I commented on the HHEA Facebook post, writing, “Is this questionnaire public so people can see what was asked of the candidates?” Not only was I met with deafening silence, but interactions on the social media post were later restricted.

Then, a few hours later, HHEA posted another message offering a vague explanation of its endorsement and, again, restricted public comment — a strange move for a representative body claiming to be the voice of its community’s teachers.

“Cori Boudin and Christine Jacknick most closely aligned with our vision of the district and led to our endorsement for the Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson School District,” the explanation read. “Cori and Christine’s strong platform of their belief in fiscal responsibility and mutual respect for students, teachers, and community led to the HHEA’s endorsement.”

This ear-tickling message amounts to gobbledygook. Its feel-good tone sounds warm and fuzzy, sending the message the endorsees somehow corner the market on respect for students, teachers, and the community, which simply isn’t true. All of the candidates have something to offer and are deserving of consideration, and all have “mutual respect” for the community.

The unfortunate statement seems to indicate the other candidates — those who apparently didn’t answer the mysterious questionnaire in accordance with union proclivities — don’t share these values. Are we to believe they don’t have any care for “fiscal responsibility,” for instance?

Please understand: This op-ed isn’t intended to question the endorsees or offer any perspective on how people should vote. Instead, I’m wondering why the questionnaires aren’t being made public and why basic curiosities about their contents have gone unanswered.

Seeing candidates’ responses would give residents a clear understanding of why the HHEA chose these endorsements, the union’s true areas of focus, and, more broadly, what each candidate told the union in order to nab an endorsement.

In the end, this is about the children and families of this district, not the will of a union.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the president of the HHEA, wrote a May 8 opinion piece titled, “HenHud teachers see a perilous future for our schools. Why doesn't our board of education?” The article’s header takes aim at the current board, with its contents detailing the union’s grievances.

I can’t help but wonder: are the teachers really OK being represented this way? Our educators are hardworking and many are members of this community. This “us vs. them” narrative seems unhelpful and causes me to ponder how our teachers are truly feeling. I’m sure many agree with the HHEA, but what happens to those who don’t? Are they even given a voice?One educator told me on condition of anonymity there’s frustration among teachers as they purportedly weren’t included in the endorsement process. Plus, some are deeply concerned by the battle-like tone the union is taking when collaborative approaches would fare much better.“We were never given the questions or responses,” this educator said of the now-infamous questionnaire. “None of the larger staff was included in any conversation. This was all done behind closed doors with no greater feedback.”This, too, should raise eyebrows.I admire everyone throwing their hat in the ring to run for the board. It’s a tough job — and we should absolutely value their time and willingness to serve. Furthermore, we love our hard-working teachers. At the same time, understanding, with specifics, what the board’s broad statements and claims actually mean is essential.This is a plea for transparency in a district plagued by debate and consternation — a community desperately in need of access to information so informed voting can take place.To the Board of Education candidates: since the HHEA has so far not done so, would you be willing to publicly share your responses and the questionnaire contents so your community — the people you’re asking to support you — can truly and properly assess where things stand?

Billy Hallowell is a journalist, author and parent of a Hendrick Hudson School District student.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: What’s the HenHud teacher’s union hiding?