Tenure Protest Expected at Brick BOE Meeting

Supporters of at least two school employees who were not granted tenure are expected to express their displeasure to township Board of Education members at a meeting Thursday.

Last month, the board voted against granting tenure to principal Allison McConnell, as well as math teacher and former head football coach Patrick Dowling.

Board of Education members are prohibited by law from divulging personnel information, such as the reasoning behind denying tenure to an employee, to the press.

Board President Sharon Kight said those employees who were denied tenure would have the opportunity to appeal the decision.

McConnell has nine years of teaching experience, according to public records, and would have earned $121,847 during the 2012-13 school year. She already holds tenure as a vice principal.

Dowling, who has taught and coached in a number of school districts over the past 25 years, would have made $84,578 per year if granted tenure.

Dowling was hired in Brick after the retirement of long time head football coach Warren Wolf, who would later express his displeasure over Dowling's hiring and run for a seat on the Board of Education. Dowling was not recommended to continue as coach following the 2010 football season, though he remained employed as a teacher in the district.

Supporters of the two employees have promised to voice their displeasure over the non-tenure vote at a meeting of the board which will be held Thursday. The vote has spurred separate online petitions in support of the pair, with the Dowling petition having reached about 800 signatures and the McConnell petition having reached about 100.

The agenda for Thursday's board meeting includes a motion to "approve employment for the 2012-2013 school year" pending a board Human Resources Committee meeting that was scheduled for May 14. No details were given on what employees, if any, would be included in that motion.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Brick Township High School auditorium.