Hundreds of students, parents and staff urge Wayne board to reinstate teacher after nonrenewal

An unusually large public turnout at the Wayne Township Public School District meeting on May 1 pressed the board to reconsider the decision not to renew Lafayette teacher Rachel Hoffbower's contract.

Don De Pasqual, a Lafayette colleague, called Hoffbower's nonrenewal "a deeply flawed and damaging" decision and said it was not part of the reduction-in-force process. "After hard years of hard work, dedication and effective summative scores from tenure Wayne principals, how is it possible that Rachel Hoffbower's contract would receive a summative score to warrant a nonrenewal?" he asked.

Students, parents and staff delivered repeated, detailed testimonials about Hoffbower's classroom practice, extracurricular coaching and support for students with medical or emotional needs. Fifth graders and school nurses described hands-on science, one-on-one support and measurable reading gains; a Lafayette nurse said Hoffbower "communicates...daily to facilitate [student] safety and care." Parents and former students described her as a mentor who attends games and supports students beyond the school day.

Wayne Education Association leaders and many speakers framed the comments as a call for procedural transparency. Heather Pototts, first vice president of the union, read remarks on behalf of union president Rob Sardi that urged "transparency, communication, and a clear plan forward" as staff cope with the recent round of cuts. "These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet," the union's remarks said.

Board members thanked speakers and acknowledged the difficulty of personnel decisions; several said they would follow up to review documentation and process around the nonrenewal. The transcript records no reversal or board vote to change the personnel action at the meeting.

The testimony was broad and sustained: dozens of speakers described academic gains, club and athletic leadership, in-school mentoring and emotional support offered by Hoffbower. Students said she made them feel "seen," helped them with college applications and ran after-school activities such as kickball and chess. Several speakers said they planned to keep up pressure for review and urged the board to make its personnel criteria and corrective-action processes clearer to the public.

The board closed public comment after the extended remarks and proceeded to other agenda items. Several members reiterated that they would seek to confirm whether all appropriate performance-review and improvement steps were followed before the nonrenewal.