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North Harrison teaching assistant urges board to better support staff, praises new ISS leadership
Summary
At the May 14 board meeting, a North Harrison Elementary teaching assistant, Nancy Robustein, urged the board to address staff turnover and provide a non-hostile work environment, and credited a newly hired dean of students for stabilizing in-school suspension procedures.
Nancy Robustein, a fourth-grade teaching assistant, told the North Harrison Community School Corporation board on May 14 that staff turnover at North Harrison Elementary has been severe and called for better support to retain experienced employees.
"If we do not support them, the support, and provide a non hostile work environment, they will not stay," Robustein said during public comment. She identified herself as an ISS instructor, yearbook advisor and member of the PTO.
Robustein described being placed in an in-school suspension (ISS) role without clear instructions when she was first assigned; she credited a recently hired dean of students, named in her remarks as Dean Stockdale, with instituting protocols that improved communication and restored structure. She said the changes have made the school safer and more functional but urged continued support for staff and students.
Robustein said her concerns stem from both professional responsibility and personal investment as a grandparent; she asked the board to ensure consistent support that allows teachers and support staff to remain in their jobs and provide stable learning environments for students.
The board did not take formal action during public comment but acknowledged the speaker and later thanked staff and donors for work supporting students.
