Maine East High School teacher and theater director Karen Hall, who is retiring at the end of the school year, voiced concerns on social media about the district’s plan to fill her role’s extracurricular activities in the future. However, district spokesperson Brett Clark stated that the district never intended to leave the role unfilled.
Hall initially expressed outrage on Facebook on April 15, stating that the high school administration had decided not to hire a new theater director. She claimed there was no immediate plan for a staff member to take over her extracurricular responsibilities, which included leading students to theater festivals and writing college recommendations.
The Fine Arts Department was notified of the situation during a meeting with the high school administration on April 6th. The department’s boosters, a parent organization that supports Fine Arts events and fundraising, were informed on April 12th. Hall informed the students on April 15th and posted on Facebook, prompting the department to receive an email on the afternoon of April 16th confirming that the job would be posted online.
Clark stated that District 207 never considered eliminating the role or sharing it with another school. Initially, the district considered hiring someone who would fulfill both the theater director and drama teacher roles or hiring a separate theater director and drama teacher. They ultimately opted for the former.
Hall expressed gratitude for the district’s decision but noted that neither the school administration nor the district provided a reason for the hiring. She emphasized that the school moving forward without a replacement for her extracurricular roles was detrimental to the program’s legacy.
Hall’s Facebook post garnered significant support from parents, students, and alumni. While she did not anticipate such a response, Hall expressed her appreciation for those who voiced their concerns and advocated for the students. The school administration has been supportive of the department and sympathetic to the students’ needs.
