There was no guarantee Thursday afternoon that the Barton Community College journalism teacher or the theater teacher would have their contracts renewed. Their names were on a list recommended for “non-renewal,” even though their employers appeared to be happy with their work.
Some community members wrote letters to the newspaper and others spoke to the college trustees before they made their decision Thursday. They spoke in favor of keeping the theater teacher, Erin Renard, and the college’s theater program. No one spoke up for the journalism instructor, and that is a shame, really.
In July of 2012, the GardnerEdge.com reported:
“GardnerEDGE reporter and co-founder Peter Solie will no longer be reporting with the publication after accepting a position as a journalism and communications instructor at Barton Community College in Great Bend, as well as the position of advisor to the student newspaper. Peter and his wife, Avis, founded the GardnerEDGE in 2009 and he stayed on as a reporter covering various events in the City of Gardner after Joel Johns took over ownership in 2010.”
During one of the executive sessions, as Renard and Solie waited with others to learn their fates, we learned that Barton students can earn a degree in theater, but journalism and communications courses are considered student activities.
One student who spoke up Thursday, Hannah Maddy, noted that many in the community have wondered if the college had placed athletics over the arts, since a new wrestling program is starting up. Others have been worried about the future of the Barton swimming pool or its day-care service.
It’s not clear what’s going to be lost in the next two years, but at some point the college is going to make some tough choices. As we saw Thursday, it will be real people whose lives are affected, but the trustees will have to do what is best for the college.