A Sour Note : Students Protest Denial of Tenure to Popular Band, Orchestra Director

Dozens of students and parents at Dana Hills High School are protesting the abrupt resignation of a popular band and orchestra teacher--one of a series of recent staff departures and changes that has troubled the school community.

Instrumental music director Robert Hamberg, a 15-year veteran educator who has taught at Dana Hills High for two years, said administrators are pushing him out for no good reason.

Many parents and students agree, and have signed petitions, written letters and met with top school and Capistrano Unified School District administrators. Some backers have printed stickers that say, “I Support Mr. Hamberg,” and about 60 people attended the last school board meeting to urge trustees to keep the teacher they say revitalized the school’s music programs.

“He’s reformed the band, and turned it into a family,” said senior Dan Armstrong, a member of both the band and orchestra. “One or two students may not agree, but the majority of us support him. We’re fighting because we haven’t seen him do anything wrong.”

Administrators, however, say Hamberg’s reputation is overblown. District and school officials say confidentiality laws preclude them from discussing employee records, but Supt. James A. Fleming said he signed off on the decision to refuse Hamberg tenure, which is offered after teachers complete a two-year probation, because doubts linger about his teaching skills.

“I understand that he is popular with students, but unfortunately, we have information about his deficiencies that students and parents don’t have,” he said, without elaborating. “The policy of this administration is that whenever we have a doubt about the performance of a teacher, we will lean on the side of not granting tenure.”

Fleming said he would love to say to Hamberg, “We’re not sure we’re ready to give you tenure. We want to observe you for one more year.” But the state requires school districts to make a decision after two years.

The 38-year-old music teacher, who plans to leave at the end of the school year, is the latest in a string of Dana Hills staff members who have either resigned, stepped down from their coaching duties or been reassigned during the past two years.

Last June, Robert Canary resigned as head baseball coach, although he still teaches history at the school. In January, former head football coach and co-athletic director Trace Deneke left the school to take a football coordinating position at a San Diego County high school. Earlier this month, Bryan McSweeney lost his job as head varsity basketball coach and became junior varsity coach.

Hamberg’s supporters say they will press on with their battle because they believe he is worth fighting for: The marching band numbers are on the rise, Hamburg organized a drill team, the band this year moved to a more competitive division, the orchestra has been invited to play next year at Carnegie Hall and the band has played at the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point three times during the last two years.

Marc Resnick, who graduated from Dana Hills last year and now attends Rancho Santiago College, said Hamberg is the reason he plans to pursue a career as a music teacher.

“He influenced me greatly,” Resnick said. “Before I had him, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I thought I wanted to be a chiropractor. But after I saw his dedication, it made me want to continue with music. He made me realize that teaching is a great thing.”

During a vote at the last band booster club meeting, parent Frank Greco said all but a few of the people there agreed to support Hamberg’s cause.

*

Hamberg attributes his predicament to administrators and a small group of parents who, for whatever reason, dislike him.

“I want to stay at Dana Hills,” he said. “I like the kids. I like the teachers. But the administration here is shocking.”

Other teachers who have resigned or relinquished their coaching duties have also alluded to administrative problems.

Canary, now an assistant baseball coach at Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo, said he is pleased with his teaching job at Dana Hills High. But he resigned as head baseball coach after 15 years of service because he felt the athletic department was “going nowhere.”

“There was a lack of commitment, but only in the area of athletics,” he said. “I didn’t want to be part of the direction Dana Hills was going athletically.”

Deneke said he was frustrated because the school had too many walk-on coaches, as opposed to coaches who teach at the school. He said the administration showed no commitment to hiring more teacher-coaches, even though he believed it would boost the athletic program.

Principal Rickie Lundgren said she hasn’t been able to hire teachers because the school’s enrollment has declined and the school already is overstaffed.

In the case of basketball coach McSweeney, Lundgren said she felt he needed more experience before he could resume his duties as head basketball coach.

“We put him too young as head coach,” she said. “We want to season him.”