An online petition to support renewal of kindergarten teacher Madison Blackburn’s contract for the 2026-2027 school year is rapidly gaining support, drawing nearly 500 signatures as of Friday, May 22.

The push comes after the school district decided not to offer Blackburn a contract for the upcoming school year.

Franki Gablehouse posted the petition on Facebook on May 19 to rally community backing for the teacher.

“I don’t know Madison personally,” Gablehouse said. “But I have a daughter who has autism with a communication disorder. She was in Head Start this year and was able to meet Madison and is comfortable with her. There were times she would just go to Madison’s classroom. It’s rare for my daughter to be like that with people.”

Gablehouse said she was looking forward to having Blackburn teach her daughter next year. She said she has only met Blackburn once and has not observed her teaching methods firsthand, but the teacher made a significant impact on her family.

“When a connection like that exists, as a parent it makes you feel happy and comfortable about where you send your child to school,” Gablehouse said.

Blackburn, who completed her third year of teaching this month, said Schools Superintendent Joshua Garrett informed her on April 20 that her contract would not be renewed. A fourth year of teaching would have qualified her for tenure.

“I was told that I wasn’t proficient enough to receive tenure,” Blackburn said. “I was told that there were problems with my classroom management and education differentiation. Personally, I feel like there weren’t enough people to come and observe my classroom enough times.”

According to the district policy manual, initial decisions regarding whether to keep non-tenured staff members are made by the superintendent. These decisions can be based on any cause the superintendent deems adequate, and teachers can be notified at any point during the school year.

When contacted by the Sentinel, Garrett said he does not comment on personnel matters.

School Board President John DeRuyter said the school board is following its established procedures determined by policy.

This is the second time Blackburn has faced a non-renewal of her teaching contract. At the end of the 2024-2025 school year, then-Superintendent Bill Burr did not offer her a contract.

“It’s because they were making (budget) cuts,” Blackburn said. “I was the low person on the totem pole.”

She was brought back in the summer of 2025 after first-grade teacher Arlene Wilson retired, creating a vacancy at Evergreen Elementary.

Blackburn has requested a formal hearing regarding her employment status. The hearing is scheduled for June 17 and will be closed to the public.