Four years ago, Gov. Schwarzenegger failed to persuade voters to change the tenure laws for teachers. But that hasn’t deterred him from pushing again in his final year in office.
In his budget message, the governor said he’d propose eliminating the law requiring that teacher layoffs and reassignments be done strictly on the basis of seniority. He also wants school boards, not the Commission on Professional Competence, to have the final say on teacher firings. In a study last year, the Los Angeles Times determined that the commission overturns school boards’ decisions about a third of the time – one more factor discouraging administrators from seeking to get rid of incompetent teachers.
You can bet the California Teachers Assn. will fight both bills.
In many districts, principals do have the ability to hire whom they want and to reject veteran teachers who they determine won’t fit in. But rules change with a reduction in force.
I’ve talked with principals who complain bitterly that they no choice but to let go among their best, young teachers with the rapport and expertise they needed; they were bumped by veteran teachers and sometimes administrators who have