To Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some education leaders, a bill by state Sen. Bob Huff, R-Walnut, is a common-sense measure aimed at helping school districts keep good teachers and more easily remove bad ones.

But teachers unions see the bill, which was approved last week by the state Senate Education Committee, as an attack on the protections that shield teachers from age discrimination and retaliation.

"We see it as an attack on due process," said Tyra Weis, president of Associated Pomona Teachers.

"It takes objectivity out of the process," said Rebecca Harper, president of the San Bernardino Teachers Association.

The most contentious parts of Huff's bill, Senate Bill 955, would make it easier for districts to fire teachers and allow districts to consider teacher effectiveness and other factors when deciding which teachers to lay off during difficult times.

Under current state law, with a few exceptions, districts must hand out layoffs based solely on seniority - that is, the most recently hired teachers would be the first to be laid off.

"It's not a good way to make a decision about who is teaching our kids," Huff said.

Schwarzenegger has touted the bill, saying current law "takes away the flexibility that school districts have" and "tells them that even if a teacher is effective and even if a teacher is fantastic ... none of that matters when it comes to layoffs."

But Harper said seniority should remain the chief criterion when deciding who gets