Schwarzenegger supports bill to streamline educator discipline
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday threw his weight behind legislation that proposes to give school administrators the ability to assign or fire teachers based on their effectiveness and to streamline the educator dismissal process.
Schwarzenegger made similar suggestions during a speech in January. State Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) sponsored the bill, which is scheduled to be introduced to the Legislature on Wednesday.
At a news conference Tuesday at Markham Middle School in Watts, Schwarzenegger said that California's schools need to operate more like private companies that can make personnel decisions based on merit rather than seniority, which is currently the only measure public school administrators can consider during layoffs.
That "means the best and most committed...teachers are getting laid off while ineffective teachers are allowed to keep their jobs," he said.
Because of California's budget woes, districts throughout the state have issued preliminary layoff notices to thousands of younger, less experienced instructors.