"LAST-hired, first-fired" is bad for schools, it's bad for teachers, and it does a disservice to kids.
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the union-mandated practice of protecting teachers with seniority from necessary layoffs. The ACLU argued in a class-action lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District in February that "last-hired, first-fired" disproportionately harms younger teachers at predominantly low-income and minority schools.
They're right. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on May 12 ruled the district may not lay off teachers at three of the city's lowest-performing middle schools based on years of experience.
Los Angeles Unified isn't the only district facing severe cuts and few options. A bill winding through the state legislature would offer a statewide remedy - and naturally the teacher unions and their allies in Sacramento are doing everything they can to stop it.
SB 955, sponsored by Sen. Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, narrowly passed the Senate Education Committee late last month after a contentious and highly partisan debate that pitted reformers against defenders of the status quo.
The California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers hate the bill. They say SB 955