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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

In State of the City, mayor calls for an end to seniority layoffs | GothamSchools

In State of the City, mayor calls for an end to seniority layoffs | GothamSchools

In State of the City, mayor calls for an end to seniority layoffs

Mayor Bloomberg renewed his push today for the end of seniority-based layoffs for public school teachers, who are facing greater odds of losing their jobs this year than they have in decades.

During his State of the City address this afternoon, Bloomberg said that his first priority for legislators in Albany is pension reform. But a close second is ending last-in first-out — the seniority rules embedded in state law that could force the Department of Education to lay off teachers based on when they were hired.

New York City has not had to lay off teachers since the 1970s and, though it came close to layoffs last year, the