Seniority Survives Another Year in Oakland Unified
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| Senior Ringleaders Ready to Be Fired |
Seniority rules and teacher transfer rights will remain intact in Oakland Unified for the remainder of the school year, in spite of Superintendent Tony Smith’s push for change, according to the Oakland Tribune. Teachers who are displaced by school closings or whose positions have been cut will continue to choose new positions from a list of openings for which they are eligible, with seniority determining who gets first pick.
Sup. Smith was pushing an initiative called "mutual matching," with teachers listing their top choices, principals listing their top choices, and the district making the final decision. Regardless of the merits of the superintendent’s plan, many teachers felt the process was
Chicago School Board: Fire Them All & Let God Sort It Out Later
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El Tres de Mayo, by Francisco de Goya |
Earlier this week, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) proposed a 30% pay increase for their new contract. The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) board responded yesterday by unanimously voting to close or overhaul 17 under-performing schools, resulting in over 400 teacher layoffsand the displacement of more than 7,000 mostly low income black and Hispanic students.
CTU president Lewis called the move a betrayal of democracy, according to the Chicago Tribune, ostensibly because most of the board was appointed by mayor Emanuel or his