Tenure Hypocrisy Update
Here's your latest update on the Perth Amboy tenure hypocrisy case:
When we last checked in, ACTING NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf had reinstated anti-tenure superintendent Janine Caffrey, overriding the vote of the PA school board. In other words, Caffrey used an appeal to a third-party to protect her right to due process - which is exactly the definition of tenure. The hypocrisy here is stunning.
NJ Spotlight has posted Cerf's decision. You'll notice that he's very slick here (he is, after all, a lawyer): he is not addressing the substance of the charges, but instead the procedure. There is little doubt in my mind that this is a maneuver designed to protect him from the charge of hypocrisy, because TEACHNJ - the tenure-gutting bill currently working through the Legislature - does allow for appeal on procedure only.
Nice try, but no. First of all, Cerf explicitly retains jurisdiction over the matter: he is saying he is the final arbitrator, not the school board. Again, this is exactly what tenure is supposed to be: a third party overrides a decision of a local school board as a way of offering protection from political or other undesirable interference. Cerf's decision confirms that Caffrey can appeal to him as the ultimate authority on her employment.
When we last checked in, ACTING NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf had reinstated anti-tenure superintendent Janine Caffrey, overriding the vote of the PA school board. In other words, Caffrey used an appeal to a third-party to protect her right to due process - which is exactly the definition of tenure. The hypocrisy here is stunning.
NJ Spotlight has posted Cerf's decision. You'll notice that he's very slick here (he is, after all, a lawyer): he is not addressing the substance of the charges, but instead the procedure. There is little doubt in my mind that this is a maneuver designed to protect him from the charge of hypocrisy, because TEACHNJ - the tenure-gutting bill currently working through the Legislature - does allow for appeal on procedure only.
Nice try, but no. First of all, Cerf explicitly retains jurisdiction over the matter: he is saying he is the final arbitrator, not the school board. Again, this is exactly what tenure is supposed to be: a third party overrides a decision of a local school board as a way of offering protection from political or other undesirable interference. Cerf's decision confirms that Caffrey can appeal to him as the ultimate authority on her employment.
