Cami asks state approval to ignore seniority in teacher layoff
Cami Anderson, the state-appointed superintendent of Newark schools, has dramatically ratcheted up her war on the district’s employee unions by proposing to lay off possibly hundreds of tenured teachers without regard to their seniority rights. Anderson indicated she would ask outgoing state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf to grant her what is called a “waiver or equivalency,” a little known and little used provision in state regulations that permits school districts to ignore long-standing rules in order to achieve a legitimate purpose. That could happen as quickly as March 5.
If, as expected, Cerf grants the request, Anderson—facing serious fiscal problems after hiring many new teachers since her appointment three years ago—would be able to keep newly hired teachers while firing teachers with extensive experience.
“We are seeking an equivalency…to consider quality along with years of service while making decisions about ‘right-sizing’ our workforce,” Anderson wrote in a final version of her controversial “One Newark” plan. Although she has previously spoken about “right-sizing” the teaching force, this is the first time she revealed she