JULY 15, 2014A battle won in the war on teacher tenure
(N.C.) Teachers in North Carolina won a battle in an ongoing war over job protections as legislative leaders gave up – at least for now – a proposal to eliminate tenure in exchange for an 11 percent raise. But sponsors of the plan promise they will continue their efforts.
The proposal, which died late last week during budget negotiations, would have allowed teachers to choose between voluntarily giving up tenure early, and getting the pay raise which Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, called the largest teacher pay raise in state history. Approximately 75 percent of N.C. public school teachers are tenured.
Advocates for tenure say that the pay raise wouldn’t have been worth losing the job protections tenure provides.
According to Marge Foreman, government relations specialist for the North Carolina Association of Educators, a teacher accepting the pay raise would find themselves at risk when voicing their opinions down the line.
“Even advocating for or on behalf of students would be in jeopardy,” Foreman said.
Though originally established to protect teachers from discriminatory or arbitrary firings based on factors such as race, gender or political beliefs, critics say teacher tenure protections make it too difficult to fire ineffective teachers.
Because of this, tenure - also known as career status - has come under fire, most recently in California with a court ruling last month that struck down tenure laws. Meanwhile, legislation to eliminate tenure is being considered in Kansas and annual teaching contracts have already been implemented in Florida for teachers hired after 2011.
In North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed the proposed budget, after it had been reworked to allow teachers to keep their tenure protections and receive a permanent pay raise. The issue isn’t new and isn’t going away.
“No conversation should ever be tied to career status,” Foreman said. “And that’s why (the NCEA) fought when they were trying to eliminate it for all employees in 2018.”
A previous plan to take tenure away from teachers in North Carolina was ruled unconstitutional by A battle won in the war on teacher tenure :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: