COURT RULING ZAPS CALIFORNIA TEACHER TENURE

Tenure for teachers is a two edged sword, protecting both good teachers and, unfortunately, poor teachers as well

I have long contended that tenure for public school teachers does more harm than good in that it protects poor teachers from getting a well-deserved ax. While I believe there should be some system that protects teachers from arbitrary firings, there must be a way to weed out teachers who can’t teach for shit.

Of course, poor teachers are far from the only reason for the failure of our public school system. The revision of curricula to accommodate political correctness and disinterested parents from disadvantaged families contribute as much, if not more, to the sad state of public education

The plaintiff’s in this case argue that poor teachers are dumped into schools attended mostly by students from disadvantaged families. There these incompetent teachers are allowed to roost with the protection of tenure until retirement, thereby contributing to the underachievement of students. I have no doubt that the plaintiffs are right.

Thomson/Reuters reports that “Jerry Brown is furious” over the court’s decision. I can understand why Gov. Moonbeam has his bowels in an uproar. He got elected largely with the help of the teachers union, so he owes them big time. I seriously doubt that Jerry is really concerned about the loss of teacher tenure. He’s only upset because the teachers are upset and the appeal is his way of repaying them for their support.

JERRY BROWN FURIOUS OVER COURT DECISION BANNING TEACHER TENURE

Thomson/Reuters
August 30, 2014

California will appeal a controversial court decision that overturned some job protections for public school teachers and could change the way educators are hired and fired in the state, the office of Governor Jerry Brown said on Friday.

In a notice of appeal filed late on Friday and obtained by Reuters, the California Attorney General's office, with the backing of Brown, said the ruling must be reviewed by a higher court if it is to have statewide legal impact.

A Los Angeles Superior Court in June ruled five California laws meant to protect teachers' jobs by granting tenure and other job protections to public school teachers hurt students and are unconstitutional.

The ruling, a major setback for teacher unions that could also have national implications, came in response to a lawsuit filed by education reform groups on behalf of nine students. The groups alleged the job protections hurt poor and minority students by effectively funneling incompetent teachers to schools in disadvantaged areas at disproportional rates.

The ruling, which won praise from the Obama administration, comes amid intense debate over how to reinvigorate a U.S. public school system that leaves American children lagging counterparts in countries such as Finland and South Korea.

"The people who dedicate their lives to the teaching profession deserve our admiration and support," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, who is running for re-election with backing from teacher unions, said in a statement earlier on Friday.

"Instead, this ruling lays the failings of our education system at their feet," he said.

In its notice of appeal, California said that lawyers for the students dismissed "key parties" from the case - "the school districts that actually implement the relevant statutes" through the hiring and firing of teachers.

It also said the court's decision scraps more than 90 years of education policy in a brief decision that "declined to provide a detailed statement of the factual and legal bases for its ruling."

The overturned laws include protections that require teachers with the least experience be laid off first during cutbacks, along with rules granting teachers tenure after two years on the job.

Manny Rivera, a spokesman for Students Matter, the group behind the lawsuit, said the group was "disappointed" by the state's decision and vowed to "fight to ensure that our education system serves in the best interest of our students."