CA judge strikes down teacher tenure, firing laws

And of course teachers unions in CA are upset



anyway... discuss...



http://ift.tt/1mEM077

Quote:

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A California judge ruled as unconstitutional Tuesday the state's teacher tenure, dismissal and layoff laws, saying they keep bad teachers in the classroom and force out the good ones, as alleged by nine students in a lawsuit, the plaintiffs said. The Los Angeles County court ordered a stay on the decision, pending an appeal by the state and the teachers union, the plaintiffs added. "This is a monumental day for California's public education system," plaintiffs' attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. said in a statement. "By striking down these irrational laws, the Court has recognized that all students deserve a quality education. Today's ruling is a victory not only for our nine plaintiffs; it is a victory for students, parents, and teachers across California." The nine students filed their lawsuit with help from the nonprofit Students Matter, which says it sponsors "impact litigation to promote access to quality public education." The plaintiffs alleged that tenure is granted too quickly, giving "grossly ineffective teachers" lifetime job protection, and asserted that dismissal laws are so costly and bureaucratic that districts remain stuck with bad teachers. The suit also contends that the state's "last-in, first-out" layoff laws force districts to fire top teachers and retain ineffective ones, the plaintiffs said in a statement. The California Teachers Association, a 325,000-member affiliate of the National Education Association, said it was "disappointed" by the judge's decision "as it hurts student and educators." The union said there is nothing unconstitutional about the laws and is appealing. "We are deeply disappointed, but not surprised, by this decision. Like the lawsuit itself, today's ruling is deeply flawed. This lawsuit has nothing to do with what's best for kids, but was manufactured by a Silicon Valley millionaire and a corporate PR firm to undermine the teaching profession and push their agenda on our schools," CTA President Dean E. Vogel said in a statement. The union described Students Matter as a group created by Silicon Valley multimillionaire David Welch and a private public relations firm and said the group is supported by former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor "Michelle Rhee and Students First, Parent Revolution Executive Director Ben Austin, billionaire and school privatizer Eli Broad, former lawmaker Gloria Romero, and other corporate education reformers with an interest in privatizing public education and attacking teachers' unions." Those individuals and groups couldn't be immediately reached for comment.