Poll: Trash tenure?

Should schools do away with teacher tenure?
Yes, that would make it easier to fire bad ones.
No, teachers need protection from politics.

Comments

termieweiner and I never agree, but for totally different reasons, I believe that to attack tenure at this point of laying off perfectly good teachers, administrators and support staff that we know that the students need is just a distraction to the real problem. The Legislature refuses to provide for (that means PAY FOR) a high quality system of free public schools as the constitution requires.
Those who claim to want "STRICT CONSTRUCTIONIST INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION" should read the Florida Constitution and decide how their huge cuts while forcing districts to pay for class size reduction costs even though the Constitution specifically forbids this should be interpreted. I think that their inability to read the words for exactly what they say shows just how poorly they adhere to their own stated ideals.

[terminator]

12:02
a good synopsis.
the whole movement to get rid of teacher tenure eminates from the Repbublican far right wingers who can't stand the fact the unions and (tenure) stand in their way of privitizing public education thereby allowing them to get their grubby little corrupt fingers into the public taxpayer dole more than they already have.
they want to be able to fire teachers "at will" without messy stuff like "due process" to deal with.
then when they can do that they can eliminate any teachers who aren't spineless drones willing to put up with all their mindless crap.
won't question, criticize, call them on the carpet when they violate state laws, the contract, etc.
then wages will be driven down significantly, the classrooms will be filled with warm bodies who are not only unqualified but unwilling to stand up for what's right and wrong.
when the many thousands of Florida baby boomer teachers retire or exhaust DROP this is what you are going to get.
What upward bound college graduate will put up with this for the measly salaries, diminishing benefits and bureaucratic drivel of NCLB, FCAT, A+, etc.?
This will be the legacy of Jeb Bush and the right wingers to public education. This is where the state will be in ten more years. Better enjoy it while you can Floridians.
Of course the great leadership of Governor Charlie Crist will be able to save us from education oblivion. Yeah right!

[Teacher]

As long as my performance and behavior is judged according to the performance and behavior of an entirely different person, I want some sort of protection. Tenure is a good thing. Like many good things, it can be abused.

Keep tenure or we won't be able to attract and keep any decent staff. A mess of huge proportions.

@do you know...excellent post.

[do you know?]

Before you respond to this poll, you should ask yourself if you know what "tenure" means in the public school setting.
It does NOT mean that you cannot be terminated.
It means that you cannot be terminated without cause and without due process.
The problem is that school administrators are disinclined to take the necessary steps to identify and terminate ineffective teachers. Why? Many reasons. Since they made the decision to hire the teacher, declaring them "inadequate" calls into question their hiring decisions; and possibly the most important thing a principal can do is hiring the right people. Most principals are "nice" people and telling somebody they are not good at their job and need to shape up or be fired is not "nice"; it's one of the most stressful things a manager has to do. Then of course there are those poor administrators who choose to do nothing about poor teachers because they're lazy or fear the teacher will decide to not "go down alone".

The typical "tenure" situation is as follows.
Teachers in their first 90 days can be terminated pretty much for any reason.
Teachers on annual contract can be non-renewed for the next year pretty much without cause. The primary exception to this is that there needs to be some cause and due process after the (typically) third year, as the fourth contract normally is a "continuing" or "professional" contract and non-renewal at that point becomes "denying tenure".

"Tenured" teachers (those on continuing contracts) are presumed to be re-appointed each year, as long as they hold appropriate certification for open positions. Causes for legitimate termination and the due process to be followed are spelled out in teacher contracts. Teacher unions don't want ineffective teachers to befoul our profession; the union's only real concern is that proper procedures are followed. While we might wish to do otherwise in some cases, we must protect the rights of all to prevent the abuse of any.