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Chester County Press

Court says teacher tenure harms students

06/25/2014 09:54AM ● By Acl

By Uncle Irvin


In what may become a landmark decision, a California  judge recently ruled that teacher tenure rules deprive students of their constitutional right to a high quality education.

The judge declared that teacher tenure rules are unconstitutional in a decision that will reverberate all across the country. Florida has already put all teachers hired after 2011 on annual contracts. Kansas and North Carolina are seeking to eliminate tenure.

California judge Rolf Treu, who sided with nine student plaintiffs, wrote that, “tenure served no compelling purpose and had led to an unfair, nonsensical system that drove excellent new teachers from classrooms too soon and kept incompetent senior ones. The practice harms students in a way that shocks the conscience and has a disproportionate burden on poor and minority students.”

This judicial decision will hopefully start a ripple effect because it's a wake-up call to policymakers. The problem here in Pennsylvania is that state legislators and senators have no backbone and are scared to death of the teachers union and its opposition to their election.

That's certainly the case for us in southern Chester County. State Representatives John Lawrence and lame-duck Chris Ross and State Senators Dominic Pileggi and Andy Dinniman have no stomach to do what's right because they think it will affect their election.

Those of us who are for the repeal of tenure should let them know that they should fear us.