Post by Logan on May 9, 2016 19:43:45 GMT -6
HARRISBURG - Republicans who control the state legislature have pushed through a hotly contested bill to allow public schools to circumvent seniority when laying off teachers.
The bill passed the Senate by a 26-22 vote Monday that fell largely along party lines. It now goes to Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, who pledged to veto it. Through a spokesman, he said the state's focus shouldn't be on mass layoffs but rather "how to invest in our schools, which already have the tools to evaluate underperforming teachers."
The measure, dubbed the "Protecting Excellent Teachers Act," homes in on a long-standing and contentious issue in public education: the protection of teachers based solely on tenure.
It would eliminate seniority-based furloughs and instead base those decisions on teacher performance ratings. It would also allow layoffs for economic reasons. Currently, school districts can furlough employees only because of a decrease in enrollment, a change in educational programs or if schools are consolidated.
Read more at www.philly.com/philly/education/20160510_Bill_to_end_seniority_in_teacher_layoffs_heads_to_Wolf.html
The bill passed the Senate by a 26-22 vote Monday that fell largely along party lines. It now goes to Gov. Wolf, a Democrat, who pledged to veto it. Through a spokesman, he said the state's focus shouldn't be on mass layoffs but rather "how to invest in our schools, which already have the tools to evaluate underperforming teachers."
The measure, dubbed the "Protecting Excellent Teachers Act," homes in on a long-standing and contentious issue in public education: the protection of teachers based solely on tenure.
It would eliminate seniority-based furloughs and instead base those decisions on teacher performance ratings. It would also allow layoffs for economic reasons. Currently, school districts can furlough employees only because of a decrease in enrollment, a change in educational programs or if schools are consolidated.
Read more at www.philly.com/philly/education/20160510_Bill_to_end_seniority_in_teacher_layoffs_heads_to_Wolf.html