Great News - LAUSD School Board Passes Teacher Quality Motion

It’s so nice to have good news to write about!  Yesterday a Teacher Quality motion was passed by the LAUSD School Board to reform the expensive and largely ineffective process of firing unfit teachers. 

 

It seems that pressure from a series of recent LA Times articles by Jason Song (an excellent reporter and very nice guy) galvanized Marlene Cantor, along with fellow Boardmembers Flores-Aguilar, Galatzan and Garcia to finally take the firing of unfit teachers seriously and take action to deal with it.  To be clear, this will only be relevant for teachers being fired for cause.  The good , hard working, inspirational teachers whom we all value will be able to work in schools with other great teachers.

 

For a number of reasons, including the UTLA strangle hold on the Districts, the California public school system has a history of taking the Catholic Church’s approach to dealing with teachers who range from simply being poor educators, to out and out pedophiles. According to Song’s articles, the Districts have been moving problem teachers from one school to another. Sometimes the Principals have no knowledge of a teacher’s history when he or she arrives at a school to take on a class. 

 

Other teachers are “housed” wherein they are paid full salaries to essentially stay home as they appeal misconduct charges or other offenses that could lead to firing.  Granted, accusations can be false and everything needs investigation, however possibly not to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Needless to say, the articles provoked outrage among parents and teachers.  And rightfully so.

 

There has not been an efficient and effective way of firing teachers – no matter how egregious their conduct.  And the teachers union seems to be behind this. This, my friends, is a significant part of the problem with the schools.  The Teacher Quality motion promises to reform this process by taking the first step on the road to changing State law.  It is everyone’s hope that the Legislature will support this with meaningful action. 

 

Victoria

 

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MOMS UNITE is a grassroots parent advocacy group devoted to improving public education in California.  To join, please send your contact information to momsunitela@gmail.com  and follow us on Twitter @MOMSUNITE.