by Whitney Murrer and Jessica Magnussen
Recently there has been a buzz of the possibility of elimination of tenure. This is an extremely controversial topic amongst many people. What is tenure and why is it in place? What would be the outcome of the elimination of tenure, and who does it ultimately hurt and help in the long run?
Tenure was initiated as a law to protect teachers from changes in administration and dismissal for things other than bad teaching. It gave teachers job security so that if administration changed, and a teacher whom had been there awhile didn’t see eye to eye, the teacher wouldn’t just get fired. It gave teachers the ability that if they wanted to voice their opinions in opposition of the district leaders they could without worrying whether or not they would be fired on the spot. Superintendent of Marietta City Schools Bruce Thomas, explained that “tenure does not mean a teacher simply cannot be fired” but “it does require districts to go through due process before terminating a teacher” (Bevins, 2011).
Critics have said tenure needs to be eliminated because the process to terminate bad teachers is too difficult and expensive, citing the Freshwater case. In this case “pre-termination hearings lasted for the better part of two years and the Mount Vernon school district’s costs climbed well above half a million dollars” (Bevins, 2011). However others like Bill Van Pelt, a teacher in Belpre City school district, feel that it does not have to be that complicated to fire a tenured teacher as long as “the administration was dong their job correctly and there is just cause.” (Bevins, 2011).
Tenure protects all teachers, the good and the bad. Once a teacher has tenure it makes it almost impossible to get rid of them. We believe that tenure is a good job security for excellent teachers, but terrible for teachers whom give up once they obtain it. Once teachers get security they feel they do not have to work as hard because they know they can not get fired. This is a huge downfall of tenure. It can be extremely difficult to get rid of a bad teacher without spending some serious money. Money that could be spent on resources and after school activities.
According Evan Bevins’ article “Senate bill would eliminate tenure,” a new senate bill in Ohio is under consideration, The Senate Bill 5, which contains a provision that would eliminate tenure for teachers. The bill would remove tenure for teachers who have not already earned it or would not earn it under their current contracts. Furthermore, teachers would be subject to a maximum of a five-year contract. Seniority would be a factor when considering a new contract, along with the teacher’s performance.
People have argued that the 5 year contracts outlined in Senate Bill 5 do not in actuality protect teachers. It takes away the rights of teachers to have due process. State Senator Jimmy Stewart disagrees. He said the termination process could still be collectively bargained and policies in place could be maintained ever after Senate Bill 5 goes into effect.The current law in place stipulates that in order for a teacher to earn tenure he/she must be in the district for a minimum of seven years.
Some people like Brandon Johnston, Lawrence Township resident, feel that the elimination of tenure is “fair” due to the current state of the economy. Johnston goes on to say: “Personally, I think (teachers) ought to be like everybody else and have to worry if they have a job from one day to the next (Bevins, 2011).
After reviewing the subject at hand Is what Johnston states even fair? Teachers decisions and actions did not make the economy crumble, so why hold them accountable and threaten their job security? Is the elimination of tenure a quick fix to budget cuts in allowing the termination of teachers? How will Ohio’s Senate Bill impact schools and teachers across the nation, will more follow in their footsteps?
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