Pink slips require TWO MEASURES. One of them is seniority (date of hire). The second criteria is certification/credentialing (what credentials and certifications the teacher has). It is the combination of the two criteria which determines who is pink slipped.

Like it or not, this IS the set of TWO CRITERION that determine lay-offs. Whether or not your biases allow you to digest this FACT is your own issue.

I especially like the bit about the “selfish mossbacks,” which is why I, too, view Ms. Hatch’s piece as propaganda – elegant and well-written, but propaganda, nonetheless.
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I Does Duncan Have a Plan for Teachers

Does anybody care about all the teachers left behind?

by Jim Horn

Does Duncan have a plan for teachers? Sure does, as a matter of fact:

discourage teachers from getting more training in their fields,

discourage new teachers from professional preparation,

evaluate teachers based on test scores that reflect the gaps they cannot close,

provide pay bonuses based on test scores, thus discouraging teachers from working with the children who need the most help,

turn teaching into test score production management,

drain existing teacher resources, cut benefits, and drive down teacher pay by encouraging more corporate welfare charter schools,

ignore poverty and pretend that teachers can fix poor children with total compliance and brainwashing,

portray teachers as selfish mossbacks who resist change,

continue to encourage the resegregation of American schools.

— Jim Horn
Schools Matter blog
2011-05-01
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/05/62-percent-of-american-teachers-work.html

We do not need to rethink our seniority system. If you think it is a revolving door now, just wait . . .

In the 1940s, my mother taught a small Central Vally town near Visalia. The growers didn’t want tenured teachers, and they controlled the school boards. Every two years, my mother taught in Visalia, and Visalia teachers taught in her district.

Where is the stability there? How is that good for the kids?

That is only one example. There is no reason to believe that it won’t happen again. And, this would include you, as well, unless there is some reason to believe that you, and you alone, would somehow escape it.

Stop feeling sorry for yourselves. And stop it with the mean-spirited whining.

It’s hard to lose a job, especially in this economy.

However, it’s getting very hard to be sympathetic, especially the part about “what is the point?” Take Steve Weinberg’s advice and go to the OEA for help.

School districts – 1047
Teachers – 290,000
Statewide dismissal hearings 1996-2005 – 100
How many dismissals – ?????????????(we know its less than 100 statewide)In 9 years!

Teachers are being shuffled around, instead of being dismissed and thats what most teachers see happening.

The truth is coming out and taxpayers are deciding for themselves. It’s just a matter of time before things change. It won’t be long because we don’t have the money for the confiscation.

The full and complete text is here:

http://www.nctq.org/p/publications/docs/nctq_invisible_ink_20080801115950.pdf

“California’s dismissal process includes 10
different steps that must be taken before
the dismissal is finalized, perhaps explaining
why just 100 dismissal hearings were
heard in the state between 1996 and
2005, according to the state’s Legislative
Analyst’s Office”.

“Although states do not employ teachers
(districts do), states play a central role in
policies on teacher evaluation. Most states
require evaluations only every two or
three years. Only 13 states require annual
evaluations of the performance of tenured
instructors”.

“In terms of teachers’ rights for due process,
there are two kinds of teachers: those
with tenure (also known as “continuing
contract” status) and those without it.
A veteran teacher with tenure receives
preferential treatment over newer teachers
in everything from school assignment to
dismissal procedures. Tenure also plays a
role in how frequently a teacher is evaluated,
typically ranging from a couple of
times a year for the untenured teacher to
as seldom as once every five years for the
tenured teacher”.

“The practice of “bumping” — in which
a more senior teacher can simply bump
another teacher from a position — occurs
in districts without agreements (e.g.,
Mobile, Alabama and Fort Worth, Texas)
just as it does in districts with agreements
(e.g., Los Angeles, California and
Anne Arundel County, Maryland)”.

“Apart from the number of years that a
teacher serves, state laws tend to put only
one other condition on a teacher’s eligibility
for tenure: a record of satisfactory evaluations,
an achievement that few teachers
fail to earn”.

Parents,taxpayers please read this entirely and make up your own mind.