Lawmakers Approve Teacher Tenure Changes

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - The Republican-led Michigan Legislature on Thursday approved changes to the state's teacher tenure system that supporters say would make it easier to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom.

Two bills in the package passed the Senate by 25-13, mostly partly line votes. Other votes were closer. The House agreed with Senate changes and sent the legislation to Gov. Rick Snyder.

The votes came as the Legislature prepares for summer break which will see relatively few sessions in July and August.

Current Michigan law places teachers on probation for four school years. The legislation would lengthen that to five years, and teachers would need an "effective" or better rating for at least three of those years. Teachers with "highly effective" ratings could be fast-tracked and get tenure more quickly.

Supporters say the legislation makes teacher performance rather than seniority the key factor in awarding tenure and deciding layoffs and work force reductions within a district.

Stacey LaPlante, a history teacher at Chippewa Valley High School, said the legislation is a common sense approach that doesn't end tenure but removes some of the red tape.

Democrats say the proposals are part of a continued legislative attack on teachers and union rights and won't improve the state's schools.

"This package does not make sense for our educators and our children," said Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, a Democrat from Taylor.

Sen. John Gleason, a Democrat from Flushing, said the package "maligned" the teaching profession.

Teachers already are reeling from state budget cuts to education that could force layoffs in many districts headed into the next academic year. Republicans also are working on legislation that would require many teachers and other public employees to pay a larger share of their own health insurance costs.

Some teachers have opposed the new measures, saying they could spark harsh reviews and firings from administrators who don't like them personally. The Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, has said the provisions would "dismantle" tenure.

Republicans said critics are overhyping the effects of the proposals on union rights.

"This is not an attack on collective bargaining," said Sen. Phil Pavlov, a Republican from St. Clair. "The claims that collective bargaining is being gutted are greatly exaggerated."

Tenure originated to help protect teachers from arbitrary firings and discrimination. But critics of the current system say it can delay or prevent a school district from getting rid of ineffective teachers.

Pavlov said the existing system is "very complicated, very costly" and protected teachers who were ineffective.

Teachers who reach tenure could be dismissed if they get three consecutive ineffective ratings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.