Teacher tenure bill passes House, Senate committees but some lawmakers still have concerns

posted by LesliePostal on Apr 7, 2009 1:01:45 PM

Bills that would require new teachers to work five years before they earned tenure -- and then grant them a tenure that offers less job protection than is given currently -- passed both House and Senate committee votes today.

The bills also would offer higher pay for better performing teachers and require districts to track and get rid of teachers whose performance lagged. They are being pushed by former Gov. Jeb Bush's foundation.

Sen. Thad Altman, R- Melbourne, the Senate sponsor, said they aimed to rid public schools of bad teachers and make the teaching profession more, well, professional.

As the Associated Press reported, under the House bill:

"It would take teachers hired after July 1 five years instead of three to reach a less-protective tenure. The bill also would let schools fire first-year teachers without cause at any time. Then they could be fired without cause at the end of subsequent one year contracts.

A tenured teacher would be limited to a five-year contract and could be fired without cause when it expires. Teachers also could be fired at any time if their students underachieve."

The House bill (HB 1411) passed narrowly, 12 to 10, with two Republicans voting against it along with all the Democrats. It is now headed for a floor vote.

The Senate bill (SB 2458) has three more committee stops, and several Republican Senators who voted in favor of it in committee said they wanted to see improvements before the bill gets final approval.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he was concerned that the bill was presented as "budget neutral" when he felt that a bill that pushed merit pay -- which he has long supported -- should not be.

Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, sounded even more skeptical, saying "I don't think this is the best time to bring this forward." She voted for it after a pause and a "hmm."
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