Teachers & Tenure

Michelle Rhee, a TFA alum and head of the DC school district, is trying to push through a measure that would end tenure for a number of teachers in her district. Her plan would allow teachers to opt out of tenure in exchange for a large salary increase (in some cases an increase of almost $40,000/year) to be funded by outside foundations. Teachers who want to keep tenure can do so, without getting the increase. The plan has been attacked by teachers unions, who raise the specter of principals firing teachers for political reasons.

I think she's right on about the need to remove tenure. It's really only there to protect bad teachers- not kids. When I was teaching, the loudest backers of the union and defenders of tenure were the terrible teachers. If principals try to fire good teachers for arbitrary reasons, they still have the union grievance process, and more importantly they'll be backed by other teachers and the parents of their students, who particularly in smaller districts with elected boards of education can bring enormous pressure to bear on a principal or board. Good teachers are also going to be in high demand, so even if some good teachers are fired for arbitrary reasons, they'll be able to get work elsewhere.

Moreover, plenty of other government employees are subject to arbitrary firings and make do- I don't see why we should have special protections for teachers, particularly when it's at the expense of large numbers of students.