By: Bill George

Bill George — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 16:07:09 +0000

No system is perfect when conducting layoffs. However, it is important to protect veteran teachers from losing their jobs in these situations. Experienced teachers are overwhelmingly more effective in the classroom and most have families to support. Without seniority rights protecting them districts will cut the veteran teachers to save more money. The students suffer regardless of the system used for layoffs. Therefore, it is important to protect the veteran teachers who have devoted their lives to teaching.

By: Lisa Voss

Lisa Voss — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 18:26:43 +0000

Having been one of the newer teachers during the 2008 layoffs that was cut based solely on seniority, I do see the problematic nature of the system. I think we are in very different times right now. Though budgets are being tightened and staffing is being reduced, we are not seeing layoffs, at least not in Northern California. We cannot fill the open positions we have. Often the unfilled positions or intern filled positions are at the lower socioeconomic schools putting higher burden on those teachers. Interns and new teachers are not getting enough support leading many leaving mid year further exacerbating the problem. I feel like seniority based lay offs is way low on my concerns of issues impacting my students. I am far more concerned about inappropriately credentialed teachers being thrown into classrooms because they just need a person in the room. I am watching my students suffer because schools are under staffed and unfilled positions go unadvertised as a way of cutting costs. This past year we had no student teachers at our site where we usually have 1-2 per department. People are not choosing teaching as a viable profession and that is quickly becoming the most concerning issue in education.

Comments on: PROOF POINTS: As teacher layoffs loom, research evidence mounts that seniority protections hurt kids in poverty

By: Bill George

By: Lisa Voss