Teacher tenure?

Senate OKs bill to abolish teacher tenure. MCT Regional News, Wed Mar 24 2010. Mike Salinero, Tampa Tribune, Fla. (excerpts for space! Emphasis mine)

Mar. 24--TALLAHASSEE -- Republicans .... [passed] a bill in the state Senate that would tie teacher pay and continued employment to student learning gains.

On a 21-17 vote, the Senate approved the bill which would do away with multiyear contracts teacher unions now negotiate with their county school boards. Teachers would get annual contracts with their evaluations based heavily on learning gains by students.

Teachers who do not show learning gains in four out of five years will lose their certification.
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"How can we expect teachers to be responsible if their students skip school or arrive ill-prepared ...?" Dockery [ Republican Senator who opposed the bill] "The idea that teachers are solely responsible for a child's performance goes against everything we know about what makes children successful."

The bill's sponsor, Sen. John Thrasher, said it endeavors to make sure every student, rich or poor, has the "benefit of an effective teacher."

"Our bill and the language in it ends the practice of giving contracts to ineffective teachers because we are going to base future teacher assessments on success in the classroom," said Thrasher, a St. Augustine Republican.

Thrasher's bill does away with years of service as a consideration in setting teachers' pay levels. .....

Democrats characterized the legislation as a draconian attack on teachers that would demoralize the profession and hurt teacher recruitment. They said the great majority of teachers are dedicated and work for pay below the national average because of their commitment to students.

"This seeks to weed out bad teachers by assuming all teachers are bad," said Sen. Dan Gelber, a Democrat from Miami Beach. "It takes a sledge hammer to the teaching profession."
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