The California Supreme Court has refused to review an appellate court decision that overturned Vergara v. California, the landmark court case that had declared Californias teacher tenure and dismissal laws unconstitutional.
Advertisement
The Supreme Court’s decision came in a lawsuit by a group of students who claimed that incompetent teachers were nearly impossible to fire because of tenure laws and that schools in poor neighborhoods were dumping grounds for bad teachers.
Union leaders praised the court decision. “While that starts with teachers, it also means providing programs and services that engage students and address their well-being”.
Cuellar, like Liu, thinks that the “no identifiable group” argument really needs rethinking, and concludes that “Beatriz Vergara and her fellow plaintiffs raise profound questions with implications for millions of students across California”.
“We can now turn closer attention to solving the actual problems we confront in our schools, such as securing adequate funding through Prop. 55, reducing class sizes, promoting and strengthening peer assistance and review, and reinforcing collaborative district practices with a proven record of success”. The group said that it would continue its fight at the California Legislature.
But lawyers for the city and state teachers unions, which are defendants in the NY case along with the city and state education departments, said the other side was trying to have it both ways.
“These laws help reduce teacher attrition”, he said.
The Burlingame-based California Teachers Association and Burbank-based California Federation of Teachers were allowed to join the case as parties defending the laws, which the unions said encourage veteran teachers to stay in the profession and young people to join it.
The nonprofit Students Matter had brought Vergara v. A timeline that challengers say simply doesn’t give administrators enough time to properly evaluate new educators’ teaching chops.
The high court said it would not take up a lawsuit by a group of students who claimed that incompetent teachers were nearly impossible to fire because of tenure laws and that schools in poor neighborhoods were dumping grounds for bad teachers. The suits were brought by parents organized by Brown’s group, the Partnership for Educational Justice, and by Mona Davids, an education activist and public-school parent.
“While we are disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision to not grant review, we are grateful to the courts for shining a much-needed spotlight on these shameful laws and the enormous harm they inflict on thousands of children every year”, Welch said in an e-mailed statement.
Advertisement
“We remain committed to working for responsible policies supported by the vast majority to respect, reward, and retain effective teachers”, Welch says, “and ensure all students have access to the quality teachers they deserve”.
