TEACHERS SCORE VICTORY IN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING TENURE

East County News Service

September 4, 2016 (Sacramento) - This week, teachers scored a landmark victory, when the California Supreme Court let stand an appellate court decision protecting teachers’ tenure.

The case, Vergara vs. California, has been closely watched nationwide as a test of whether courts would invalidate rules that protect teachers from arbitrary or politically motivated firings.

The lawsuit challenged laws that plaintiffs claimed violated the constitutional rights of students, making it hard to oust even teachers who belittle students, for example. Those laws grant protections of tenure to teachers after two years on the job, making firing based primarily on seniority.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the Vergara case distracted from real problems in public schools. The real fixes, she believes, are smaller classes, new teachers and more secure funding to assure students’ success.

But plaintiffs say they will continue their battle, this time in the Legislature.