School officials in Guilford County, North Carolina, are balking about implementing a law that offers the “best” teachers a bonus of $500 to abandon their right to due process. Ironic, isn’t it, that it is the “best” teachers who are expected to give up their right to a fair hearing?
The local newspaper wrote:
“GREENSBORO — Guilford County school board members are pushing back against a law that would require offering four-year contracts and $500 bonuses to teachers in exchange for their tenure.
The group initially voted today to reject that part of the law. After some discussion, they tabled the vote until the Feb. 11 meeting, when all board members should be present…..
Under a law that goes into effect this year, school districts across the state would have to identify 25 percent of teachers – those who have at least three consecutive years of experience – and offer them four-year contracts and annual $500 bonuses if they surrender their tenure.
“But, as officials pointed out today, there are numerous concerns about the law including insufficient funding.
“They’re also concerned that retroactively rescinding tenure from vested teachers is a violation of property rights protected by the state and U.S. constitutions……”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Things get “curiouser” and “curiouser”. Just when one thinks that politicians could not act more stupid, they prove otherwise.
I guess they are right: schools have indeed failed to educate.
They’re not stupid, they just don’t care. $500 doesn’t even begin to catch them up on their losses in pay freezes and inflation through the years. Shame, shame, shame on NC’s treatment of its teachers. It’s a wonder there are any left.
Here is a minus 1 and as Happy as a Lark!
Have been out of town for a couple of weeks, not reading these blogs—appears that the main station for the educational crazy train is in North Carolina.
All aboard!
Train leaving on track 5 for Anaheim, Azusa, and Cu-ca-monga!
Welcome to “The Polar Deform”
Anyone who gives up tenure for a $500 bonus ought to be disqualified from teaching children for abysmal judgment.
It makes sense for those about to retire and about to quit. I wish I had that offer right before I gave back my teaching job.
$500….hmmm…..one trip to Staples …monthly
Of course they want to do that. Then they can just terminate the employment of those expensive teachers and replace them with cheaper new ones. This has absolutely nothing to do with retaining or rewarding good teachers.
I agree totally!
Diane, Since when is “tenure” equated with due process? Tenure is special unequal treatment under the law, is unfair to the millions of non-government workers who are unable to get equal treatment.
It is about time that states are beginning to see a way out of this dilemma. Hurray for NC I say!
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Tenure is due process and nothing more. It simply guarantees a hearing and requires administration to prove their case. Why would anyone oppose fairness and checks and balances?
Once our country was run on this same principal. Then people like you destroyed that. I hope you are prepared for what you have wrought because it will get you eventually as well. History has proven that over and over and over.
If you’re so worried about “non-governmental workers”, why don’t you organize to get “tenure” (due process) rights for private sector workers? Why should any employee lose their livelihood for arbitrary reasons?
George Danz is not worried about private sector workers because he’s obviously anti-union. He’s out to destroy teacher tenure, teacher unions and teacher pensions (because most private sector workers don’t have pensions any more). In other words, he wants to reduce teacher bargaining rights to those “enjoyed” by Walmart workers.
You’re right, of course, but that mindset just baffles me. Are we to assume that Mr. Danz is so comfortably ensconced in the 1% that he needn’t ever worry about workers’ rights? Or is he just oblivious to the fact that he himself may need those worker rights someday? Or is he just a well-paid shill? How could anyone, outside the 1%, be opposed to decent worker rights for all workers – public and private, professional and working class?
“How could anyone, outside the 1%, be opposed to decent worker rights for all workers – public and private, professional and working class?”
I wonder this every day
If you make it harder to fire an employee, you make it harder to hire one. Here is a little story from The Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/21548234
Economist. After reading your article I wonder if correlation is causation. I think the concept of workers being worth less, and companies hiring more people part time because they don’t want to pay them benefits is a trend everywhere. I doubt that if we get rid of all unions and due process for being fired that all those temp workers and part timers would be hired full time. I suggest that industry, which doesn’t give a hoot about its workers, only profit, would just hire everyone that way. As soon as one company does it, the others must do it to compete. Wouldn’t it save the company money if they hire everyone part time? That is what so many companies are doing here in America. That is the goal of capitalism these days, to make as much as possible by giving as little as possible to your employees. The Walmart Effect.
Getting rid of employee protections will just result in a greater divide between the 1% and the bottom 90% as they fire higher paid employees and hire cheaper ones with no experience. A process that is despicable in business, but ought to be (and is with tenure) illegal in education.
It is not tenure like University level. In NC it is called “career status;” it is something a teacher could acquire after four years of qualifying evaluations. It was not granted just because you were a teacher, and it meant you had the right to a hearing upon dismissal. Nothing more, nothing less.
In 2018 all teachers lose it (if they have it), unless they accept this bonus and sign it away now. NCAE will win its case, most likely, because ALEC legislation is increasingly proving to be porous and not well thought out. It is efficient of our right leaning leadership to want to try pre-fabricated laws, but quality control (a la tax payers and voting citizens) are wisely saying no.
Keep calm, and mind the gap.
Mr. Dantz, K-12 teachers do not have tenure, especially by the definition you gave in your statement. It’s sad that people do not feel that teachers should have the right to a hearing if dismissed without just cause.
“Tenure” doesn’t exist in public education. It is misnamed that because “reformers” want to conflate it with postsecondary education, which does have lifetime employment for professors who go through an arduous process to be approved or denied by a committee of peers. What K-12 teachers have are the same due process rights–civil service protections– as other public employees.
It goes to the concept of a public job as a property right, and the government cannot deprive someone of property without due process.
REAL: tenure exists in both public and private colleges and universities because tenure is deemed necessary to preserve academic freedom, something that does NOT apply to K-12 public school teachers.
$500. Maybe two days’ pay. Gravy train for teachers.
This is from the ALEC playbook. Offer them a deal to give up their tenure. Give a tiny bit. Take away a LOT FOREVER.
“Tenure is special unequal treatment under the law, is unfair to the millions of non-government workers who are unable to get equal treatment.” That sounds like something that Hannity, Limbaugh, the Koch brothers, Rick Berman or Steven Brill might say. How dare those teachers have tenure, the nerve of those people. Teachers are just too uppity, don’t you know. Is innocent until proven guilty unfair treatment?
Get rid of tenure and then the administrators will have a field day dumping all the older more expensive teachers, no matter how great they are?
They do love to dump two kinds of teachers..
1. The older experienced teachers
2. The ones who speak publicly of the abuse in education
And one other type: the ones who challenge students, have high expectations, and actually xpect kids to earn grades.
I imagine those that think they don’t need due process because they perceive themselves as “good” teachers will sign up for the $500. I’m in a right to work state and these are the same people who won’t join the association because they can’t imagine they’ll ever need it. Due process is a hard won fight teachers worked to obtain and selling out for a measly 500 bucks a year is unimaginable to me.
Can anyone answer this question: Do charter school teachers have due process? I know they’re not allowed to join unions.
I can’t speak for every state, but charter schools in Utah have NO due process rights. On a Wednesday in September two years ago, my husband discovered that a student had been looking up porn on school computers, and had been doing so since March. My husband had only had the student in his class for three weeks. By that Friday, my husband was fired. As far as I know, nothing ever happened to the student, but somehow my husband was to blame. My husband was out of work for a year. NO due process at all. My husband had tried to join the NEA for several years prior to this incident. The NEA would NOT let him join because they could not collectively bargain for him. So it wasn’t the school or state that wouldn’t let him join the union–it was the union itself.
In Illinois charter teachers don’t have due process rights in general, but there are a handful of unionized charter schools (and more trying to unionize every day).
NCAE has filed a lawsuit against the 25% law.
14 counties (I think) have signed resolutions against it.
NCAE advises against taking it.
Counties are having to come up with their own criteria for “top,” and “teachers” also means curriculum coaches, department coordinators, counselors, media.
Tenure means due process. That’s all it means.
Think of the discrepancies there will be since districts devise their own criteria for determing the “top 25%.” The coming short session of the NC General Assembly will definitely have national attention.
Joanna is correct – it is career status they lose not tenure. Plus it is more than $500- it technically is $5000 over 4 years. Ends up being a $2000 raise.
Year 1 + $500
Year 2 +1000
Year 3 +1500
Year 4 +2000
Total after 4 years is $5000 but it ends up being a $2000 raise. It is described this way since you get a 4 year contract. Everyone else s is year to year or 2 years.
But there are a lot of caveats- the extra merit pay was only funded for this year. Plus you have to give up career status. Plus it is unsure who is considered the top 25% ( I must admit this is where it really insults – only 1/4 could be worthy of merit . . .). The school board can override who is eligible . . . right now many schools districts have said they disagree with this and there is a lawsuit.. Several teachers and schools have said they will not sign. And there is a Decline to sign movement for February 5.
https://www.facebook.com/events/603268289745607/
Janna, you are right. It’s really not $5000 over 4 years. It’s just a $2000 bump after 4. We also need to keep in mind that $500 is just $50 a month for 10 month employees, and that is BEFORE taxes.
It’s unequal treatment of one set of public employees, while others, such as police and fire personnel, are still allowed due process rights.
Janna,
I have not heard the numbers you show. We were told $500 a year. When I asked what the purpose of the money was, I was told “merit pay.” I almost choked.
Do you have a source that you could provide for the numbers? It is a slap in the face to be offered money to give up the right to due process.
Thanks.
I got them from the state department. If you notice it is $500 a year increase each year for 4 years of the 4 year contract. I will look for an online source but I was sent all of information in the fall.
Here is the law:
Click to access S361v2.pdf
SECTION 6.(g) From July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014, all superintendents shall 7 review the performance and evaluations of all teachers who have been employed by the local 8 board for at least three consecutive years. Based on these reviews, the superintendent shall 9 identify and recommend to the local board twenty-five percent (25%) of those teachers 10 employed by the local board for at least three consecutive years to be awarded four-year 11 contracts beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. The superintendent shall not recommend 12 to the local board any teacher for a four-year contract unless that teacher has shown 13 effectiveness as demonstrated by proficiency on the teacher evaluation instrument. The local 14 board of education shall review the superintendent’s recommendation, and may approve that 15 recommendation or may select other teachers as part of the twenty-five percent (25%) to offer 16 four-year contracts, but the local board shall not offer any teacher a four-year contract unless 17 that teacher has shown effectiveness as demonstrated by proficiency on the teacher evaluation 18 instrument. Contract offers shall be made and accepted no later than June 30, 2014.
The PDF at Durham Public schools explains it well on one of the slides. http://www.dpsnc.net/about-dps/departments/human-resources/hr-files/tenure-law-teacher-contracts/view
Janna,
Thank you so very much.
Cartwheel– it’s collective.
$500. Then plus $500 more the next year, Then plus $500 more etc. So long as there is money to pay the bonus. Janna has it right.
Most teachers I know do not want to gamble away career status in the likely event NCAE wins the case.
$500….enough for one night at some Carolina Beach…owned by the Plastic Politicians…
Wouldn’t it be the cat’s meow if more and more NC School Boards rejected this slam at teachers — not to count no longer paying them for Master’s degrees or National Board Certification!
Absolutely! If every school board in NC refused to comply, what could the legislature possibly do about it? This law is essentially saying that 75% of the teachers in every school district aren’t worthy of a raise. What a message it would send to the idiots in the GA who voted for this law! And what a morale booster it would be for 100% of the teachers in this state! Why every system hasn’t done so already is beyond me. What are the afraid of? Losing state money?? More and more of it is going to charter schools and teach for America anyway! If these school boards really don’t like this law, as they claim… They need to put their money were their mouths are and stand up to the bullies in Raleigh!!
Double talk continues as some of the mindless try to convince us that tenure keeps bad teachers from being fired. Not true. They just must have a fair hearing. Some people will believe anything. School systems do their jobs and bad teachers are gone. They want boss power. That is cheap
Yes. And “they can’t fire bad teachers!” has become some sort of power line by the out of touch who seem to want to posture and sound informed.
I lump it in with “failing schools,” “rigor,” and “have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.” Maybe. But saying it out of context just sounds cliche.
Lots of cliche flying around out there.
No simple answers, really.
Can we please go back to 2001? Really. Let’s just start over. We need to.
“Can we please go back to 2001?”
A Space Odyssey????
It is hard to believe that these ideas are coming from educated people. It gives a new look to the teaching profession. It is now like a high school student getting a job at a fast food establishment, then moving on to other possibilities for increased pay and other basics for which we work. North Carolina just designed a new career path, and it is very simple. 1) Get a college degree and some debt under your belt. 2) Gain your Teaching Credentials and apply for a position in a local or not so local school system. 3) Start at basic entry level and then start with the list of required training to keep your position for more than one year.. 4) Start your clock, and gain extra certification as they are thrown to, even if it seems you have accomplished them in the past, you will do more as directed. 5) Due to lack of professionalism in the profession, you quickly realize that the line in your contract that states “any other needs of the school system” has put a sour taste in your mouth. You finally realize your take home pay is now $1.78. an hour. 6) You start looking for another job by year 5, and find out there are professional position still available in North Carolina. Teaching is just not one of them. The state wins, you quit, they are not paying for your medical, or retirement, and the new teacher taking your place is keeping the cost low. Once again the score is State 1, Students 0.
The irony doesn’t stop with asking the top 25% of teachers to give up tenure. The fact that they state “insufficient funding” as a primary reason for not implementing the law is filled with irony. They’re asking the best teachers to give up one of the few remaining benefits teachers have left in the state of North Carolina, for the price of an ipad, and they can’t even fund that! Embarrassment is too kind a word to describe the situation in NC.
It is $500 a year for 4 years and then back to where you were in 2013-14. You don’t stay at the plus $2,000 in year 5. Also since only the first year is funded local funds will have to be found for years 2, 3 and 4. It’s just the cheese in the trap.
North Carolina Legislature pay attention!!!!!