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The union said it was concerned that the agreement would leave low-performing schools with a higher concentration of less experienced teachers. It also said "state law already gives schools districts flexibility in layoff procedures to best meet the needs of students" and "the settlement does nothing to solve ongoing staffing problems at hard-to-staff schools." California is one of a handful of states where seniority-based teacher layoffs are mandated by law. LAUSD's settlement takes advantage of a loophole that allows seniority to be circumvented to meet special staffing needs and to meet the state constitutional right to a fair and adequate education. Seniority-based layoffs are especially thorny in urban districts, where teachers often burn out early at tough, inner-city schools. In Connecticut, the Hartford Public School System has asked the state board of education to change the seniority-driven layoff mandate because the young teaching staffs at its schools in high-povery areas are being decimated. The teachers union has accused the district of "union-busting." The issue "focuses the question on whether these students are less deserving of a stable set of teachers than students in a more affluent school," said Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel for the ACLU. "It's about fairness and equality." The "last hired, first fired" layoff model has long been a sacred cow for the vast majority of teachers' unions. In a study earlier this year, the National Council on Teacher Quality found that of 100 large school districts, only 25 considered factors other than seniority in teacher layoffs. In 16 districts, performance carries more weight than seniority. Two bills to eliminate seniority-based layoffs in California died in the past year. Moves in other states have succeeded: Arizona approved a law prohibiting seniority-based layoffs, while Rhode Island said layoffs at low-performing schools must be determined by school need, not seniority. Analysts said LAUSD's settlement is important because it will give other districts a model to follow. "It's a good compromise," said Cohen, of the National Council on Teacher Quality in Washington, D.C.
[Associated
Press;
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