Arne Duncan's Against Seniority-Based Teacher Layoffs
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants to change the policy of firing the teachers who've been in the job for the shortest time first.
03.06.11
With draconian cuts looming for state education budgets, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants the nation's governors to be clear: Those cuts can't hurt the quality of education children receive. To that end, when it comes to the tough decisions about laying off teachers, Duncan says the days of a last-in-first-out (LIFO) policy of layoffs are over. Instead, student achievement results need to determine which teachers get the axe.
In a conference call with reporters, Duncan denied that he's "danced around the issue" and said that labor and management have a shared responsibility to put students at the center of their relationship. And, if budgets require teachers to be fired, "Layoffs should be based on a number of factors but the most important thing we can do is keep the best teachers in schools where they are needed most."
Keep Reading
Show less
education
bill gates
arne duncan
teachers unions
teacher layoffs
secretary duncan
firing teachers
scott walker
collective bargaining
lifo
last in first out
wisconsin budget protests
unions collective bargaining
veteran teachers
Articles