California Teacher Job Protections Struck Down In Students’ Suit — 3rd Update

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Publish Date:
June 10, 2014
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Source:
The Wall Street Journal
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Summary

Professor William Koski weighs in on the Vegara v. CA ruling with The Wall Street Journal's Erika E. Phillips, discussing the ramificiatons the decision could have on teacher tenure across the nation. 

A California judge declared the state's strong teacher-tenure laws unconstitutional in a rebuke that promises to spur similar challenges around the country.

The student plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the state and two teachers unions successfully argued that statutes protecting teacher tenure, dismissal procedures and “last-in, first-out” layoff policies serve more often to keep ineffective instructors in the schools–hurting students' chances to succeed.

William Koski, a law professor at Stanford University, said the case will have “ripple effects” nationally. “We are going to see some litigation” in other states, he said, “and it's going to raise some pretty thorny issues about the role of courts and the judiciary in teacher employment policies and more specifically in education policies.”

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