The
Columbus Dispatch...
Editorial: Punishing
talent
Seniority rules hobble schools in making best staffing decisions
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Look no further than Pickerington Local Schools to see what is wrong
with seniority as the primary driver of staffing decisions in public
schools: When budgets have to be cut, principals can’t preserve the
best staff. They have to preserve the longest-serving staffers, and
those might not be the same people.
Of the 14 “teacher of the year” winners for 2010-11 in the Pickerington
district, five are losing their jobs in a round of layoffs that will
hit 120 teachers.
Surely, if they could choose rationally, the Pickerington principals
wouldn’t put their best teachers on the list to be laid off. But they
can’t choose rationally; as in most school districts, the contract with
the Pickerington teachers union requires that those with the least
seniority be the first to lose their jobs in a layoff.
It’s a commandment that has been guarded by teachers unions for
decades, but it never has served children well. The loss of five of
Pickerington’s best teachers demonstrates that.
In recent years, efforts to reform schools have focused attention on
the fact that, aside from a healthy and supportive family structure,
nothing is as effective in helping children succeed in school as a
talented, dedicated teacher. Reform efforts have tried to harness this
power, urging districts to encourage the best teachers by basing pay on
merit.
Districts with chronically struggling schools have been encouraged to
negotiate contracts that allow administrators to put the best teachers
where they’re needed most, rather than allowing teachers to claim spots
by seniority.
These changes, though necessary, are controversial, and districts have
made only modest progress in persuading teachers unions to accept them.
Changing the last-hired, first-fired culture has been more difficult.
Employees in any field expect to gain status and security with longer
years on the job, and consideration for longevity is warranted. But it
never should be the sole determinant of how scarce and precious
resources - in this case, teacher talent - are used, especially in a
profession as dynamic and personality-driven as teaching.
Senate Bill 5, the much-contested measure that seeks to rein in the
power of public-employee unions and makes needed changes to the
teaching profession in Ohio, would preserve some role for seniority in
teacher-staffing decisions but would reduce its impact. A proposal to
repeal the law is likely to appear on the statewide ballot. If it does,
voters should bear in mind what putting seniority ahead of
effectiveness has meant for Pickerington students.
Read it at The Columbus Dispatch
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