Teacher seniority rules come under fire
“I consider myself a union supporter, but I don’t support the seniority system,” said Lynnell Mickelsen of Minneapolis, who is organizing a community group to oppose the main use of seniority in layoffs.
In a shrinking school system, which has resulted in the loss of 1,300 teacher jobs since 2001, “terrific teachers have been laid off, and [some of those remaining] are depressingly, relentlessly mediocre,” Ms. Mickelsen said. “People are so frustrated about this.”
The underlying issue is that teacher pay bears no relation to teacher effectiveness
Joanne also says, "Veteran teachers are attractive targets for cost cutters because they earn so much more than new teachers. A top-scale teacher may earn twice as much as an entry-level teacher - but not be anywhere near twice as good."
