This afternoon the House Education Committee will hear testimony on HB14-1268, "Nonprobationary Teachers No Indefinite Unpaid Leave" (Salazar/Todd), a measure aimed at the heart of SB10-191, the Great Teachers and Leaders legislation passed four years ago, which is the foundation of K-12 education reform in our state.
This measure seeks to remove the practice of "mutual consent," a process that requires both a principal and a teacher to agree to the educator's placement in a school. For those of you who saw the movie, Waiting for Superman, mutual consent puts an end to the "Dance of the Lemons" - a practice of moving an educator from one school to another without buy-in from the school's leadership or an assessment of effectiveness, or fit. Who wins in that situation? Not the children in the classroom.
No one will dispute that teachers are the most important in-school factor for a student's success. However, this legislation negatively impacts our children by removing a school leader's ability to ensure every student has access to a quality teacher. Further, it creates a situation where dollars that should be in the classroom would be set aside to pay teachers who do not receive a placement, and who are not teaching. In a time of limited resources for our schools that seems not just wrong, but foolish.
It's also worthwhile to note this legislation isn't just bad policy; it's also unpopular. A recent statewide survey showed that 94 percent of Colorado voters agree that principals should be able to hire the teachers who best meet the needs of their schools' students, and under no circumstances should they be forced to hire a teacher they do not think is a good fit.
As a vigorous proponent of education reform we strongly oppose any attempt to roll back provisions of SB10-191, and our opposition will be noted.
As you may recall this bill is not the only attempt to unravel the progress made in strengthening our schools by ensuring every student has an effective teacher. A previous attempt is a class-action lawsuit - filed by the national, state and local teachers' unions against Denver Public Schools and the State Board of Education - earlier this year. With regard to the litigation, last week DPS, with the support of the State of Colorado through the Attorney General, filed a Motion to Dismiss stating the case was without merit. It will be several months before we learn the outcome of their request of the Denver District Court.
We will keep you posted on the outcome of both HB14-1268, and the pending litigation. Should you have questions about this measure, or any other piece of legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected].