Nov 15, 2007 7:33 pm US/Eastern
Mayor On A Mission: Root Out Ineffective Teachers
Controversial Plan Has Teachers' Union Head Seeing Red
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivers his state of the city address in January 2007.
AP
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on a new campaign to rid public schools of bad teachers.
The idea has sparked a lot of friction, and has shattered the peace between City Hall and the teacher's union.
There's nothing like a great teacher. But what should schools do with teachers who aren't any good?
"Whatever it takes to get them out is the right thing to do," parent Joel Roodman said.
Thing is, the teachers' contract makes it notoriously hard to get rid of bad teachers. Last year the city axed just 10 of the system's 40,000 instructors.
But the mayor is out to change that.
"It's the last alternative, but we are not going to allow teachers who can't teach to be in front of the classroom," Bloomberg said.
Schools chancellor Joel Klein is hiring a squad of lawyers whose sole job is to help principals oust bad teachers. The cost: $1 million a year.
Teachers union chief Randi Weingarten went ballistic. She said the move is all about some disappointing new 8th grade test results.
'"What's the pre-emptive response? Blame the teachers, start a gotcha unit. It's wrong, and the mayor and chancellor should apologize to the teachers," Weingarten said.
Klein shrugged her comments off.
"If you're in a class with a teacher who's unable to teach, what do you want me to do?" Klein said.
A recent survey showed 90 percent of parents are happy with their students' teachers. But what to do with the ones they don't like? There's a lot of debate.
"The teachers have a lot of pressure, so they deserve all the chances they get," said Julie Sim, a parent of a P.S. 234 student.
Now they may have a bigger fight on their hands if the system finds them lacking.
Under the chancellor's plan, a team of consultants will work with principals to improve the performance of low-performing teachers.
If the teachers don't improve, the team of lawyers will work to have them removed.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments