How do they decide which teachers get booted and which keep their jobs?
One thing and one thing only: seniority. Teacher A may be the World’s Greatest Teacher — and have the mug to prove it — but if Teacher B has been teaching longer, Teacher A has to be fired first. That creates a whole lot of complications, especially because the teaching positions the district can afford to cut are often filled with veteran teachers. The school district has to either A) fire every teacher in the district with less seniority than that veteran or B) free up a position that veteran is certified for. That’s why, even though the district plans to cut 40-60 teaching positions, 103 teachers received layoff notices. Because of “seniority,” more people may be fired than the budget shortfall requires. Science, English and social studies teachers have been the most vulnerable. How can the district plan to rehire everyone but 40 of those laid-off? Over the summer, the district hopes to figure out which spots for unmoored veteran teachers require the fewest number of novice teachers
