|
Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications
Division
State
Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: March 9, 2011
Sen. John Ford
Senate approves bill to restore local control for termination of
bad teachers
Sen. John
Ford has won full Senate approval on a measure to end the cumbersome
process now required to terminate a bad teacher—a process
that can cost a school district tens of thousands of dollars and
several months to resolve.
Senate Bill 1, approved on Wednesday, would end the process known
as trial de novo, which currently gives teachers the right to appeal
a school board’s decision to district court.
“Good teachers will not be threatened by this bill. Good teachers
will have significantly greater protection with this legislation
than most Oklahomans have in the private sector,” said Ford,
Senate Education Committee Chairman. “The problem now is that
school districts can find the process so expensive and time-consuming
that it is easier to transfer the bad teacher to a low-performing
school where parents are less likely to complain. If anything those
are the children who need the very best teachers.”
Ford pointed to news reports about a case that cost Purcell Public
Schools close to $80,000 in legal fees and almost half a year to
terminate a teacher who was later charged with child molestation.
“There are other examples as well. It is unfair to the students,
unfair to the vast majority of good, dedicated teachers, unfair
to the parents and unfair to taxpayers who foot the bill for these
prolonged challenges,” said Ford, who represents Craig, Nowata
and Washington counties. “The local board has the authority
to hire teachers—this simply restores their ability to fire
bad teachers.”
For more information contact:
Sen. Ford: (405) 521-5634
|
