In Defense of Teacher Tenure

The recent Vergara v. State of California court case has struck down due process protections for California teachers and reignited discussion of teacher tenure. It is no surprise that corporate reformers and enemies of public education have celebrated the decision and are already hoping it will spread to other states. The case is being appealed and it is my hope that the faulty logic and reasoning of this ruling will be exposed.

Tenure is the protection of due process. It does NOT mean that a teacher cannot be fired (as some would like the public to believe). Tenured teachers can be and are fired but it requires proof of "just cause" for termination. In other words, administrators/school boards actually have to justify that there is a legitimate reason for firing this person. This level of security against precarious employment is crucial for teachers and students and must be defended.

Let us look at a few examples of how important tenure is to the rights of educators and successful public education. Here in Alabama, a teacher is eligible for tenure at the end of the third year in a district. Without tenure, you can be fired without cause or reason. Tenure is critical to academic freedom by providing some protection against being targeted and terminated based on content and pedagogy. This is particularly important with subjects such as biology, history and literature that face frequent political and religious debate. Tenure can also provide some protection for teachers against being targeted and terminated based on their existence outside of work. Historically, teachers have been subject to both formal and informal restrictions on their personal and political lives. Tenure can also provide some protection against cronyism. Here in Alabama, we are well aware of the corruption and "good old boy" mentality that plagues our state. For example, an experienced teacher with tenure is unlikely to be replaced to make room for the superintendent's nephew who just graduated. Finally, tenure can provide some protection against false accusations, personal grudges, and the like. Unfortunately, too many administrators and school boards are not on the side of their teachers and are thus unwilling to stick up for those workers unlucky enough to be caught up in such scenarios. These reasons for fighting for the establishment of tenure are just as relevant today and worthy of protection and even expansion.

So tenure is not a "keep your job for life card" nor is it a program to retain "ineffective teachers" (whatever that means). But what of the infamous "bad teachers" who, according to the billionaires and bureaucrats, are to be blamed for the "crisis" in public education? That there exist teachers who, for whatever reason, are not good at their job is statistically a certainty. Of course, one has to be clear about what constitutes "good" and "bad" as well as how these are measured. Regardless, we can assume there are people doing a poor job in every profession. I'm sure there are bad lawyers, landscapers, chefs, and doctors, though they never seem to attract much attention or much blame for crises. The "bad teacher" myth is largely ideologically fueled hyperbole. Not only does it serve to attack and de-professionalize teachers and insult their enormous dedication, it also ignores the well-researched fact that socioeconomic factors (particularly poverty, inequality, and parental education) have far greater impact on student outcomes than do teachers, great or crappy. One can often hear or read anecdotes about lazy and/or incompetent teachers who "should be fired" but never are because tenure won't allow it. As mentioned earlier, a tenured teacher can still be fired. However, it does require work on the part of administrators who must document poor performance and bad behavior. That is perhaps less significant than the immediate leap to see firing as the solution rather than attempted collaboration, discussion, and training.

Once you break through the rhetoric you see that attacks on tenure are part of something even bigger. This is just one aspect of wealthy capitalists influencing public education policy and conducting a broader assault on education, unions, the public sector and the working class as a whole. I believe it is critical that we counter misinformation on tenure at every opportunity. We must not forget: a teacher's working conditions are a student's learning conditions!

I welcome thoughtful conversation and debate. Feel encouraged to comment! If you are interested in how education and the class struggle intersect, please follow my blog and find me on Twitter: @ClydeWPA. Solidarity!