This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Bed-Stuy Residents Divided Over Teacher "Last-In, First-Out" Policy

Some locals are concerned about Bloomberg's merit-based system for teachers, while others welcome the shift away from the old seniority system

Residents of Bed-Stuy are divided around Mayor Bloomberg's move to overhaul how tenure is awarded to teachers in New York City public schools.

The change would move away from the "last-in, first-out" model that guided hiring and firing practices in the past, and instead place more emphasis on a merit-based system guided by teacher performance.

In the current system, there is a three-year probationary period for teachers. Then after 3 years, principals can either grant tenure, deny tenure or extend probation at their discretion.

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Beginning this year, public and charter school teachers will be rated on a four-tier system, with those rated “effective” and “highly effective” as the only ones eligible for tenure after three years. Student scores on state-wide standardized tests also will be a factor in determining how teachers are rated.

“I don’t see Bloomberg’s new system as bad,” said Bed-Stuy resident Nicole Miller, 40, mother of a 12 year old. “It’s reassuring to us that our teachers are up to par. We test students, so imagine not testing a teacher.”

Find out what's happening in Bed-Stuywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In agreement, Jeffrey Oriaku, 19, who went to public high school in Brooklyn, said that the merit system could be useful in motivating teachers to improve. “How well students perform shows how good a teacher is,” he added.

Latasha Johnson, mother of two, voiced her support for the new policy. “Teachers lean on seniority for stability. We’re really behind on education in New York City. Evaluating teachers is necessary to get some results in our schools,” she said.

However, Janell Williams, whose son is in kindergarten in a public school in Boerum Hill, was concerned about testing teachers who already are overworked and undersupported.

“I don’t like testing at all. It makes teachers teach to the test, not curriculum,” she said.  Ms. Williams also said that focusing on test results prevents teachers from focusing on outstanding kids who have special needs, adding that her son’s classroom of 25 students needs more than the one teacher they currently have.

Taking into account her friends who are teachers, Corina Copp, said that she disapproved of Bloomberg’s changes to the tenure system because job security is so important for teachers.

A senior at public Brooklyn Theater Arts High School, Yoni Aguilar, said that he likes the idea of teachers having to prove themselves.

“Some teachers end up with the job because they have the time to stick with it, but they don’t have the skills or the personality to do the job right,” said Aguilar. “I have teachers who aren’t the best, but they can’t get fired."

What do you think about Bloomberg's new changes? Do you feel that principals are in the best position to decide tenure? Or do you feel that a standard rubric for teacher performance should be the guiding factor? And during budget cuts, is it fair to retain a teacher of three years over a teacher of 15 years?

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?