Christie to sign changes to N.J. teacher tenure law

Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to a sign a bill to tenure protections harder to earn for teachers — and easier to lose.

Christie’s office says he’ll sign the bill today at a middle school in Middlesex.

 

Under the bill, teachers who work three years would no longer be granted tenure automatically. Instead, they will have to perform well on more rigorous evaluations. And those who consistently get low marks can lose tenure.

The changes passed the Legislature unanimously in June and had the support of teachers unions and school reform advocates. But Christie was concerned because the bill leaves seniority as the way to determine which educators lose their jobs in case of layoffs.