Opposing views on teacher seniority bill [audio]
(Emma Lee/WHYY)
A hot-button education issue in Pennsylvania is a proposal to change the way school districts can determine teacher layoffs. Currently the only allowable deciding factor is seniority, the “last hired, first fired” rule.
Last week, the Pennsylvania House passed, and Governor Wolf vetoed the “Protecting Excellent Teachers Act,” a bill that would permit districts to use the results of the new teacher evaluation system to determine which teachers to lay off.
This evening, NewsWorks Tonight features two commentators who offer opposing viewpoints on the issue.
NewsWorks contributor Solomon Jones writes “The Philadelphia Experiment” blog for NewsWorks, and is a Philadelphia School District parent. Click through to read Solomon’s featured commentary ‘Pennsylvania seniority bill advances the war on teachers’.
Jonathan Cetel is a former teacher, community organizer, and charter school administrator, and currently the executive director of the education advocacy group PennCAN: The Pennsylvania Campaign for Achievement Now.
Listen to both sides of this polarizing topic on Soundcloud, below.
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