Troubles With Teacher Tenure

MY9TV.COM - Unit 9 is taking on teacher tenure.
New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie has been pushing to end tenure since he took office.
Critics say - it gives even the bad teachers "jobs for life!"
And trying to fire one, is like playing a game of pinball in the twilight zone, even if you win, you lose.
Unit 9's Brenda Flanagan explains.

Bad teachers: they're notorious -- and the tenured ones -- virtually UNfireable, sometimes -- even if they PHYSICALLY abuse their students ...

"smacked me in my face, hit me with the ruler, a lot of stuff he did --BUTT -- and it was horrible."

She's afraid to show her face -- but this former Paterson schoolgirl told us about a teacher from hell....

  Did he hit other kids, too? "Yes, he hit other kids."

  "They'd have something called "Smackdown Friday" - where kids would be smacked down"

Jim Smith's a former police captain. Now he works for the Paterson School District -- investigating problem teachers. He says tenure shields them like Teflon...

  "It just blows my mind. It's like a "Get out of jail free" card. --BUTT-- 21:07 - I think tenure system as presently constructed is an absolute failure."

 Dumping a tenured teacher is kinda like playing the world'sTOUGHEST PINBALL GAME! It can take - four to five YEARS --
and you MIGHT need about a HALF-MILLION DOLLARS worth of quarters. Seriously -- watch this .....

  "put in a quarter"

And even if you WIN this game -- YOU LOSE. It costs SO much money -- most school districts just can't afford to play. So -- their bad teachers stay in the classroom. And it's the kids who suffer.

 The school district first FILES CHARGES -- the TEACHER REPLIES. Then the district LAUNCHES
an INVESTIGATION... takes SWORN STATEMENTS -- ORGANIZES EVIDENCE -- and FILES AFFIDAVITS.
The local supt. CERTIFIES the CHARGES -- and then the STATE Education Commissioner
CERTIFIES the CHARGES. The Teacher's SUSPENDED -- WITH NO PAY -- but ONLY for 120 Days.
Eventually the CASE GOES TO COURT -- but since the Trial Can Take ONE TO FOUR YEARS -- the Teacher's SALARY RESUMES --
he gets paid 'til the JUDGE RULES and the State Commissioner makes a FINAL DECISION.
But even if the Teaching License gets REVOKED? -- the Teacher Can STILL APPEAL! It's crazy enough to make a pinball TILT!!!!

  TILT!!!!!!!!!!!! BUZZ

So let's recap -- it can take 17 separate steps -- to fire a bad teacher -- assuming schools can even afford to hire an investigator.

Did u complain about him? "Yes, I complained to the principal..."

She testified against the teacher -- who lost license and tenure. On average, it takes about nine months to fire a tenured teacher.

"There are ways to make this better."

Paterson Union Exec. Pete Tirri says -- teachers have offered to streamline the tenure revocation process. But Gov. Christie wants the tenure system ABOLISHED.

"When he's described as the schoolyard bully - that's what he is. He wants it HIS way -- or no way."

But this former student says - reform is desperately needed, and it cant come soon enough.

" I dont want other kids to go thru what I went thru."

SOT -- DING DING!

But until that happens, it's pinball -- a maze -- that BOTH sides say is ready to TILT.

 Im BF Unit 9