Senate Bill 955 attacks teachers and ignores the real problems facing our schools

 Where We Stand

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some lawmakers are attacking public education and teacher rights in a new bill that will make it harder to keep quality teachers in local classrooms. SB 955 would gut teachers’ due process rights and protections against discrimination. Like the governor’s initiatives that voters soundly defeated in 2005, the Huff bill would not save local school districts one dime and does nothing to improve student learning. Rather than focusing on the real problems facing our schools like larger class sizes and cuts to student programs, this bill simply blames teachers.

Call your State Senators using CTA's Hotline: (888) 202-2246 and tell them to defeat this measure.

Senate Bill 955 (Huff) proposes to:

• Eliminate the March RIF (reduction in force) notice to teachers and eliminate their right to request a hearing.
• Allow districts to ignore teacher experience in the classroom when making layoff and rehiring decisions. These decisions would be based on teacher evaluations, even though many districts do not conduct them regularly as required by law.
• Eliminate teachers' due process rights in a dismissal hearing.
• Authorize assignment, reassignment, and transfer of teachers based on evaluations and subject matter needs, and without regard to experience. 

Reasons to OPPOSE Senate Bill 955 (Huff):

We’ll lose years of experience in our classrooms. This bill ignores the importance of teachers’ experience in the classroom when making layoff and rehiring decisions. It will make it harder to retain quality teachers in our neighborhood schools.  

It eliminates due process and strips teachers of their rights. Undoing workers’ rights is not the way to ensure that every classroom has the most effective teacher or attract and retain the best people in our schools. The bill opens the door to retaliation against teachers standing up for their students and profession.

It is unnecessary. There is already a process to remove ineffective teachers. During their first two years of employment, teachers can be fired for any reason. In their third year, teachers have a right to a hearing. State law already allows districts to consider student needs in making layoff decisions. 

This bill scapegoats teachers during bad economic times. This law will not improve student learning and ignores the real problems facing our schools. It is not going to save the state or local school districts one dime. Legislators should be focused on reducing class sizes, saving jobs, keeping neighborhood schools open, and providing assistance and support to students.  Instead, some politicians are using a weak economy as an opportunity to blame teachers.

We need to attract and retain the best candidates in teaching. The bill will discourage college graduates from going into the teaching profession because it creates an unfair system with no due process rights. The bill also opens the door to arbitrary and discriminatory treatment of teachers.

Contact Your Lawmakers TODAY!

 Call your State Senators using CTA's Hotline: (888) 202-2246

 Email using our Legislative Action Center