Arbitrator’s Decision to Require Re-Hiring Bad Teachers Upheld in D. C.

Memo to Teacher’s Unions:  You Are Winning the Battle and Losing the War

The Dismal Political Economist supports teachers and support teacher unions.  He received a wonderful public school education and believes every student in America deserves the same opportunity as he had.  At the same time he is worried about the images that teachers and teacher unions are  projecting and worries that this is not aiding education.

Earlier there was this post on how teacher unions needed to get out in front of the education issue, and be seen by the public as leading rather than obstructing educational reforms.  It does not matter if the overwhelming number of teachers are doing a great job if the perception is that teachers are working against good education.

A decision by a Labor/Management Board in Washington D. C. upheld an arbitrator’s ruling that the city must re-hire 75 of the 1,000 teachers that were discharged several years ago.  The arbitrator

said the dismissals were improper because the teachers, who were in their two-year probationary period, were not told why they were let go. He called it the “glaring and fatal flaw”

The head of the Teacher’s union, Nathan Saunders said

“It is time to stop stalling and put good teachers back to work with deserving students and parents,”

But here are some excerpts from the arbitrator’s report on those who were fired.

The negative recommendations from the principals, excerpted by the arbitrator, include one teacher who was late 24 times and had 20 days of absences after returning from two months of sick leave. After the initial leave, most of the absences were on Mondays and Fridays, the arbitrator’s decision said.

Another teacher received warnings from his principal about playing movie DVDs and gospel songs during class time, as well as using inappropriate language with students. One teacher had poor classroom management skills and had been AWOL for the final two months of the 2007-08 school year.

which at least to The Dismal Political Economist, and certainly to the public at larges does not sound like they are the type of teachers we want to put back to work.

One question left over is why the arbitrator, given these comments, sided with the teachers, and it appears it was a question of due process rather than a judgment on the teaching performance.  Had the school board followed procedure it seems likely no bad teachers would be getting their jobs back.  Even so Mr. Saunders, do you really think the public will support you and your union for getting teachers like those cited back in the schools?  Do you really want teachers like that teaching your kids?