A legislative effort to increase the diversity of the state’s teaching corps could weaken job protections for veteran educators, a trade-off that has sparked controversy and drawn opposition from the state’s largest teachers unions.
Under the bill, filed earlier this year, superintendents and principals would gain greater discretion to protect novice teachers during a layoff if they are part of an underrepresented demographic group or qualify for one of several other exemptions, including teaching in a critical shortage area such as math, science, and special education. That, in turn, could jeopardize the job status of some rank-and-file educators who had already reached “professional status,” a designation akin to tenure that is typically granted to teachers after completing three years of service.
Read more in the Boston Globe.