AFTNJ President Donna M. Chiera and Newark Teachers Union Joseph Del Grosso testified about tenure legislation for the Assembly Education Committee on March. 5.
 Teachers are not against tenure reform; teachers are afraid of tenure reform. Their first concern is that the decision of tenure is going to rely on an evaluation system that does not yet exist except in some districts which are piloting a program. In many of these pilot districts these systems are being developed with limited teacher voice. The new system will include a student outcomes section with a percentage of the rating to be based on student growth scores from a annual standardized assessment that is currently in development. This is all taking place while we are transitioning from New Jersey Core Content Standards to National Core Standards. |
 Let me begin by saying there are concepts to like in this bill, including the language on mentoring, professional development, and teacher privacy. I wish to make something very clear. This proposed Act completely destroys the rights of New Jersey teachers who have successfully led New Jersey’s students to the pinnacle of success when compared to results in other States. Why is success being punished and why have New Jersey teachers become the victims of legislation that leaves teachers in New Jersey with rights no greater than existed for public employees in the 1920s. More>> |