In Newark, teacher tenure ruling could impact other cases

By Naomi Nix, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NEWARK — A state-appointed arbitrator ordered Newark Public Schools last month to rehire a teacher the district tried to fire under New Jersey’s revised tenure legislation.

Stephen Bluth ruled that the district could not revoke Sandra Cheatham’s tenure protections on the basis of a negative teacher evaluation from the 2012-2013 school year because TeachNJ— the state’s revised teacher tenure law — was not in effect at the start of the school year.

“The arbitrator was very clear,” said John Abeigon, director of operations of the Newark Teachers Union. “You can’t just make up the rules as you go along.”

Under the ruling, Newark Public Schools will pay any back pay she missed as a result of the tenure charge. The school district said in a statement it was currently working with Cheatham to obtain a “mutually agreed upon outcome.”

But the Cheatham ruling could impact dozens of other teachers in a similar predicament, say some experts.

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