Eliminating tenure for teachers would strip them of due process

Teachers want to work beside an excellent teacher helping students learn and preparing them to succeed in life. This is why bills being heard by the Legislature this week are so puzzling.

I am president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association but I am also a teacher. I would like to offer some thoughts to our legislators on teacher tenure.

Let’s begin by remembering history, because those who forget it are doomed to repeat it.

Tenure began in China. It was the first place where merit was used as the basis in hiring. Today, merit is still the basis for hiring teachers. They must be educated, qualified, engaged in student teaching and interviewed before they are hired. And even then, they must go through two years of probation before earning tenure. Throughout their careers, teachers continue professional development, as do other professionals such as doctors, lawyers and accountants.

Is there any other public or private sector worker whose probationary period is as long? No matter what word you use to describe tenure, it only means one thing: due process. Tenure simply provides that educators are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

Is there something wrong with due process? We have it for every public sector worker. We have it for judges. We even have it for criminals. Maybe tenure and due process aren’t perfect, but imagine a world without them.

In the United States, tenure began as a way to protect teachers from being fired for political reasons. In fact, teachers were fired for having students read Mark Twain’s "Huckleberry Finn." Female teachers were fired for wearing pants. College professors were fired for not going along with the wishes of big donors.

When Louisiana became an early state to adopt tenure for teachers, it was to end the political spoils system where jobs were given to people who supported a politician.

Teachers in Hawaii are stunned that a few legislators want to ignore history. These legislators have proposed a law to strip teachers of our due process rights, to be hired and fired at the will of politicians and administrators, and supports the myth that bad teachers cannot be fired.

Is this the will of the Hawaii’s people? Or, are a few legislators playing some political game?

The vast majority of teachers do a good job under difficult circumstances. Focusing on the few ineffective teachers is a distraction from the real priority — ensuring that every child has a quality teacher. Fair dismissal policies are part of it, but we need to think bigger and recruit the right people into teaching, providing ongoing training, paying them a decent salary, and giving teachers the resources to help every child succeed.

Remember that teachers are just one part of our education system. Everyone in the community must be accountable for the success of our children. In addition to teachers, this means decision makers, students and parents. Students must be respectful and come to school ready to learn. Parents and families must instill values of respect, responsibility and love for learning. Elected officials must give our students, teachers and schools the tools and resources they need. Instead of making changes that targe only teachers, let’s work together to build a system that gives our children every opportunity to succeed.