Statement of Support from Dr. C. Kent McGuire

Dean, College of Education, Temple University

 

Too often, attempts to engage in a reasoned discussion of union staffing rules devolve into senseless stand-offs that pit “management” against “labor,” and “pro-teacher” groups against “anti-teacher” ones. But the reality is that many teachers are not well served by the rules addressed in Unintended Consequences: there are the novice teachers cut from their positions even though the principal wants to keep them and they want to stay; others who are displaced from their jobs because their positions are wanted by more senior teachers; and still more who are hired so late in the summer that they enter challenging classrooms with little or no time for preparation or induction. The retention problems in our industry are well known. To the extent these rules contribute to the revolving door, it must be closed.

So even if new and novice teachers get the short end of the stick, what about the other teachers in these systems? It can be argued that these rules disadvantage any teacher, regardless of seniority, who wants to make an effective match with a principal and a school, be part of a unified team of high-quality teachers, and work for an effective school leader who has the authority to make good staffing decisions.