Montgomery, AL – Republicans in the state Senate Education Committee have pushed through legislation to rewrite Alabama's tenure law.
Approval came Wednesday on a 6-2 vote, with Democrats opposing the legislation.
The legislation does away with a fired teacher being able to appeal a decision to a national recognized arbitrator. Instead, an appeal would go to a state hearing officer chosen by the state school superintendent. The sponsor, Republican Sen. Trip Pittman, says that will reduce the time and cost. The associate executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association, Joe Reed, says that skews the process against the teacher.
The bill also provides that a teacher's pay ends upon dismissal by a school board. Currently, the pay continues while a teacher is appealing a dismissal.
The bill now goes to the Senate.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)