Politics & Government

Huff Bill Targeting Teacher Seniority Defeated

Unions lobbied hard against a bill by Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) that would have allowed school districts to use performance measures and evaluations to select those laid off has been defeated.

A bill that would have allowed school districts statewide to lay teachers off based on performance rather than seniority was defeated Wednesday, following a strong push from teacher unions in opposition.

The bill, SB 355, was drafted by Sen. Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) to eliminate what critics have called the "last in, first out" system of teacher layoffs.

Huff, who represents Monrovia in the 29th District,   that the current system can protect ineffective teachers and that the system diverges from standards of private employment.

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"You won’t find the luxury of seniority protection in the private sector and we shouldn’t apply such an ineffective policy to an important profession like teaching," he said. "This is a policy that hurts children since they should be given the opportunity to study with the best teacher possible."

The bill comes at a sensitive time for schools, as state budget cuts stand to hit districts and compel layoffs.

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Statewide, eyes are on education as the California Teachers Association holds regional rallies to fight against further cuts to the state education budget.

That organization has also voiced opposition to Huff's bill.

Frank Wells, a spokesman for the 325,000-member organization, told Patch in March that the law would get rid of an objective method of conducting layoffs and replace it with an entirely arbitrary method.

“Layoffs are done for budgetary reasons,” Wells said. “If a teacher isn't performing up to acceptable standards, that problem should have been addressed prior to the sad convenience of a financial crisis."

Nationally, debate over senority-based layoffs has become heated. A PBS NewsHour segment aired Monday explored the issue in Connecticut, where school administrators and teachers are split on how to best conduct layoffs.

The documentary film Waiting for Superman also fostered debate over seniority-based layoffs and featured former Washington Chancellor of Schools Michelle Rhee, whose organization studentsfirst.org has advocated for the elimination of seniority-based layoffs.

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