Mo. Senate considers eliminating teacher tenure

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (MISSOURI DIGITAL NEWS) - The elimination of teacher tenure is a possibility with its inclusion in another bill heard by a Missouri Senate Committee.

Another bill eliminating teacher tenure was debated as a solution to bring up Missouri's K-12 test scores.

St. Louis County Represenative Jane Cunningham is the sponsor of this bill and says teacher tenure along with teacher evaluations and performance based pay are all possible solutions to better teaching methods.

However, Mike Wood of the Missouri State Teacher Association says performance based pay is ridiculous.

"To put teachers across the hallway in competition with each other for increases of salary at their expense just doesn't lend itself to being conducive in a learning environment," Wood said.

On the other hand, Cunningham says she has more good faith in teachers.

"What a deregatory statement to a professional," Cunningham countered. "To say a difference in pay would make them so they are so jealous they can't work together for the betterment of a child. I'm embarrassed by a statement like that."

The committee took no vote on the bill, with just five weeks left.

Sherman Fabes, Missouri Digital News

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