Dive Brief:
- A California lawsuit on the state's rules on teacher tenure, seniority, and dismissals was expected to see Los Angeles schools chief John Deasy testifying for the plaintiffs' goal of making it easier to fire teachers.
- Deasy spent three days testifying and did speak to the difficulty of dismissing teachers under current regulations.
- But attorneys defending the current laws pointed out that under his tenure, Deasy has been able to drastically increase the number of teachers who are dismissed.
Dive Insight:
The lawsuit was filed by the group Students Matter and argues the protections for teachers violate the Constitution because they fail to ensure students an adequate education. If the lawsuit is successful, it could change the way teachers are hired and fired. Under Deasy in 2011-12, Los Angeles schools fired 99 tenured teachers; before Deasy in 2009-10, it was just 10.
