Dear Editor:
Mayor Schundler seeks to reform tenure, not end it. He believes tenure is appropriate to protect teachers from being fired for political reasons or because their seniority has moved them up the salary ladder. But he does not think tenure should protect teachers who consistently under perform.
In his opinion, a skills test should be conducted at the beginning and end of every school year. If, year after year, a given teacher’s students do not, on average, progress by a minimal amount, that teacher should be able to be replaced.
We will not have great schools in New Jersey if we do not have great teachers, and we will not have great teachers if poor teachers cannot be replaced.
Mayor Schundler knows that his position on this matter will be misrepresented. But he accepts that as the price one must pay to make constructive change. So he will continue to fight for the reform of New Jersey’s tenure laws.
Darren Boch
Director of Communications
City of Jersey City