Another Senate bill to eliminate teacher tenure pushed into committee
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Another Senate bill to eliminate teacher tenure pushed into committee

Date: April 5, 2011
By: Sherman Fabes
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: 
A bill heard by a Missouri Senate Committee includes the elimination of teacher tenure.
RunTime:  0:52
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Minimum salary for teachers is not the only elimination the General Laws Committee heard Tuesday afternoon, but also another bill to get rid of teacher tenure.

St. Louis County Represenative Jane Cunningham is the sponsor of this bill and says stagnant test scores are the motivation for looking into teacher performance.

Cunningham served on the Ladue School Board for one term and says getting rid of bad teachers is difficult because of the amount of money and time it takes.

Actuality:  CUNTEN1.WAV
Run Time:  00:08
Description: "The decision not to terminate a teacher that they knew they needed too the decision was made because they did not want to spend the money legally."

However, opposition to the bill says teacher tenure in Missouri is already the hardest to recieve with a five year minimum over the average three years.

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

From the state Capitol, I'm Sherman Fabes, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Wrap: 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.

Actuality:  WOOD.WAV
Run Time:  00:10
Description: "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 enviornment."

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

Actuality:  CUNTEN2.WAV
Run Time:  00:11
Description: "What a deregatory statement to a professional. 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.

From the state Capitol, I'm Sherman Fabes, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.

Wrap: Stagnant K-12 test scores push legislators to improve teaching methods, one solution no more teacher tenure.

However, opposition to the bill says teacher tenure is an incentive to being a good teacher and is hard enough to recieve already.

Actuality:  TENFULL1.WAV
Run Time:  00:12
Description: "Now we're talking about eliminating something that is also one of the longest proccesses to gain just some semblance of security in the state."

Teacher tenure would be replaced with contracts that are no longer than three years. 

Senator Chuck Purgason agrees with the bill.

Actuality:  PURGTEN.WAV
Run Time:  00:05
Description: "It needs to be a simpler process because what is at stake is a kids education."

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

From the state Capitol, I'm Sherman Fabes, NewsRadio 1120 KMOX.