The California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles issued an historic decision in Vergara v. California, striking down five harmful provisions of the California Education Code as unconstitutional. According to the Court, the laws in question - laws that govern teacher tenure, dismissal, and layoffs - impose substantial harm on California's students by forcing administrators to push passionate, inspiring teachers out of the school system and keep grossly ineffective teachers in front of students year after year.
Today’s Vergara v. CA ruling is a victory for students everywhere. We shouldn’t need a judge to tell us that every child deserves a great teacher.
Students Matter, a national education nonprofit organization, helped the Plaintiffs to file Vergara v. California in May 2012. In response to the court's decision, the organizations' founder, Dave Welch, said: "I believe in public education. I believe in - and have experienced - the power of a great teacher. And I believe in the children of our state. But I also believe our public education system is failing our children because it has stopped putting their needs and their success above all else. This case was designed to change that - to ask, how do the rules that govern our education system advance the best interests of California's children? Today we have our answer - and we've been challenged to do better."
In the coming months, Students Matter will be convening education, policy and community leaders to talk about how we ensure that the affirmation of students' rights translates into meaningful policy change, so students, teachers and administrators benefit at the classroom level. The organization will gather information from around the country - and from districts within California - that are operating successfully without the burdens of these laws, including states, districts and schools that have lengthened or eliminated the time to tenure, changed or eliminated their LIFO laws, or streamlined the dismissal process.
Resources
Fact Sheet: Vergara v. California Trial by the Numbers
Court's Decision
Full Release from Students Matter
In the News
The New York Times: California Teacher Tenure Laws Ruled Unconstitutional
The Washington Post: California Court Rules Teacher Tenure Creates Unequal Conditions
Los Angeles Times: Key Teacher Job Protections Violate California's Constitution, Judge Rules