Tackling ‘Last In, First Out’ Policy for Educators
ATLANTA—State Representative Alisha Morgan (D-Austell) today announced the introduction of House Bill 257, legislation aimed at keeping effective teachers in Georgia classrooms by changing the way local systems approach educator layoffs. HB 257 would require districts to use performance as the primary criteria when considering a reduction in force rather than the “last in, first out” system.
“In these difficult financial times, we don’t want to see any district forced to lay off teachers,” said Rep. Morgan. “However, if a district does decide to make layoffs, those decisions should be based on what is best for our kids, and that means keeping our most effective teachers in the classroom. To do this, our local education systems need flexibility to make employment decisions based primarily on whether a teacher is effectively educating our children.”
Several school districts in Georgia currently make layoffs based on a teacher’s number of years of service, a practice known as “last in, first out” (LIFO) or “last hired, first fired.” LIFO prioritizes veteran teachers over their newer colleagues without regard to performance.
Under HB 257, districts would create reduction in force policies that prioritize teacher performance as the most important factor in deciding layoffs. This change would allow the number of years of service and other factors deemed significant by the local board to serve as secondary criteria when making personnel decisions. Numerous school districts in Georgia have already implemented similar policies, including Cobb County.
Georgia is not the only state contemplating such reforms. Lawmakers in Washington, Colorado and Arizona have abolished their LIFO policies in recent years. Each state cited cuts to education funding as the driving force behind the decision to change the way their school districts implement workforce reductions.
“The quality-blind system currently used by many Georgia school districts when deciding to let teachers go is simply unacceptable. HB 257 treats teachers like the professionals they are by protecting the most effective teachers from being arbitrarily laid off because of an arcane policy,” says Rep. Morgan. “This bill helps children in our state by keeping our most effective educators teaching in their classrooms, regardless of their number of years of service.”
A subcommittee of the House Committee on Education will hold a hearing on HB 257 on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at 2:30 PM in Room 506 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building.
For more information on HB 257, please click here.
Since 2003, Alisha Thomas Morgan has represented Georgia’s 39th House District, serving Cobb County. She is the first African-American to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives from Cobb County and currently serves on the Children & Youth, Education, Governmental Affairs, and Health & Human Services committees. Rep. Morgan may be reached at 404-656-0109 or by e-mail at Alisha.Morgan@house.ga.gov.
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