Greetings,

Your help is urgently needed!
 
Some legislators want to change current law that impacts teacher contracts and due process rights. This law has dramatic implications for Florida's teaching profession. It would add three additional years of annual contracts and would only provide a five year contract upon successful completion of six annual contracts within the same school district. At the end of each five year contract, the teacher could be dismissed for any reason or no reason.
 
These bills are named the "Quality Teachers for All Students Act" but the name certainly misrepresents the intent and principles of the bill. They will allow for less scrutiny and assistance from the principal, not more.
 
Take action now to stop these bad bills!

Subject: Stop the Attack on Teachers!

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing to express my concern for the future of public school education and the teaching profession if SB 2458 or HB 1411 is approved and signed into law. These similar bills would redesign the teacher contract status for future Florida teachers.

The bill is counterproductive to efforts that recruit professionals to teach in public schools and retain career educators in the classroom.

In current law, a teacher is employed pursuant to annual contracts of employment for the initial 3 years of employment. During the first such contract period, the teacher may be dismissed for any reason (or for no reason) during the first 97 days of employment without any right of review. At the end of each annual contractual period, the contract may be "non-renewed" for any reason (or for no reason) without any hearing or recourse. If agreed to in writing by the teacher, a fourth annual contract may be issued.

Thereafter, a teacher merits a professional service contract which automatically renews at the end of each year unless the teacher is performing unsatisfactorily. If performance is unsatisfactory, the teacher is provided assistance and if he or she doesn't improve to a satisfactory level of performance, the teacher is terminated. The teacher has a hearing opportunity to challenge whether termination is proper. If the teacher's level of performance rises to a level of "incompetence," he or she may be removed from the classroom immediately and terminated at any time subject only to a hearing to determine that proper cause exists.

SB 2458 and HB 1411 would both extend the annual contract status to five years after a one-year probationary contract. For six years, a teacher would be subject to "non-renewal" for any reason (or for no reason) at the end of the school year. Permitting the annual non-renewal of a teacher for any reason (or for no reason) will discourage administrators from properly assessing performance and will permit retention decisions to be made for improper purposes.

After the annual contract period, a teacher would receive a 5 year contract which could be "non-renewed" at the end of the term for any reason (or for no reason) without any hearing or recourse. Again, the bill may discourage administrators from properly assessing performance and allow them to wait the teacher out. Everyone loses in that scenario. The teacher receives no assistance and the students have a struggling teacher. Current law has an assistance and evaluation process to assist the teacher or, in the event of no improvement, to provide justification for their dismissal.

If a principal permits an incompetent teacher to remain in the classroom, the principal should be terminated for failing properly to perform the duties of his or her position. The mechanisms for a principal and superintendent to deal with an inadequate teacher are clearly prescribed in current law.

For these reasons, I respectfully request that you oppose the passage of SB 2458 and HB 1411!

Please let me know how you plan to proceed.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]