It is never pleasant when someone is fired, and we should want all dismissals to be reasonable and fair.
But it is equally undesirable to go too far in the other direction by protecting employees from dismissal even when they do a poor job.
So it is appropriate that the Tennessee General Assembly approved Gov. Bill Haslam's proposal to put tighter restrictions on teacher tenure.
In theory, tenure protects teachers from unjust dismissal. But in practice it can make it unduly difficult to remove badly performing teachers. That is wrong - especially when taxpayers are footing the bill for teachers' salaries. They have every right to insist that their tax dollars be spent effectively.
Under the newly approved tenure rules, it will take five years - rather than the current three - for a teacher to gain tenure in the first place. And even after tenure is granted, it can be revoked for a teacher who consistently performs badly in the classroom.
Ideally, we do not think tenure should exist at all, but the limits that the General Assembly has now placed on tenure are a positive step toward safeguarding taxpayer dollars and promoting high standards among those who educate Tennessee's children.