NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to make it harder for teachers to win and keep tenure is headed to the Senate floor after easily clearing the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.
The Republican-controlled panel approved the landmark measure on a party-line 6-3 vote after a relatively brief 40-minute debate.
Haslam, a Republican, said he was “pleased to see the first step happen.”
Among other things, the bill expands from three years to five the time it takes for new teachers to achieve tenure, which is designed to protect teachers from unfair dismissals. They are eligible for tenure only if they fall into the top two tiers of a five-tier evaluation process.
Teachers risk losing tenure protection if they fall out of the top two tiers for two consecutive years.