HARTFORD, CT (AP) -
Gov. Dannel Malloy says Connecticut must immediately start overhauling its teacher tenure system, replacing those employment guarantees with methods requiring educators to keep re-earning job security.
Malloy called the tenure protections "too easy to get and too hard to take away" during his address Wednesday to lawmakers as they kicked off the 2012 legislative session.
Connecticut law grants tenure to teachers after four years, and they can be dismissed only under specific circumstances after a lengthy process. Malloy wants teachers to re-earn their tenure over the years by meeting certain standards, such as improving students' performance.
Teachers' unions say they also support reforming tenure laws, but that the evaluation methods must be fair and consistent, and include opportunities for teachers to improve before they are removed.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)