UPDATED: Group Calls For Abolition Of Teacher Seniority

A coalition of prominent Minneapolis education reformers, parents, and city council members fired a broadside at the Minneapolis Public Schools and its teachers' union for "putting the needs of adults over the academic needs of students."

The district and the union are engaged in biennial contract negotiations.

In an open letter addressed to the school board and the union, the coalition pointed to the district's enormous gap between white students' test scores and those of students of color and the district's low on-time graduation rates for students of color. The coalition cited these as evidence that district and union needed to revamp the way teachers were graded, hired and fired. 

"We passionately believe in public education as a democratic institution that requires public investment and community trust," the letter said. "As active parents, citizens, and stakeholders we call on you to put student achievement at the center of contract negotiations."

For those who follow the peculiar politics of public education reform, the coalition's prescriptions are familiar:

• Let principals hire any teacher they want without regard for seniority;
• Quickly fire poor performers;
• Abandon the current system of teacher performance evaluation based on peer review;
• Institute a new system that measures teachers by the academic progress their students make, along with observations by education specialists, and student and parent feedback;
• Add extended instruction time to the school day, and pay teachers for their extra time.

So far, the Minneapolis teachers' union has resisted, saying its current peer evaluation system is successful.

"It’s insulting to say that we are only talking about adults in our work," said union President Lynn Nordgren. "The reason we are here, the reason teachers are here is for students. Period. End of story."

Nordgren said the current peer-reveiwed process results in the average problem teachers leaving the district within six months. 

"We will not hire and fire our way to a better educational system," Nodgren said. "We have to make sure kids are getting to school, getting early exposure to literacy, good ptnrshps w/ parents(...it) goes way beyond what they’re suggesting. What they’re doing is tinkering and they’ll end up wasting time."

With a school board that includes many apparent union allies, it is unclear how successful the coalition will be. Board members Rebecca Gagnon, Alberto Monserrate, Richard Mammen, and Jenny Arneson followed up their election with  calling for the district to resolve contract disputes in favor of the union.

Former board member Chris Stewart, one of the coalition's leaders, said he believes many other Minneapolis parents would support what he described as a "grassroots" effort.

"What’s new right now about this is that you have a cross-section of the city in support of this," he said. The proposal's success "has to do with how open their ears are and their promises of community engagement when they ran for the board."

Current board member Gagnon said the district was already working on some aspects of the coalition's proposal.

"We're in agreement with a number of things," Gagnon said. "Our teacher evaluation system is already going to judge teachers (on performance). It's going to be part of our system, so we're already getting there."

She added, though, that she expects both the board and the coalition to compromise.

Current board member Mammen agreed that "transparency and open conversations" are essential in the current contract negotiations.

"I don't think anyone should project that I have a position other than, you know, we find ways to close the achievement gap," he said. "I agree with the outcomes, I'm not sure that I agree with the means."

UPDATED 9:22 a.m. 11/3/11: This article was updated to include comments from Lynn Nordgren, President of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.