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Teacher Tenure Act & the Strand Decision
Subheadings: The District's rationale for teacher layoffs and reassignments -
The district's actions are unfair & illegal - The district's actions are unreasonable - How excessive layoffs & reassignments can cut payroll costs, increase reimbursements - Excerpts from Minnesota Appeals Court Opinions re: district's duty to "realign"
by Doug Mann, 4 July 2004
Edited by Doug Mann, 20 July 2004
The Minneapolis School District violated the MN Teacher Tenure Act,
**Excessive layoffs - "...The board may place on unrequested leave of absence, without pay or fringe benefits, as many teachers as may be necessary because of discontinuance of position, lack of pupils, financial limitations, or merger of classes caused by consolidation of districts..." MN Teacher Tenure Act, 122A.40Sub. 11 - The district laid off 608 teachers, cut fewer than 210 full time positions
**The district laid off teachers before determining which teachers would
probably be rehired if laid off. The district should have 1) given proper notice
to teachers whose positions are likely to be "excessed" (eliminated) due to
decreased student enrollment, 2) given those teachers an opportunity to
bid for open positions, and 3) realigned teachers as necessary before placing
any teachers on unrequested leaves of abscence last spring and during the
last week of June 2004.
**Tenured teachers were realigned into positions without their consent in
order to preserve the employment of probationary teachers in some areas
at the expense of teachers in other areas. The union leadership blocked
formal grievances over this issue. In order to challenge the realignment process, teachers would have to sue teachers union officers as well as the school board and administration.
Contents / headings:
Preface
WHY THE TEACHER TENURE ACT SHOULD NOT BE "REFORMED"
*The district is not following the letter of the law
*The district's layoff & realignment policies also:
a) discriminate against high seniority teachers
b) deny employment opportunities to some non-probationary teachers
c) discriminate against teachers in high needs areas.
HOW THE DISTRICT'S REALIGNMENT PROCESS IS UNREASONABLE
*Denies some special Ed students right to be in a safe environment
(which could result in loss of the district's Medicaid revenue)
*Lowers standards for staffing special education programs
*Lowers quality of instruction in regular education programs
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