The state’s largest teachers’ union proposed Wednesday adding a fourth year to a teacher’s path to tenure.
Teachers currently get tenure after three years and one day on the job. Vincent Giordano, executive director of the New Jersey Education Association, proposed adding a first year of intensive mentoring by a seasoned colleague, similar to a year of residency for a novice doctor.
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The union's plan did not satisfy the New Jersey School Boards Association, which has long pushed to eliminate lifetime tenure and replace it with renewable contracts. Spokesman Frank Belluscio said the fourth year was an “interesting concept.” But he said it would not address what the NJSBA sees as the main problem: Litigation to remove a tenured teacher is so costly and time-consuming that boards are reluctant to pursue it.
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http://www.northjersey.com/news/NJEA_president_proposes_adding_extra_year_to_teacher_tenure_path.html