Oklahoma plan would make it easier to fire teachers

[The Northerner]

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla (Reuters) – An education reform bill that makes it easier for school boards to fire poor performing teachers was approved on Thursday by the Oklahoma state Senate.

The bill, approved by a 30-16 vote, now goes to the state's new Republican Governor Mary Fallin, who supports changes to Oklahoma's education system.

The measure removes the right of teachers to appeal their terminations to a state district court. It is one of several education reforms sought by Republicans, who this year have majorities in both chambers of the legislature for the first time in Oklahoma's 103-year history.

State Senator John Ford, a sponsor of the bill, said school districts are forced to spend thousands in legal fees to remove poor teachers and sometimes opted to save money by simply transferring bad teachers to low-performing schools where there is little parental involvement.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110401/us_nm/us_oklahoma_teachers