BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Teachers in Benton Harbor Area Schools have agreed to new contract language that allows the district to remove them from a school due to poor performance, according to The (St. Joseph) Herald-Palladium.
Superintendent Leonard Seawood said at a school board meeting that the agreement makes it more likely that the Michigan Department of Education will approve the district’s redesign plan, which has twice been rejected due primarily to the teacher evaluation system, The Herald-Palladium reported.
The redesign plan was mandated by the state after Benton Harbor High School was identified as “persistently low-achieving,” the report said. Board trustee Martha Momany said that, without the new contract language, the result may have been a state takeover of the high school, according to The Herald-Palladium.
Seawood said the language does not necessarily allow removing a teacher from the district, The Herald-Palladium reported. Teachers will be evaluated every year instead of every three years, and may be given an improvement plan based on performance, the report said.
SOURCE:
The (St. Joseph) Herald-Palladium, “BH
teachers agree to annual review,” Jan. 12, 2011
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, “Teacher evaluation talks begin,”
Feb. 19, 2010
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.