Teachers' seniority targeted in House bill

OLYMPIA — When school districts are forced to trim staff during tough economic times, the newest teachers are traditionally the first to go.

Some lawmakers, though, are pushing for a different system — layoffs based on teacher evaluations, not seniority.

Under HB 1609, teachers who scored the lowest on two of their most recent evaluations would face layoffs first. An identical bill SB5399 was introduced in the Senate, but it's unlikely to be heard.

"This is yet just one small tool that can be used ... by principals to help make movement toward narrowing that achievement gap," Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, told lawmakers at a crowded House Education Committee hearing Tuesday.

Pettigrew, the lead sponsor of the measure, noted that he grew up in south-central Los Angeles and education was his way out of a rough neighborhood. Passing the bill, he argued, would ensure that the best teachers remain in the classroom.

Members of an education-reform coalition, wearing orange stickers that read "Great Schools," testified in support of the legislation. Called Excellent Schools Now, the coalition includes nearly three dozen groups such as the League of Education Voters and Teachers United.

"We have young, committed teachers at our schools, but we're, quite frankly, all vulnerable to risk," said Kirby Green, a fourth-grade teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School in Seattle and a member of Teachers United.

Other teachers, school-employee-union members and a few associations that represent principals, administrators and school boards are concerned that the bill would undermine a new teacher-evaluation system now in the works.

Last year, the Legislature voted to require districts to revamp how they evaluate teachers and principals by the 2013-14 school year. Eight districts and one consortium of school districts began pilot programs that center on a four-tier evaluation system, replacing most districts' practice of rating teachers in one of two ways — satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Pettigrew's bill, which would apply to future contracts, creates a point system for both evaluation systems. A teacher's most recent evaluation would have a weight of 60 percent while the earlier evaluation would count for 40 percent.

If teachers earn the same score, seniority would break the tie.

Bothell Democrat Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, chairwoman of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, said the evaluation system approved last year should be developed first, but if Pettigrew's bill were to pass the House she would give it a hearing.

The House Education Committee has a Thursday deadline to make any amendments and pass the bill out of committee.

"It is clearly not ready to move as written, so whether or not we're able to secure an agreement on necessary amendments by Thursday is the big question," said Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, chairwoman of the House Education Committee.

Education reporter Linda Shaw contributed to this report.

Queenie Wong: 360-236-8267 or qwong@seattletimes.com