Teacher Tenure Bill Stalls In California Legislature

A Senate committee has rejected a bill that would have increased the time for California teachers to become tenured from two years to three.

Democratic Asm. Susan Bonilla, the bill’s author, says she was stuck between teachers unions and education reform groups.

“On the CTA side and the union side, there was no sense of a need to make any changes. They were defending the status quo, very clearly,“ Bonilla said after her bill failed. “On the other side, I was disappointed that they were not able to embrace an incremental approach.”

The measure was a watered-down version of an earlier bill that included changes to the state’s lengthy teacher dismissal process.

The removal of those changes drew opposition from groups seeking an overhaul of California public education. The bill that remained drew opposition from the teachers unions.

Bonilla says she’ll make one last effort later this year, but she admits the bill has very little chance of getting through.