Kansas Teachers Vow To Fight

Leaders of the top Kansas teachers’ union are vowing to continue the fight through November’s elections against the Legislature’s vote to eliminate tenure.

Lawmakers inserted the provision Sunday into a bill that increases state funding for public schools. The measure is now on Gov. Sam Brownback’s desk.

The Kansas National Education Association said Tuesday that ending tenure would limit teachers’ ability to advocate for their students’ best interests. The union also says depriving teachers of the administrative due process provided by tenure puts their jobs in jeopardy.

Proponents of the change included conservative Republicans and the group Americans for Prosperity. They argued the move would give local school boards and administrators more power to remove underperforming teachers and would improve the quality of public education