Needs of schools, not seniority, best way to manage staff
A debate related to the repeal of collective bargaining rights for most public employees in Wisconsin is whether teachers’ job security should be tied to seniority.
The Cadott school board recently rewrote its employee handbook, which now says the needs of the district, not the seniority of its employees, will be the “prime consideration” to determine which employees should be laid off.
Other school districts are deciding how to proceed. In the past, representatives of the school board and teachers union would negotiate the handbook’s contents. Now, the board can unilaterally set the rules, which has teachers understandably unnerved. Job security, especially in this economy, is paramount.
