Los Angeles, CA, June 1, 2017—Teach Plus today released the following statement on the affirmative vote by the CA State Assembly of AB1220 (the “Teacher and Student Success Act”). The bill was authored by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) with extensive input from teachers.
“Teach Plus and Teach Plus teachers are pleased that the AB 1220 has cleared yet another important legislative hurdle. Today’s 61-4 vote by the California State Assembly reaffirms broad legislative backing for a policy solution that teachers across the state overwhelmingly support: making teacher tenure a true, earned professional benchmark. While the amended bill lacks several elements for which Teach Plus teachers advocated, such as a minimum of a three-year probationary period before the granting of tenure and the need to demonstrate teaching effectiveness in at least two consecutive years, this landslide vote moves the process forward.
“Making tenure an earned professional benchmark for California teachers is now one step closer to reality. Our hope is that the final bill has meaningful provisions around tenure and ensures safeguards for teachers by providing them with ample support at the beginning of their careers,” said Joshua Brown, middle school special education teacher in Holmes Middle School in Los Angeles and Teach Plus California Teaching Policy Fellow.
“The AB 1220, which the LA Times called “entirely reasonable,” garnered wide support when Assemblywoman Weber and California teachers introduced it in late March. We are pleased that the State Assembly has overwhelmingly approved the amended bill and we urge the Senate to strengthen its provisions to help ensure that every one of California students has an effective teacher,” said Mike Stryer, Senior Executive Director, Teach Plus California.”
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus empowers excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Teach Plus programs are designed to place highly effective teachers at the center of improvements in schools as leaders of their peers and outside schools influencing policy decisions that affect their classrooms. The programs develop excellent teachers into leaders who achieve change and mobilize others in their school, district, state, and across the nation to bring change to scale. Since its inception in August 2007, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 23,000 solutions-oriented teachers across the country. www.teachplus.org
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