By Steve Gunn
EAGnews.org

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – We’re happy to note that the movement to end or at least modify tenure is extending beyond the K-12 level.

The Florida State Board of Education is currently wrapping up work on changes to the state’s “issuance of continuing contracts” for community college faculty members. Issuance of continuing contracts is a fancy phrase for granting tenure.

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The most significant change would lengthen the probation period for instructors from the current 3-5 years to 5-7 years, according to a report from InsideHigherEd.com. And even after tenure is granted, another proposed change would require a contract review for instructors every three years.

Community colleges would also be required to use a standardized system for granting tenure and reviewing instructor performance.

“Some of our colleges have a very robust review process, and what we’re trying to do is make sure all of them have that review process,” said Randy Hanna, chancellor of the Florida College System.

The state board is expected to vote on the changes early next year, according to the news report.

The proposal follows an effort last year in the Florida legislature to completely eliminate tenure in community colleges. The bill was approved by a state House subcommittee but eventually was tabled due to an outcry of protest from the education sector.

Florida lawmakers have already done away with teacher tenure in K-12 schools.

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While the new community college proposal is more modest than the original plan to trash tenure altogether, labor leaders are still crying foul.

“Nothing’s broken and there’s no demonstrable need for this change,” said Ed Mitchell, executive director of the United Faculty of Florida, which is affiliated with both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. “It’s purely politically driven to weaken faculty rights.”

Please stop your whining, Mr. Mitchell. Very few employees in the private sector, regardless of their status, are given any type of job security that remotely resembles tenure. For millions of people in this nation, it’s a matter of going to work every day and proving you deserve your next paycheck, or finding your way to the unemployment line.

While that may seem like a harsh way to live for those in the cushy academic world, accountability is a great motivator. People who know they need to perform well or surrender their jobs tend to perform well. A little external pressure is healthy for their careers.

Employees who have no reason to fear termination tend to become lazy and less demanding of themselves. That’s just human nature.

Well, taxpayers fund community colleges, and they have a right to expect that their employees remain motivated and dedicated to helping their students. The idea of basically giving someone a job for life just because they were outstanding for their first five years is ridiculous.

It’s really that simple.

If all the instructors in Florida’s community colleges are already hard-working, productive and effective, then the new tenure and accountability system will be no trouble for them. But it appears that the state board is still going to make the changes, just in case there’s a bad apple or two in the crowd.

Taxpayers have a right to expect the best possible employees in their schools, and this is a step toward making sure that happens.