The Chicago board of education approved a policy last month for laying off teachers that would dismiss tenured teachers rated ineffective before dipping into the ranks of higher-rated novices. Newly elected Chicago Teachers Union head Karen Lewis assailed the policy, calling it illegal. The district argued that a provision in state law allows it to deviate from the seniority-based system spelled out in the contract.
A version of this article appeared in the July 14, 2010 edition of Education Week as Chicago Changes Layoff Rules