A California appeals court last week reversed a trial court’s 2014 ruling in the landmark case Vergara v. California that the state’s job-protection laws for teachers had produced unconstitutional inequities in the education of poor and minority students.
The plaintiffs in the case had failed to prove sufficiently that the laws governing such matters as tenure, dismissal, and seniority “inevitably cause a certain group of students to receive an education inferior to the education received by other students,” in violation of the state constitution’s equal protection guarantee, the appellate court held.
The unanimous April 14 decision by a three-judge panel instead placed blame on the “counterproductive hiring and placement practices” of district administrators.
The plaintiffs are expected to appeal to the California Supreme Court. For updated coverage, follow the Teacher Beat blog.
