(St. Paul, MN…) Senate Republican Leader David Hann renewed his criticism of Gov. Mark Dayton today in the wake of a California court ruling that said hiring and firing teachers based only on seniority was unconstitutional. The California court joins a chorus of voices already on record against these outdated rules including US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the StarTribune Editorial Board, some DFL legislators and Minnesota parents everywhere.

“The only person left standing in the way of having the most qualified teachers in our classrooms is Mark Dayton,” said Sen Hann. “You know the system is failing when students have to sue their school district in order to be taught by a quality teacher.”

In 2012, the Republican legislature passed a bill that would have ended the practice of hiring and firing teachers based only on seniority. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Dayton under pressure from Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers union.

Minnesota is one of only twelve states that base teacher layoffs solely on seniority. The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) gave Minnesota a grade of “F” this year on how we deal with ineffective teachers, writing: “[In Minnesota,] ineffective classroom performance is not grounds for dismissal.”

“Republicans understand that having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom is one of the most important factors in a child’s success,” added Hann. “We will once again push to reform the hiring and firing practices of teachers in the 2015 session.”

“Our leaders must put the needs of students and families before the needs of a hyper-partisan teachers union.”

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