(Photo by Stephen Koranda)The Kansas Senate has voted to make it easier to fire teachers. The amendment was added to an education funding bill. Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, supported the proposal. She said schools should be allowed to operate like a private business, which can mostly hire and fire people at will.
“When you have a teacher that is impeding that system I believe an administrator should be able to let them go. That’s what happens in private schools,” said Wagle.
But opponents of the change argued that the current rules help protect teachers from unfair treatment. Senator Tom Hawk is a Manhattan Democrat and a former school administrator. He said the current rules do allow administrators to fire teachers.