OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH

 

March 10, 2003

2003-R-0237

 

TEACHER EMPLOYMENT ISSUES

By: Judith Lohman, Chief Analyst

Jennifer Gelb, Research Attorney

 

You asked for (1) the percentage salary increases teachers have received through binding arbitration in the past three years and (2) the number of tenured teachers school districts have dismissed for poor performance over the past five years.

BINDING ARBITRATION SALARY INCREASES

From 1999 through February 2003, arbitrators issued 19 awards deciding general teacher salary issues. Table 1 shows the percentage increase in general wages (excluding increments) teachers received for each of the years covered by those awards.

Table 1: Teacher Annual Salary Increases

Arbitrator Decisions - 1999-2003

Source: Teacher binding arbitration awards and CABE Negotiations Service

TENURED TEACHER DISMISSALS

At our request, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) surveyed school superintendents by e-mail about the number of tenured teachers dismissed for poor performance in the past five years. Of the 76 who responded, 12 districts reported dismissing a total of 25 tenured teachers for poor performance or incompetence during the past five years. Of this number, nearly 50% were terminated by a single district: Danbury.

Nine additional districts reported either dismissing nontenured teachers for performance reasons or allowing or successfully counseling tenured teachers to resign instead of being dismissed. One district reported dismissing a tenured teacher for having a sexual relationship with a student.

Districts that reported dismissing tenured teachers for poor performance are listed in Table 2. Roughly 40,000 regular and special program teachers were employed in Connecticut public schools in the 2001-02 school year, according to the State Department of Education.

Table 2: Districts Reporting Performance-Related Dismissals of Tenured Teacher Since 1998

Source: CABE e-mail survey, February 24-28, 2003

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