RICHMOND

Orrock, R-Caroline, was speaking against a bill backed by the governor and currently before the House of Delegates. It was advanced on Friday and will get a vote next week.

Orrock said that when he began teaching, in 1978, he realized schools were "the most political thing I'd ever been involved with," from dealing with parents to dealing with administrators.

"I've had at least two instances where I had administrators that I got a little crossways with," said Orrock, who currently teaches at Spotsylvania High School. "But because I was doing my job, they couldn't get rid of me summarily. Although those two tried their best."

The bill would end the current practice of awarding teachers continuing contracts after a three-year probationary period. It would replace those with three-year contracts for teachers and principals (although current teachers who have continuing contracts are exempted). Under the bill, at the end of each three-year contract a teacher could be released with no reason given.

Orrock said he doesn't think it's needed.

"The problems I have with this bill I'm trying to understand the problem we're trying to fix," Orrock said.

Del. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, also spoke against the bill, saying continuing contracts protect teachers against school-system politics.

"Teachers cannot please everybody and they don't. Between the demands of parents, the demands of the school board, the demands of the administration, someone is not going to be happy," McClellan said.

And if that unhappy person has political clout, or is a powerful parent unhappy about a child's grades, the continuing contract might be all that protects the teacher from efforts to get him or her fired, McClellan said.

"If you don't think that happens, you're naive," she said.

Supporters of the bill said there's no reason teachers should have more job security than anyone else.

"I go crossways twice a week with my employer, and I have no guarantee that I'm going to have a job the next day," said Del. Tag Greason, R-Loudoun.

Proponents also said the bill would provide a better evaluation process to help teachers realize professional growth.

Del. Dickie Bell, R-Staunton, also is a teacher, and said he was somewhat offended by suggestions that supporting the bill equates to harming the teaching profession.

"If this system were as good as the critics say it is, I wouldn't be standing here," Bell said.

The current evaluation system "is flawed, and it's largely ineffective," he said. "We can't hold students to a higher standard unless we're willing to hold teachers, principals and administrators to a higher standard."

The bill was advanced, and will get a final vote in the House on Monday. Next week the Senate will take up its version of the bill, which is slightly different.

Chelyen Davis: 804/343-2245
Email: cdavis@freelancestar.com