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'Rubber room' teacher gets $1 million from school

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    Teacher can't be fired or teach children

  • Duration 4:00
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Thank you Brian despite major budget cuts -- New York city's public school system -- teacher raking in some major benefits one million dollars in fact and he hasn't been.

In a classroom to teach since 199.

New York music teacher -- -- -- admitted to sexually harassing some of -- students but because he'd receive tenure.

The school district couldn't fire him instead he was placed in those so called.

Rubber rooms and continue to be paid earning one million dollars in total since that time.

Joining us now is senior fellow from the Manhattan institute and author of the book teachers matter Marcus winters good morning to markets.

Morning thing for me.

So what do you make of this you know I think a lot of -- outrage when they see that schools are fighting for our for every dollar and and not enough money supposedly to.

Be able to even -- school supplies for kids and then -- have situations like this.

Right I mean it is outrageous but unfortunately.

It's it's not that abnormal.

And the strange thing about it is that -- is incredibly hot difficult.

To fire tenured teacher -- not only New York City even across the United States.

And and I think that this this example is just an extreme example -- I think what you make parents really upset about it.

Is if the New York City school system can't fire a teacher like this what are they doing about teachers you just simply are doing a very good job educating their students.

The answer is not very much is just remarkably difficult to fire teacher for any reason.

So these so called rubber rooms that used to exist you know when teachers would.

Had things filed against him like in this case of sexual harassment charge and they couldn't be fired because of ten -- they would go to -- so called rubber rooms where they basically sit around.

And do nothing and still collect their pay now and -- -- in the city has gotten rid of those -- so it's my understand that this teachers actually didn't data entry on a daily basis answering phones and paperwork whenever that is.

He's racked up a million dollars.

My question to you is why -- -- so easy for him to get tenure when he was only a substitute teacher and the teacher for a very short period of time.

But.

Unfortunately it's just too easy for any public school teachers get tenure ten year.

Is very different different in K12 education it is in college in college getting ten -- very difficult process.

Takes time yet approve -- her sustained period of time that that you are one of the experts in your field.

And in K12 it's simply not the case for ten years essentially rubber stamp.

That that teachers get for being in the classroom and not leaving over a three year period and after that to simply by default.

He just had to get tenure and that the real problem because we know the teachers are the most important asked that the public schools have.

So what we need to -- a lot of states have been trying to Europe the last few years is the one makes it tenure more difficult to guess.

And to make it possible to remove the tenured teacher or at least much more easy to remove a tenured teacher once or performance -- -- -- -- understanding that the city did try to in fact get rid of this teacher to fire him.

In -- way back when but they were unsuccessful and and why would you think that would be.

Well because the process is just so difficult to fire tenured teacher and you're talking about.

The very burdensome and time consuming and costly process let me back in 2009.

The New York City public school system fire was only able to fire 25 teachers for any reason.

And only five of those teachers were fired for incompetence essentially.

Now you know there are a lot of great public school -- in the United States.

-- and also in New York City but there's more than five of them.

That are that are doing a very good job.

So I mean the rubber rooms I mean you can't really blame the city for the reverend you can -- -- -- the there could collective bargaining agreement in the state law that gives tenure and the power of tenure and the rubber rooms are New York city's response to the fact.

They can't fire a teacher and they considered dangerous and only other option -- the president a -- Parents watching this are just so frustrated because they're the ones who -- opinion for the pencils in the paper in the markers when they send their kids to school after they paid taxes.

Markets winters a senior fellow Manhattan institute a thanks for breaking that down for us this morning.

Thanks for having.

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