Should School Districts be Allowed to Use Teacher Evaluations in Layoff Decisions?

When the nonpartisan House Public Information Services (HPIS) conducted its 2012 opinion poll during the State Fair, more than 9,000 people participated.

Among the issues considered was that of Minnesota school districts and layoffs.

As the pollsters were informed in the HPIS survey, currently, when schools need to lay off teachers, seniority determines who loses their job.

But, a big majority (71.9 percent) of those polled feel performance evaluations should be used. Just 20.4 percent of folks said no; and almost 8 percent of folks were undecided. 

So, maybe your son or daughter is a young teacher. Perhaps you remember that talented young teacher that inspired you in your career.  

Or, maybe you're of the experience-begets-wisdom mindset and you feel that being a good educator is all about perfecting the craft over years of tweaking. 

Either way, let us know in the comments below.

Should school districts be allowed to use performance evaluations in making layoff decisions?