THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996               TAG: 9602040041
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   36 lines

MEASURE AIMED AT ABOLISHING TEACHERS' TENURE IS VOTED DOWN

When state schools chief William C. Bosher Jr. remarked offhandedly at a state Board of Education meeting last November that he favored ending tenure for public school teachers, the comment made newspaper headlines.

But the anxiety it may have caused teachers was short-lived.

In quick fashion, with no discussion, the House of Delegates' Education Committee last week rejected a bill that would have ended tenure in favor of five-year contracts. Out of 22 members on the committee, only the bill's sponsors, Del. Phillip Hamilton, R-Newport News, and Del. Anne G. Rhodes, R-Richmond, voted for it.

This is the fourth year that Hamilton offered the bill.

Along with Bosher, he argues that the current system essentially gives teachers a ``property right'' to their jobs, making it difficult for school systems to fire incompetent teachers.

Currently, teachers are awarded continuing contracts after a three-year probationary period. After that, administrators must build a case showing incompetence or moral turpitude to fire them.

``The sense I got from a lot of the committee members is this is not an issue they're willing to tackle because of the negative fallout from the (Virginia) Education Association,'' Hamilton said.

``I think there is growing support from the public, but it's not the type of issue a campaign turns on.''

KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY by CNB