It seems kind of odd to hear former president of United Teachers Los Angeles A.J. Duffy speak glowingly of Apple Academy Charter School.
The man who led UTLA and adamantly opposed charter schools for years will now run Apple Academy as its Executive Director.
“We are going to do some things different than other charter schools,” Duffy insisted.
Among those things that are different is giving the teachers at Apple Academy the potential to gain tenure.
One of the arguments against tenure in other charter schools is that it creates a situation where the school cannot get rid of teachers if their performance slips.
Duffy said that at Apple Academy there will be a process where a tenured teacher could be fired, but it will be an expedited arbitration process.
“It has got to be a fair and equitable process,” said Duffy. “But I want those teachers to feel like in the long run they have rights and they can be protected.”
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He said he wants to be able to recruit teachers who want to be at Apple Academy for 30-35 years. The longevity is important because Apple Academy, Duffy said will be a teacher-driven school.
“Apple will be a teacher-driven school, taken away from the stifling nature of a central bureaucracy, to do the things we do best and that’s teach children.”
