An attempt to overturn New York state’s teacher-tenure laws got a dramatic boost Wednesday when the multimillionaire advocate who helped defeat California’s teacher protections agreed to join the New York effort.
David Welch, who struck it rich in the tech business and later founded the Students Matter advocacy group, said he’d provide money and guidance to the New York City Parents Union, which is suing to make it easier to remove ineffective teachers.
“We are delighted that Students Matter and their legal team have accepted our invitation to join this case,” said Parents Union President Mona Davids, who filed a lawsuit in Staten Island Supreme Court last month.
“Their significant experience in breaking down the barriers to change in California will serve our students and our state well,” she added.
Welch’s high-octane legal team won the landmark Vergara v. California case on June 10 when a California judge declared unconstitutional five education laws that govern teacher tenure, dismissal and layoffs.
“I am a child of our public education and know firsthand the importance of a good education and great teachers on a student’s life trajectory,” said Welch, 53.
“I believe great teachers should be protected, but I also believe that our public-education systems have failed to put the needs and success of our students above all else by being blind to the quality of our teachers.”
Welch invested more than $3 million in the California case.
Davids’ New York suit claims that students’ civil rights are being violated because of laws that make it nearly impossible to fire incompetent teachers.
The lawsuit’s chief critic, the United Federation of Teachers, called Welch a “meddling billionaire,” although the technology entrepreneur isn’t worth nearly that much.
“New York City is used to meddling billionaires out to destroy public education,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew.
“We had 12 years of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The addition of another out-of-touch billionaire with an educational ax to grind won’t change the fact that — as New York parents realize — due process helps teachers defend their students’ interests.”