Other Districts Follow NYC's Move To End Teacher Seniority

BUFFALO, N.Y. (CBSnewYork/AP) -- While New York City has drawn the attention as the prime mover in an effort to end teacher seniority protections, other school districts have taken notice.

The state's other so-called Big Five school districts -- Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester and Yonkers -- are trying to piggyback onto the New York City effort in Albany to eliminate seniority protection for educators.

The Buffalo News reports the issue has come to the forefront as school districts say proposed state school aid cuts would force a new round of layoffs in the coming year.

If the effort is successful, districts would base any layoffs, in part, on the quality of a teacher's work. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been aggressively campaigning for the change.

Union officials say the move will mean job cuts based on favoritism. But proponents counter that seniority rules don't help students. Instead, they say the system simply protect the most senior teachers.

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