The Texas Senate approved a bill that would end faculty tenure at the state's public universities. It faces a tough road ahead at the House, where Speaker Dade Phelan has expressed concerns with completely eliminating the commonplace job protection.
in Texas started more than a year ago after some University of Texas at Austin professors passed a nonbinding resolution defending their academic freedom to teach about issues like racial justice. The resolution came as Republicans hinted that they wanted to extend restrictions on how race is discussed in K-12 classrooms, which were approved by the Texas Legislature in 2021, to the state’s public universities.
SB 18 would eliminate tenure only for newly hired professors and would allow a university system governing board to set up its own system of “tiered employment” for faculty, as long as professors receive an annual review. Senators amended the bill to push its effective date from September to January so it wouldn’t negatively affect faculty on track to earn tenure.
Faculty and higher education experts say tenure is a vital protection of academic freedom at a university that guards faculty pursuing new ideas or controversial work from being fired or punished. It gives them job security as they conduct research that can sometimes take more than a decade to see results.
The bill faces a tough road ahead in the Texas House as the Legislature’s two chambers have sought different higher education priorities this session.Phelan said he opposed eliminating tenure and argued that the attempt to admonish liberal-leaning faculty would backfire by also making it harder to recruit conservative professors. While Patrick listed eliminating tenure among his legislative priorities, Phelan did not. SB 18 does not have a companion bill in the House.
The document, titled “Options to Improve/Clarify State Laws Regarding Tenure,” points out that there is no definition of tenure in state law, which requires universities to create policies only for post-tenure review but not for granting the benefit.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Republicans in the Texas House are sticking with their tax cut planContradictory polls commissioned by the Texas House and Texas Senate give insight into...
Read more »
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Israel in first trip abroadHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy said his first foreign trip will be to Israel to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its statehood.
Read more »
Alabama House Speaker: No recreational marijuana for ‘at least four years’Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said there will be no bill advocating for the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana allowed on the House floor during his tenure in the speaker's chair.
Read more »
Kevin McCarthy to become second House Speaker to address Israel's KnessetKevin McCarthy will become the second House speaker to give an address before Israel's Knesset since 1998, after he was invited to do so by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
Read more »
Dan Patrick calls House Speaker Phelan “California Dade” in feud over property tax relief billsDan Patrick calls House Speaker Phelan 'California Dade' in feud over property tax relief bills
Read more »
Texas Senate passes bill to strengthen school active-shooter plansSenate Bill 11, which aims to get hundreds of districts without adequate safety protocols to adopt one, would also beef up truancy laws.
Read more »