Rep. James Tipton of Taylorsville is back with another tenure-killer bill.
“If it passes the General Assembly this year, House Bill 424 would give universities and colleges the ability to remove faculty members and presidents for not meeting ‘performance and productivity requirements’ set by the institutions’ boards,” wrote McKenna Horsley in Kentucky Lantern.
Last year, Tipton’s HB 228, a similar measure, failed to pass. He claimed the legislation wasn’t aimed at nixing tenure. He’s crooning the same phony tune about HB 424.
Tipton’s proposal is part of a nationwide, GOP-led assault on tenure and academic freedom in higher education. The attack dovetails with the Republican onslaught against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Tipton’s bill “as it now stands, limits all higher education employees to contracts of four years or less,” said Katy Varner, executive director of American Federation of Teachers Kentucky Local 1360.
She contacted an AFT lawyer and a Washington attorney about HB 424. Varner said the latter's firm advises clients on how legislation affects them. “They both agreed that House Bill 424 eliminates tenure in Kentucky.”
Varner said Tipton’s bill says “all faculty must be evaluated on their ‘productivity,’ but doesn’t define productivity. Does that mean colleges and universities can now tell you if you don’t pass X amount of students in your courses, you are not productive?”
Varner and Local 1360 officers are busy lining up allies, including the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in Kentucky and the United Campus Workers.
“We now have a strong coalition united to fight this bill,” Varner said. “These fellow concerned educators are right now reaching out to their lawmakers and constituencies.”
She has also contacted state legislators including Rep. Rachel Roarx (D-Louisville). “She has agreed to help us,” Varner said. “After running language past our attorney, I submitted two sentences that Rep. Roarx will ask Rep. Tipton to add to his bill as an amendment when it comes before the Kentucky House on Tuesday.”
The sentences read: “Kentucky state supported higher education institutions may give tenure to faculty if those faculty have, after 6 years, met the higher education institutions’ performance requirements. After tenure is granted, Kentucky higher education institutions may still require performance evaluations of tenured faculty.”
Varner hopes to learn by Monday afternoon if Tipton will agree to amend his bill. “If nothing else, rejection of this language exposes this bill as a direct assault on tenure.”
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