February 6, 2012. After eliminating the tenure of K-12 teachers and aiming at state colleges, Florida legislators may now go after university faculty

(February 6, 2012)

By Scott Travis, Sun-Sentinel

Tenure is supposed to give educators a high level of job security, but many aren’t feeling so secure these days.

The Florida Legislature last year eliminated tenure for new K-12 teachers and proposed ending it for community college professors. In the past few months, Gov. Rick Scott has questioned whether university professors need it.

Critics say it handcuffs administrators and protects bad teaching. Supporters call it crucial to protect controversial viewpoints and to help Florida attract and keep the best faculty. Right now, only the University of Florida is consistently ranked among the nation’s top public research universities. UF President Bernie Machen has said it would fall to a regional university if it lost the ability to offer tenure.

Read more at sunsentinel.com.