Barrington resident Michael Marra has taught in public schools for 30 years. 

And for many of those years, he has watched in frustration as the system of seniority and tenure has left good young teachers unemployed. Mr. Marra, who currently teaches at Portsmouth High School, said the system is weighted too heavily in favor of "time served" while failing to reward young, talented educators.

In May, Mr. Marra penned an op-ed, which initially ran in the Providence Journal and blasted the teachers' union's system of seniority. It stated, in part, "Looking back over the past three decades I’ve been repeatedly dismayed while I watched another young (usually), innovative, well-respected teacher end the year in search of another teaching position because he or she happens to be low on the coveted seniority list," Mr. Marra wrote. "What can we be thinking? Would any of us use such a model to hire (or dismiss) a contractor, physician or lawyer? Why dismiss a superb professional you’ve hired because he or she has been in the profession fewer years than most?"

In a follow-up interview, Mr. Marra said he has long been frustrated with the seniority system and recently found himself with the time needed to write the op-ed.

"I am fed up seeing young, talented teachers — rising stars who are dedicated and well-liked — and they're the ones shown the door," he said. 

Mr. Marra is proposing a teacher evaluation system that would reward good teachers and eliminate those who are failing their students. The system would have a series of checks and balances and employ reviews from four different groups of people — fellow teachers, administrators, community members and students.

"This can be done," said Mr. Marra. 

Larry Purtill is not so sure. 

The president of the state's teachers' union believes in the current system.

"… Seniority and tenure does protect teachers from arbitrary actions and provides due process," Mr. Purtill wrote in a recent email. "That does not mean that an administration cannot remove a teacher or staff member they feel is not qualified. If left without this, districts might opt for the least expensive teacher, thus denying students of a highly qualified experienced teacher. It should not be a popularity contest or which teacher is the least expensive. I will agree that the evaluation process can be better, less time consuming, but eliminating seniority and/or tenure is not the answer."

Mr. Marra said rewarding a teacher, or preserving their position, simply based on the amount of years they have worked fails to recognize the skills and effort involved in teaching students. 

He agreed that some veterans teachers have worked hard to maintain or improve their trade… "But we all know veteran teachers who understand how the system works and do precious little that would be considered high-quality work. They are impostors. And they are protected to the detriment of our students. And this is simply unacceptable," he wrote in his op-ed. 

Mr. Marra said most professions work to retain talent while eliminating those who don't "pull their weight." But teaching in a public school, under the protective umbrella of a powerful union, is different.

"If I’m clearly an underperforming teacher why am I not on the short list to be shown the door? What can we possibly tell students who lament losing that rising superstar when they sincerely ask, 'Why is the abysmal Mrs. Do-Little still here?' Good question, kids. Unfortunately, the answer has nothing to do with what’s best for you," he wrote.

"Seniority illuminates a fundamental disconnect between teachers and students. I’ve listened to some well-intentioned colleagues as they defend seniority. The usual defense comes back in the form of a question. How can we really decide who is a better teacher than another? Therefore, the only fair way is by seniority. We know how to measure that. It’s simple and it has worked for a long time."

Mr. Marra said we can do better… we must do better.

Mr. Purtill, meanwhile, offered some alternatives to removing seniority.

"If you really want to improve the educational experience for students we need to be sure that every district has quality mentoring programs, staff driven professional development, access to programs and resources for every student, regardless of zip code," he wrote. "The same opportunities a community such as Barrington can provide needs to be available to the poorest urban setting. On that note, if we are going to provide incentives for teachers, they should be in cities with the most challenges due to poverty and hard to staff schools."

Mr. Marra said the stakes are high in this debate — resting in the balance are the futures of young students.

"Ask any well-respected teacher or administrator (parents too) what matters most to a child’s education and, hands down, the top answer is the quality of the classroom teachers a child has at any given time. So why don’t teacher contracts reflect this obvious fact?

"One answer might be repeated bad habits of the past. Repeating bad habits should not be a goal in teacher contract negotiations. Another answer is that teacher unions do not, repeat do not, seek what is best for students. They seek what they deem best for their members."