Teachers in Asheville, NC, declared victory as the Superior Court ruled to protect tenured educators.

Under the old state law, NC teachers could gain tenure after completing four years, according to the Citizen-Times. Teachers could still lose their jobs, but their tenured status gave them protections, including the right to a hearing to challenge a demotion or firing.

Lawmakers, however, voted last year to phase out protections and instead provide four-year contracts with a $500 raise each year to the top 25 percent of educators in its school systems. The court ruled the law unconstitutional and put it on hold. Teachers say they will continue fighting to repeal it. 

"We have two permanent injunctions," said Ann McColl, general counsel for the North Carolina Association of Educators. "One is on the career status. It (the ruling) means those teachers who already have [tenure], keep it. The other is on the operation of the 25 percent contract. That can't be offered to anybody, whether they are probationary [new teachers] or career status [more experienced teachers]."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor