By Angela Hatton
Nashville, TN – Governor Bill Haslam's proposal to overhaul Tennessee's teacher tenure system has cleared its first legislative hurdle. The Senate Education Committee approved the Republican governor's proposal on a 6-3 vote this morning. Haslam has said the current system that grants tenure to almost all teachers after three years is too easy. Under his proposal, teachers would become eligible for tenure after five years, but they could lose that status if they rank poorly for two consecutive years.