88 Teachers in Rhode Island Fired

A fierce legal battle is underway in Rhode Island, where 88 teachers have been fired in an ongoing feud over their job expectations and pay.

The employment dispute is making many attorneys rich but is based on how much pay the teachers receive compared to the amount of work expected of them on the job.

The teachers resisted having extra duties added to their workday, despite being among the highest paid teachers in the country compared to others in similar schools in other states.

The Central Falls school board voted to remove 88 of the teachers who were protesting these additional duties for the same salary.

One teacher said "This has to be the saddest thing I've encountered in my 30-some years of education."

88 Teachers in Rhode Island Fired
cbsnews

Central Falls, Rhode Island has long been among the state's most troubled school districts - one in five students live in poverty, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod. Many struggle with English in this immigrant community - and that's just for starters. "We lose 52 percent of our students between 9th grade and the 12th grade," Central Falls Superintendent Fran Gallo told Axelrod. "They don't graduate." Eighty-eight teachers at Central Falls High School could be terminated. Teachers are rallying for their jobs, anticipating a battle for their own employment after these first terminations...

88 Teachers in Rhode Island Fired