21 Professors at Florida State University Reinstated - Tenure Law Upheld - For Now

During the budget crunch last year - 21 FSU tenured professors were fired without just cause. 12 of the professors belonged to the United Faculty of Florida - the union that supports the faculty. The case was taken to court.

Yesterday - the arbitrator ruled that the firing was unwarranted.

FSU President Eric Barron said the university will rescind layoffs to all tenured faculty, whether they were part of the grievance or not.

"Our view is that the ruling has been made, and we should treat all faculty members uniformly," Barron said.

This case shines a spotlight on the tenure issue in Florida. During this year's session - the legislature passed a bill removing tenure protection from public school teachers. The bill was blocked by a veto from Governor Charlie Crist. With Crist's term ending in December - look for the new governor to sign such a bill into law. Florida teachers will be the only ones in the country without tenure protection.

Florida already holds the record for spending less per pupil than any other state. Think about how cheaply they can run their schools when they fire all the old higher salaried ones without just cause.

When I asked someone in the crowd how they felt about Florida being ranked 50th among the states in the amount they spend per pupil - the response was, "At least we're not last!"

I couldn't say it any better.