Permanent status

Permanent status, or tenure, refers to a teacher's employment status. Under state law, teachers with permanent status can only be dismissed for specific reasons, making them difficult to fire.

According to BoardDocs,

The Board of Education desires to employ and retain highly qualified classified personnel to support the district's educational program and operations. Newly hired classified employees shall serve a probationary period during which the Board shall determine their suitability for long-term district employment. A probationary employee who has been employed by the district for six months or 130 days of paid service, whichever is longer, shall be classified as a permanent employee of the district.

Probationary employees are easy to dismiss:

With proper notice, the Board may, without cause, elect not to reemploy a probationary employee for the subsequent year.

But tenured ones are not:

Permanent employees shall not be dismissed from their position except when cause for dismissal can be shown. Cause and procedures for dismissal are defined by provisions of Education Code 44932 et seq.

Education Code 44932 states that permanent employees cannot be dismissed except for in the following cases:

Immoral conduct, including, but not limited to, egregious misconduct. For purposes of this chapter, “egregious misconduct” is defined exclusively as immoral conduct that is the basis for an offense described in Section 44010 or 44011 of this code, or in Sections 11165.2 to 11165.6, inclusive, of the Penal Code.

Unprofessional conduct.

Commission, aiding, or advocating the commission of acts of criminal syndicalism, as prohibited by Chapter 188 of the Statutes of 1919, or in any amendment to that chapter.

Dishonesty.

Unsatisfactory performance.

Evident unfitness for service.

Physical or mental condition unfitting him or her to instruct or associate with children.

Persistent violation of or refusal to obey the school laws of the state or reasonable regulations prescribed for the government of the public schools by the state board or by the governing board of the school district employing him or her.

Conviction of a felony or of any crime involving moral turpitude.

Violation of Section 51530 or conduct specified in Section 1028 of the Government Code, added by Chapter 1418 of the Statutes of 1947.

Alcoholism or other drug abuse that makes the employee unfit to instruct or associate with children.