Proposition 74 means no job security for lousy teachers.

PROPONENTS, most notably Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, have dubbed Proposition 74 the "Put Kids First" act. Opponents call it the "Punish New Teachers" act.

The measure, which will appear on the November special-election ballot, would extend the probationary period for new teachers from two to five years and allow districts to fire permanent teachers after they receive two bad performance reviews.

Alan Bersin, Schwarzenegger's public-school point man, supports the measure. As a former superintendent of San Diego public schools, Bersin sees it as a way to put an end to "the proverbial dance of the lemons."

The first step of the dance comes when administrators realize a teacher isn't cutting it. The "informal bargaining," as Bersin put it, ensues, as administrators try to ease a poor teacher out of the classroom.

Because it is expensive and difficult to fire an incompetent teacher, administrators shuffle the teacher around. Some teachers quit. Others look for work in other districts. Some agree to be shuffled elsewhere rather than leave the profession.

"Where do those teachers end up?" asked Bersin. "They end up in the inner city." That is, the lemons end up teaching the students who need strong teachers the most.

This is one reason I plan on voting for Proposition 74. I don't harbor illusions that the measure will transform bad schools into top-performing schools. It's not a panacea. Even if it passes, my guess is that some public school districts are so mired in inertia that they won't use it to oust incompetent teachers.

I'll vote for it because I remember how it felt to be caged in a classroom led by an inept teacher, and I find it unthinkable to vote against a measure that might free some students from that slow torture.

I also will vote for it for all those great teachers who are ill-served when they are forced to educate children who didn't learn last year the building blocks needed to help them learn this year.

Now for the caveats. First, I suspect local school boards will feel pressure to bargain away some of the measure's powers. Second, I am not thrilled that the fate of poor teachers is the stuff of a special election.

Proposition 74 also could fail because of the deceptive no campaign, which places the blame for poor performance on "under-funding" (yawn).

In the end, I'll vote for Proposition 74: It sends the message that lousy teachers won't have jobs for life--and I'm OK with that.

Debra J. Saunders is a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle.