JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - About 300 teachers are at the Missouri Capitol lobbying lawmakers over a measure that includes phasing out the state’s teacher tenure system.

The teachers held a brief rally Tuesday the Capitol rotunda Tuesday. Among other things, the bill would not allow the state’s tenure law to apply to teachers hired after June 2013.

Ralf Trusty, president of the Missouri State Teachers Association, says that teachers are an important part of a child’s development. He says teachers need to know that their jobs are secure so that they can do those jobs well. Missouri teachers generally receive tenure after teaching in a district for five years.

Supporters of phasing out tenure contend that it has allowed some teachers to remain longer than administrators prefer.

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