A high school science teacher should be fired for being too tough on his students, many of whom flunk his classes, a city schools superintendent said Friday.
Superintendent Crystal Ellis called Shehrever Masters an ineffective teacher and recommended Masters' dismissal.The school board will vote June 26 on Ellis' recommendation.
The board held a hearing on the matter last month, when Masters predicted he would be fired and pledged a court fight to keep his job.
"I'll take this to the Supreme Court if necessary," Masters said Friday evening. "I've got nothing to lose."
School district officials have said they were concerned about the number of students who fail or drop Masters' classes. Some students also have complained that his courses are too demanding, although others praised his teaching style and said they learned a lot in his class.
Of the 125 students enrolled in his classes last fall, 44 remain. Of those, nearly half are failing. In his honors class, only two of 15 original students remain.
However, more than 100 parents and former students have signed petitions urging the board not to fire Masters, who said he will not lower his teaching standards.
Masters gives his ninth-grade students a quiz at the start of every class and a test every week.