There was an interesting discussion on the IPAT listserve regarding the pros and cons of temporary (or probationary) hiring versus employment testing in the public sector. Nutshelling a lot of opinions, it seemed like a lot of practitioners and experts favored keeping both, feeling an emphasis on employment screening was needed. In that context, a recent court decision from Cleveland has relevance. Quoting from the cleveland.com report:
(http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/judge_blasts_clevelands_hiring.html), “In a scathing 15-page decision released Friday, Corrigan blasted Jackson and former Mayors Jane Campbell and Michael R. White for ignoring civil service testing requirements. The city, he wrote, also failed to comply with several court orders stemming from a 15-year-old lawsuit. Corrigan fined the city $900,750, appointed a special master to oversee Cleveland’s Civil Service Commission and ordered Jackson to stop hiring, promoting and transferring employees.”
