The research is clear: teachers are the most important factor in raising student achievement in schools. If Connecticut is serious about closing our worst-in-the-nation achievement gap and raising academic performance for all students, there must be an excellent teacher in every classroom. Connecticut's budget crisis will likely lead to widespread teacher layoffs this spring, but if teacher layoffs proceed without intervention, they will be quality blind: through a policy known as "last-in, first-out," the newest teachers will be forced out without regard for how well they educate students. This foolish, lock-step approach could knock excellent teachers out of their jobs while leaving ineffective ones in the classroom--a move that would be devastating for Connecticut's students. In no other professional setting, especially one so critical to the success of our children, would we make such important staffing decisions based only on employees' amount of time on the job without regard for performance. We need immediate action to provide relief to districts that will otherwise be forced to lay off outstanding teachers in favor of those who simply have more hours on the job. This paper discusses how Connecticut can keep its best teachers. (Contains 5 figures and 27 footnotes.)