Teachers convicted of criminal charges or found guilty of misconduct are prime examples of instructors who should be fired instead of worthy teachers with less seniority, city officials said.

More than 1,000 teachers have been found guilty of crimes or misconduct over the last five years, and they’re all still on the Department of Education payroll — courtesy of the taxpayers! That’s because their punishment did not warrant a dismissal, records show.

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday getting rid of bad teachers is preferable to laying off exceptional new teachers based on LIFO. Anticipating state budget cuts, he’s recommending giving pink slips to 4,675 teachers.

But he wants the layoffs to be based on merit. And he’s urging the state Legislature and Gov. Cuomo to pass a law to curb LIFO.