Transfer & Assignment

Most collective bargaining agreements and board policies address teacher transfers and assignment in some capacity. State policy addresses transfers in very broad terms: whether it can be a subject of bargaining and to what extent principals and/or superintendents retain authority over hiring.

Most districts have separate policies for voluntary and involuntary transfers. Voluntary transfers are initiated by the teacher for personal or professional reasons. Involuntary transfers are initiated by either a principal or a district administrator. Most often, an involuntary transfer results from a change in student enrollment, school budget or programs offered. When teachers are transferred for these reasons, the process is termed as excessing.

A teacher's seniority often plays a key role in both identifying teachers for transfers when positions must be cut as well as in determining their new placement. However, districts are increasingly adopting policies of mutual consent. Such policies allow principals to interview and hire teachers of their choosing, without seniority being the determining factor.

Teacher Contract Database The database considers a transfer as a change in teaching assignment from one school to another within a district and explores the conditions under which teachers transfer--both voluntarily and involuntarily. Information covered includes where teachers apply for transfer, how much authority principals have over accepting transfers, how teachers are identified for excessing and what happens to excessed teachers who cannot find new assignments.

See our most recent Teacher Trendline on excessing and placement for a detailed description of policies in our database.

Research suggests that the fit between a teacher and the school is important. After New York City changed teacher transfer policies to include mutual consent of hiring between teachers and principals, the number of teachers requesting transfers decreased by 21 percent and only 9 percent of teachers who were successfully transfer reported the desire to request another transfer the following year (Daly et al, 2008). Other research suggests that a teacher?s fit in her school can contribute to their effectiveness (Jackson, 2010).

Works Cited

Daly, T., Keeling, D., Grainger, R., & Grundies, A. (2008). Mutual benefits: New York City's shift to mutual consent in teacher hiring. New York: The New Teacher Project.

Jackson, C. Kirabo. "Match quality, worker productivity, and worker mobility: Direct evidence from teachers." Review of Economics and Statistics 95.4 (2013): 1096-1116. (working paper version)