Welcome to the Teacher Transfer Process Webpage

Teachers can request a transfer by sending an email transfer request to the HR Department at Human_Resources@BuffaloSchools.org.

The decision to transfer to a new school is personal and may be based on a variety of reasons. Perhaps you are looking for a change in instructional focus, program options, a new school theme, or even a more convenient location for your life. If you are participating in the transfer process, either voluntary or as a result of budgetary changes, please read the following information carefully. Please keep in mind that staffing is a fluid and on-going process. Staffing is affected by changes in enrollment, building needs, staffing levels, budgets, resignations/retirements/promotions and program changes.

BPS staff and students

Teachers had the ability to submit a request to the Human Resources Department for voluntary transfer by March 23, 2019. Teachers displaced from their current assignment will be informed by their Principals and automatically included in the process by HR. Teachers shall hold the appropriate endorsements for positions to which they desire to transfer. Contract and probationary teachers are eligible to participate in the transfer process. Temporary, Emergency Temporary and Part-Time teachers are not eligible to participate. Teachers wishing to change tenure areas must do so through the interview process, not the teacher transfer process. Teachers wishing to be considered for a TOSA position, must participate in the interview process.

If you have any questions on the teacher transfer process, jump to our FAQs by clicking here
or send an email to: HRIntentionProcess@buffaloschools.org

Important dates for your consideration:

Deadline	Task
April 6, 2020	Schools identify Open House dates from April 6, 2020 - May 8, 2020
Work Jeanne Carroll jcarroll@buffaloschools.org to access SignUpGenius
March 23, 2020	Deadline for teachers to submit requests for voluntary transfers
Per CBA, must keep list confidential
March 12, 2020	Early Hire Recruitment Event for Teachers
Offering "open contracts" / contingent employment offers to hire best in class teachers early.
March 30, 2020	District launches website link to the sign-up genius for open house meetings and Receivership Schools begin interview process.
These are 10 - 15 minute interviews with Contract and Probationary teachers.
4/6/20 - 5/8/20	HR works on reconciliation process
Work with central office and building administrators to identify the addition and reductions of positions in each school.
Early April 2020	Anticipate School Based Budgets are closed
Needed to reconcile the budget and determine impact.
April 8, 2020	Launch district-wide TOSA recruitment bulletins
Coordinator, CSE Chair, Instructional Coach, Literacy Coach, Math Coach, Support Math Teacher, etc.
Week of 4/20/20	Current 2019/2020 staffing and your anticipated staffing for 2020/2021 & BTF seniority lists as of 12/19/19 board meeting
Human Resources will provide this data via the District’s Google Drive
April 30, 2020	Deadline to submit involuntary transfer requests
All schools, including receivership schools, are asked to submit requests and documentation to Terence Mazepa, Tmazepa@buffaloschools.org
5/4/20 - 5/15/20	HR/OSL/BTF hearings for Involuntary Transfers
Determination made and teachers informed of decision
5/11/20 - 5/22/20	TOSA Interviews
Establish candidate pools and determine building-level fit recommendations. Human Resources extends TOSA offers to teachers. TOSA appointments may cause classroom vacancies.
May 15, 2020	Schools inform HR of the teachers who will be affected by reduction
Principals expected to communicate the results of the request for volunteers and finalize who will be impacted by budgetary changes.
Week of 5/11/20	Receivership Schools wrap up interviews for vacancies. DEADLINE for interview selections is May 17, 2019.
Interview committee with rubric. Top candidate offered position by Human Resources
Week of 6/29/20	Vacancy Lists by Subject Area created and distributed. This includes positions vacated through SBB, TOSA interviews, retirements, resignations and full-year leaves
Transfer Process begins 7/1/20, unless otherwise negotiated.

BTF Transfer Process – Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

1) How will I know which school has available vacancies?

HR will send out vacancies at least one week prior to the commencement of the transfer process. At this time, the transfer process, for non-receivership schools, is scheduled for July 1, 2019 – August 16, 2019. In the meantime, please take the time to conduct research about schools you may be interested in and take advantage of the soon to be scheduled opportunities to visit schools. We will not have definitive information about vacancies until the budget is approved by the board, which is scheduled for May 15, 2019. Please be aware that once the transfer process begins, and choices are made, the vacancies will change. If there are no vacancies available for a tenure area, HR will contact teachers to let them know that we will not hold a transfer process for that tenure area.
2) How will HR notify teachers who are on a leave of absence?
3) What is the criteria for a teacher to be able to get an approved transfer?
4) When is the deadline for when a transfer request can be submitted?
5) I have been displaced by the budget process, but did not submit a request to transfer. What do I do?
6) If I am the most senior teacher in the transfer pool, can I “pass” my slot in anticipation of another opening? Or, must the person with the most seniority make a decision first and then be removed from the transfer process?
7) My budgeted position has changed slightly, but will remain predominately at my current location. Do I have right of first refusal to stay in my building?
8) My Principal is requesting volunteers to transfer due to a reduction in my tenure area at my school. If I volunteer, do I get super seniority?
9) I transferred at the beginning of this year to my current assignment because there was a reduction at my previous location. Can I voluntarily transfer this year?
10) Will the District identify the specific courses/schedule/grade level of the available vacancies?
11) What happens if I am out of town/country/unreachable during the transfer process?
12) I hold a TOSA title that is being reduced for next school year. How am I impacted?

If there is a budgetary impact to your position, you have payroll location rights to a classroom assignment in your tenure area at your current location, so long as you have more years of service than the least senior teacher in that tenure area. If there are two TOSA teachers with the same title, and one of the positions is reduced, the most senior TOSA has rights to the title, regardless of funding source. If you are a TOSA teacher that has the least seniority in your tenure area, and there is a reduction in that tenure area, you will be reduced from you will be reduced from your TOSA assignment if there are no volunteers that accept the reduction. Therefore, the TOSA teacher and the second-least senior classroom teacher will be reduced and must participate in the TOSA interview process or teacher transfer process.
13)  Can I invoke my contractual right to transfer into a school where the Principal does not agree that I am a fit for the school?

Human Resources will review the fit recommendation from Principals to evaluate if the vacancy requires specialized skills, including:

a.       Bilingual

b. Montessori

c.       Advance Placement Experience

d. Rigorous Instrumental Program

e.       Physical Education w/ Health or Life Guard Certification

f.        Unique Programmatic Needs

Other factors being equal, in the judgement of the Board, the teacher with the greatest length of time in the Buffalo Public Schools System shall select from available vacancies by contractual seniority in their tenure area. The Associate Superintendent for Human Resources will make the final determination regarding a teacher transfer in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

Updated: March 2, 2020

Human Resources

BTF Transfer Process – Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

1) How will I know which school has available vacancies?

2) How will HR notify teachers who are on a leave of absence?

3) What is the criteria for a teacher to be able to get an approved transfer?

4) When is the deadline for when a transfer request can be submitted?

5) I have been displaced by the budget process, but did not submit a request to transfer. What do I do?

6) If I am the most senior teacher in the transfer pool, can I “pass” my slot in anticipation of another opening? Or, must the person with the most seniority make a decision first and then be removed from the transfer process?

7) My budgeted position has changed slightly, but will remain predominately at my current location. Do I have right of first refusal to stay in my building?

8) My Principal is requesting volunteers to transfer due to a reduction in my tenure area at my school. If I volunteer, do I get super seniority?

9) I transferred at the beginning of this year to my current assignment because there was a reduction at my previous location. Can I voluntarily transfer this year?

10) Will the District identify the specific courses/schedule/grade level of the available vacancies?

11) What happens if I am out of town/country/unreachable during the transfer process?

12) I hold a TOSA title that is being reduced for next school year. How am I impacted?

13) Can I invoke my contractual right to transfer into a school where the Principal does not agree that I am a fit for the school?