11. TRANSFERS

11.1 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

11.1.1 A transfer is a change in teaching position from one school to another. A permanent teacher may transfer to a permanent or temporary position without changing his contract status.

11.1.2 A transfer request may be initiated by a teacher.

11.1.3 Teachers who have been notified in writing that dismissal proceedings are contemplated, or teachers on fourth year probation, may not volunteer but shall be transferred if their seniority requires it. A transfer will not be granted if the teacher does not qualify for the existing vacancy. Unless a pool exists, principals, when filling vacancies, shall reassign teachers currently out-of-field, unless hired out-of-field, before considering transfers or new applicants.

11.1.4 Except when a freeze is in effect, teachers are eligible to transfer at any time during the school year to accept a higher paying position, to accept a position in a newly created program, or to accept a position in an existing program when such program is expanded during the school year. Teachers may also transfer in-field from an out-of-field assignment, unless hired out-of-field on an "agreement to earn." A qualified replacement should be secured before the transfer is made; however, no transfer will be delayed more than two weeks.

11.2 TEACHER TRANSFERS

11.2.1 The transfer period shall commence following spring unit allocation. After unit allocation, hiring of new applicants cannot take place until the placement of teachers from the pool.

11.2.2 An initial transfer period of at least three weeks in the spring prior to the end of the regular school year will be established after units have been allocated in the spring and administrators have listed their staffing needs with the Division of Human Resources.

11.2.3 Teachers who are placed in the pool due to unit loss will be eligible for transfer as all other teachers.

11.2.4 Teachers are eligible to transfer to any vacancy for which they are certified; however, certification areas in which vacancies are needed for the pool will be identified and transfers in these areas may only be made by teachers with the same assignment. After spring transfer period, transfers will not be allowed to fill a vacancy in an area where a pool still exists.

11.2.5 Teachers remaining in the unit loss pool after the initial transfer period will be placed according to Sections 11.4 and 10 (Unit Loss Transfers and Seniority). This meeting will occur during post-planning.

11.2.6 Hiring of new applicants and re-opening of the transfer period will begin in a specific certification area when there are no teachers remaining in the pool in that area and the freeze is lifted.

11.2.7 The transfer period will continue until two weeks prior to the first day of preplanning for teachers. During this second transfer period, teachers will be able to transfer to any area for which they are certified if there is not a pool in that area.

11.2.8 Seniority shall be the governing factor when determining teachers to transfer during the spring for fall placement.

11.2.9 A teacher shall be granted only one transfer during the transfer period. Placement from a pool is not considered a transfer.

11.2.10 Administrators shall notify the Supervisors of Teacher Placement of all vacancies as soon as they are known (24 - 48 hours). A vacancy does not exist until a resignation or leave is signed and submitted.

11.2.11 The Division of Human Resources shall provide a list of vacancies at the beginning of the transfer period and vacancy information shall be provided daily on the District's web site.

11.2.12 The Division of Human Resources shall establish the beginning date for the hiring of new teachers after all pools have met. The Division of Human Resources will provide vacancy information on the telephone job line.

11.2.13 Applicants who have interviewed for a position shall be notified in a timely manner after the decision is made.

11.2.14 Complaints related to the teacher transfer process should be directed to the Assistant Superintendent for the Division of Human Resources. The teacher will be notified of the result.

11.2.15 Teachers shall be notified of implementation of a MSC at their school for the following year by March 1 of the current year. If the teacher does not desire to be assigned to a school on a MSC Program, that teacher shall notify the principal in writing by April 1 that he/she is opting out of the MSC Program.

11.2.16 All advertised/listed vacancies assigned to a school on a MSC shall be noted as such. Before a teacher accepts transfer, the teacher will be notified of any impact on the annual salary if transfer occurs.

11.3 ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFER

11.3.1 The Superintendent or his designee shall investigate any written request for an administrative transfer. This investigation shall determine the need for further action.

11.3.2 If appropriate, a hearing will be held involving the teacher, principal, Association, and the Assistant Superintendent for the Division of Human Resources.

11.3.3 Following the hearing, the Assistant Superintendent for the Division of Human Resources will make recommendations to the Superintendent.

11.3.4 The Superintendent shall then act upon the recommendation. Should a transfer be indicated, the teacher shall be placed in a vacancy that is in the best interest of the individual and the system.

11.4 UNIT LOSS TRANSFER

11.4.1 Unit loss will be used for transferring teachers when a school must lose teachers due to a loss of students or a change in the unit allocation formula.

11.4.2 When transfers are necessary due to a unit loss, teachers to be transferred will be determined by the seniority policy. Administrators will determine the subject area (specific subject and certification / license in Industrial Education and Health Sciences) where a unit must be lost according to student enrollment. The composite unit allocation form indicating course counts will be available to the Association.

11.4.3 In determining unit loss, the length of the teacher's contract will not be a factor in identifying the person to be transferred. However, seniority shall be the governing factor when an in-school change of assignment results in loss of pay.

11.4.4 The teacher with the most seniority shall have first option to stay in a position or transfer, with such option extended to all teachers on a diminishing basis until one elects to transfer or until such time as the teacher with the least amount of seniority is required to transfer.

11.4.5 Teachers who have been notified in writing that dismissal proceedings are contemplated or teachers on fourth year probation, may not volunteer but shall be transferred if their seniority requires it.

11.4.6 When unit loss occurs, the following procedures will be used:

A. Seniority will be used to determine which teachers will transfer during the spring for fall placement.

B. Reassignments may not be made prior to identifying teachers for the pool.

C. Administrators will identify and notify all teachers in a subject area that will experience a unit loss. Teachers in descending order of seniority may volunteer to have their names submitted for pool placement. If there are no volunteers in the identified area, the least senior person(s) will be placed in the pool.

D. The teachers in the pool will be listed by subject areas according to their seniority in the Hillsborough County School System. For the purposes of unit loss, elementary teachers shall be divided into (1) pre-kindergarten, (2) kindergarten, (3) grades one through five including Title I, PEP, Migrant Language Arts, Computer, ESOL and (4) SWP Lead, (5) H.A.L.L., (6) Autistic, (7) Strings (Music) and (8) special certification areas, and these certification areas shall be considered separate subject areas.

E. Vacancies by certification area (Math, English, Elementary, etc.) will be available in the Division of Human Resources to each teacher who is required to transfer one working day prior to the day such teacher will choose an assignment from the available vacancies. The teacher with the most seniority will be given his choice of vacancies in the certification area from which he or she was displaced. Using seniority, teachers will be given a choice until all are placed or until all vacancies are filled. 

F. The teacher in the pool with the most seniority will be given the refusal of each vacancy occurring until he is placed. The teacher in the pool with the least seniority will be assigned to any vacancy occurring if all teachers with more seniority have refused the position. Teachers not assigned will remain in the pool and be placed in any second pool for which they are certified. Teachers placed in a second pool may volunteer for a vacancy after all teachers remaining in the first pool have refused it. If there are no volunteers, teachers in the first pool must be assigned. The Division of Human Resources will work with teachers remaining in the pool to find the best assignment possible for the welfare of the teacher and the school system until appropriate vacancies occur. This assignment shall be based on the following:

1. Current assignment and level

2. Current assignment (1-12)

3. Certification and previous assignment

4. Other certification

The teacher shall have the option of staying in this area and taking courses necessary for certification or accepting the first vacancy in the area from which he/she was displaced. (A teacher shall not give up his right to move in field if he rejects a temporary appointment after the beginning of the school year.)

If a teacher voluntarily transfers to another position for which he/she is eligible, the teacher automatically gives up his/her right to remain in the pool. Teachers will retain pool rights for a period not to exceed two years.

G. Teachers selecting positions from the pool shall be assured the subject area selected.

H. Vacancies for Magnet school positions will be listed during the transfer period, but may not be selected by teachers in the county pool process.

11.4.7 Teachers in a temporary assignment will not be considered for transfer. The seniority of a teacher who is on leave and has a vested interest in the position will be used to determine the unit to transfer. A teacher contracted for a Group I or II supplement will not normally be transferred due to unit loss, except in the event that the required number of teachers needed to transfer exceeds the number of non Group I or II supplemented teachers. Then, based on seniority, all Group II supplemented teachers shall first be subjected to unit loss with Group I supplemented teachers following if necessary. In the event a teacher with seniority is forced to transfer because of a supplemented teacher, reassignment to a vacant classroom position in the subject area disciplines in another area of certification within the same school shall be granted for either the affected senior teacher or the supplemented teacher unless a carry-over pool exists in that subject area. The principal will determine the teacher to be reassigned if both teachers are qualified for reassignment.

11.4.8 A permanent teacher who was designated as a unit loss on the spring pool list and who has transferred to another school either by voluntary transfer or pool placement shall be permitted to transfer back to his/her former school under the following conditions:

A. A vacancy exists in the subject area where the unit was lost.

B. A carry over pool does not exist.

C. The principal and the teacher agree.

D. The teacher is eligible to transfer until the freeze is placed for fall unit adjustment.

11.4.9 Secondary or elementary teachers not certified in exceptional child shall be placed at special education centers if there are no other positions available at regular school centers. A freeze will be maintained and the teacher assigned to a special education center will be transferred when a vacancy occurs. The teacher shall be allowed to remain at the special education center when a vacancy occurs if the principal of the special education center and the teacher agree.

11.4.10 Secondary music or physical education teachers shall be placed at the elementary level only if there are no other positions available at the secondary level. A freeze will be maintained and teachers assigned to elementary music or physical education from a secondary pool will be transferred as unearmarked vacancies occur at the secondary level. The teacher can remain at the elementary position if the teacher and the principal agree. This procedure shall also apply to elementary music or physical education teachers assigned to secondary.

11.4.11 For the purpose of unit loss in the content area, middle schools shall be divided into (1) grade six and (2) grades seven and eight.

11.5 NEW SCHOOL OR CONSOLIDATION TRANSFERS

11.5.1 The seniority and unit loss policy will be used for transfer of teachers when a new school is formed or when boundary changes are made, or when schools are consolidated. 

11.5.2 Units shall be allocated or reallocated to the affected school(s).

11.5.3 All vacancies at the receiving school(s), including additional units and vacancies resulting from resignation, leaves or temporary appointments, are identified and frozen.

11.5.4 Only the surplus teachers at the sending school(s) in each department can be reassigned to the receiving school(s) and teachers leaving will be identified according to the unit loss and the seniority policy.

11.5.5 Prior to the Spring transfer period, teachers will be given a list of vacancies at the receiving school(s), by departments. Each teacher, on a seniority basis, will have a choice of accepting a vacancy according to their current teaching assignment (See 11.4.7 E) at the receiving school(s) in the certification area from which he/she was displaced or being placed in the county pool.

11.5.6 Any teacher who cannot be assigned to the receiving school(s) will be placed in the county pool.

11.5.7 Teachers who have been assigned to the receiving school(s) or county pool are eligible to transfer during the transfer period.

11.6 FAMILY TRANSFER

11.6.1 No teacher shall be appointed or reappointed to a school in which his/her father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter or in-law is employed as an administrator. Current appointments in existence prior to this date, shall be exempt. A teacher and an administrator marrying during the school year shall be allowed to finish that year at the same school.

11.7 ENERGY TRANSFERS

11.7.1 Voluntary energy transfers may occur any time during the year except during a freeze and during the period prior to spring pool placement. To be eligible for an energy transfer, an employee must have completed one year or the equivalent of continuous permanent employment at the school from which he/she is transferring.

11.7.2 In order to qualify for an energy transfer a teacher must travel a minimum of 20 miles or more per day (round trip) or 100 miles per week round trip. The transfer must result in a reduction in the number of miles traveled by the teacher.

11.7.3 Acceptance of said transfer shall be voluntary on the part of the teacher and the administrator at the receiving work site.
In an energy transfer where two teachers exchange positions, both teachers and administrators in the affected work sites must voluntarily agree to the exchange.

11.7.4 This same procedure shall apply to itinerant personnel.