27. Transfers
The Association recognizes the sole right of the Division to assign teachers employed by the Division to schools under its jurisdiction.
Transfers may be made at the initiative of the Superintendent or other administrative officer or at the request of a teacher and for any purpose which, in the judgment of the Superintendent, is best for the welfare of the teacher or the school.
For the purpose of this clause, a transfer shall not include those teachers that are declared surplus to a school.
27.01 Voluntary Transfers
(a) Teachers interested in a transfer shall indicate their interest in writing on or before March 31st of the school year prior to the school year for which the transfer is to be effective. The Division shall make reasonable efforts to accommodate requests for transfer.
(b) When the Division determines which vacancies to post, those vacancies will then be posted in each school in the Division.
(c) Whenever possible, teachers who have ten (10) or more years of service in one (1) school shall be granted an interview when applying for a bulletined position for which they are qualified.
(d) Teachers requesting voluntary transfers shall have accepted a new school assignment before their present school assignment is declared vacant.
(e) An application for transfer from a teacher shall, upon request by the teacher, be considered confidential, until such time as it becomes necessary to confer with the teacher’s present and prospective administrators in making final decisions and arrangements.
27.02 Division Initiated Transfers
(a) The Board’s right to initiate a transfer shall be exercised fairly and reasonably having regard to all the circumstances including, in particular, the educational needs of the Division, which shall be the paramount consideration and, as a secondary consideration, the needs of the teacher involved.
(b) Prior to any Division initiated transfer occurring, the Division shall provide to any teacher being considered for such a transfer an opportunity for consultation with respect to the transfer.
(c) The most reasonable notice possible given the circumstances shall be provided to a teacher who is being transferred by the Division.
(d) In exceptional cases, the Division may transfer a teacher on Teacher Improvement Procedures after consultation with the Association and the teacher.