REA Union Voices
REA Union Voices is geared toward Richland Education Association members, so they can find out more about REA, WEA, and NEA, as well as the REA-RSD Certificated Contract. Through funny stories and anecdotes, listeners will hear from real Union leaders, so they can use their contract and Association resources to advocate for the best possible wages, hours, and working conditions.
REA Union Voices
Episode 20: Article 6–Assignment, Transfer, and Vacancy Part 2
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This week, Krista and Jeri continue the conversation on assignment, transfer, and vacancy with an emphasis on administrative reassignment.
Hello, welcome to REA Union Voices. I'm Krista. I'm Jerry. And we're the president and vice president of the Richland Education Association. Um, how are you, Jerry?
SPEAKER_01I'm doing good, minus this very windy day that we've had. Oh, I know. It's terrible out there. Yeah, I'm in the portable and the door just swings open. I'm afraid somebody's gonna get hurt.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, well, yeah. Well, I'm in a good mood because my 10-year-old, I think I told you yesterday, my 10-year-old French bulldog that had been kind of hacking and had just kind of weird behavior, and I was starting to think, oh no, you know, maybe the end is near. And so then I went straight to congestive heart failure, and my husband took him to the vet, and it was reversed sneezing, which is quite common. But so we're like, okay, we're gonna, we're gonna, his heart's pretty good and everything. He was pretty healthy, other than just being old. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So about take that over the other.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. So yeah. So, but yeah, but other than that, just uh all of our members are keeping me busy. Uh, so yeah. Well, it's that wonderful time of the year when spring in education. Yeah, spring in education. Um, as we talked about last week, we are on Article 6, assignment, transfer, and vacancy. And um remember by March 31st is the date that the district has to notify building principals of their projected projected staffing. So I'm getting lots of emails like, oh, hey, what happens if um somebody, you know, moves? Could I get their spot? You know, whatever. All the when are we gonna know how I'm I heard that they're gonna collapse a class. Yeah, I heard so-and-so's retiring. I want to be able to switch that class. Yes. So yeah, so so that'll happen around March 31st. Doesn't necessarily mean your principal will communicate, communicate it with you on that exact day, depending on when they get it, but probably at least within a few days.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, I know ours has already sent out the like, what is your preference?
SPEAKER_01What grade level?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Starting to gear up. Yes, yeah. And so this time around, since we talked last week about what it would be like if there is an actual vacancy, which means it is just an open position. Every teacher in the building has a spot. I call them their little baskets, they have their little basket that they're in. Nothing is causing them to have to leave. They could continue on right where they're at, but somebody has vacated a position or um they've they need to post a new position because they have an increased number of students. That's a true vacancy. You can just slide right in using your seniority following the process. Yes. But what we're gonna talk about today is administrative reassignment. And do you wanna do you wanna read, Jerry, what the definition of an administrative reassignment is? I will.
SPEAKER_01Administrative reassignment is an administratively initiated change within a building.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so that just means that is when your principal has to move someone.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I was administratively reassigned.
SPEAKER_00Oh, when?
SPEAKER_01Years ago, I used to teach sixth grade. I taught sixth grade intervention. Oh, and then what happened? Um, I was asked. I did air quotes, voluntold. I was voluntold that I would be teaching one class of eighth grade, and the following year I was eighth grade. Oh, because they didn't need the sixth grade intervention class I was teaching anymore. They changed it.
SPEAKER_00Oh, so your class went away.
SPEAKER_01My class went away.
SPEAKER_00Oh, so there you go. So there was nobody else to look at seniority. You were the most senior and the least senior. Yes, yes, yes. All right. At the grade level. Yeah. So, okay, well, yeah, good. And you know, I think knock on wood, somehow I have lucked out in all of my years of teaching. We had similar language when I was in um Central Kids app, but in all of my years of teaching, I've never been on a grade level as an elementary teacher where I was the least senior and gonna be the one that would have to go. Now, one year, and I think I can say this because I don't doubt that she's listening, and that, you know, and has retired. But there was one year, because of the way I got hired, I ended up having more seniority than somebody who had been on the team for a number of years. But um, our principal told us, like at our first back to school day, that, you know, oh, we're gonna have to have a combo. We're gonna have it, we're gonna have to have like a two-three combo. And I remember because my husband was a Unisurve director, so I ran out of the training. I'm getting on you were president, I think, at the time. Probably if he was the Unisurve director. I'm on the phone, I'm calling him. I'm like, oh, I gotta get back into the auditorium. Uh they're gonna do a combo. Am I gonna have to teach it? Nope, nope, you're not gonna like okay. Yeah, because you're just gonna do that. And so then, of course, it was the person who'd been on the team for a few years and everything, and she didn't want to teach it. And I felt bad, so I made you'll remember this. I made a comment. I said, Well, I said, I just can't do it. You know, this is my second year here in the district, and uh, you know, I just I'm sorry, but if if there's a combo next year, I promise I will volunteer. And there was going to be a combo the next year, but it was at a different grade level, and the contract language said that that person she could return back to her spot. Right. And then you came in and I remember that. We we talked with our principal about it and said this could lead to a grievance, and I think all it took was Jared. She probably doesn't even remember it because she dealt with so many. I remember it though. She walked into the building, and I think that was all. And then a few minutes later, we get an email. It's like, okay, this teacher's gonna be teaching third, and this one's gonna be doing the one-two combo. I love it when that happens. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, sometimes that's all it needs, all it takes.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, so so yeah, so an administrative reassignment is within your own building. It most often, I think, where we deal with it, is at the elementary.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00For example, it happens where maybe there were a lot of second graders this year. There were enough to have five second grade classes. Um, but there's only four first grade classes.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00And so you can start seeing the writing on the wall that they're probably only gonna need four. Yeah, they're only gonna need four, but there's only four third grades as well. And so what ends up happening because of where the need is, they're gonna collapse that second grade class and probably add a third grade class. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Knowing that it's gonna be moving up, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Knowing, you know, it doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes it's a fifth grade teacher whose grade gets collapsed and they're adding a kindergarten, which is rough. I'd rather go the other way. We'll deal with the second third grade position. So, in that situation, now we're gonna have somebody who is kind of standing outside of their basket.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Because now there's only four slots instead of five. And so the way this works is the principal comes to that team and says, sorry, one of you is gonna have to go to third grade. And if a more senior teacher volunteers, somebody goes, Oh my gosh, I've been waiting for third grade. If a more senior teacher volunteers, then whoever the most senior is that volunteers would be the one that gets reassigned. If everybody kind of sits on their hands and looks around, uh then it goes to the least senior. Right. And then that teacher's new assignment will be third grade at that at that school. They do get to stay in their school though.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think that's the biggest thing about reassignment is it's in the building. Yes. So it does make it nice that you get to stay. And if you really well, I won't get ahead of us.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, that's okay.
SPEAKER_01Well, I was gonna say that if you really don't want that position, you can just wait till the in-district stuff opens up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that sometimes happens. You'll still the way our contract is written, you'll still be assigned. Yes, you'll still be assigned. You'll still be assigned because they they need to have a place for you. And you don't want to go into summer without acting because who knows what you might end up with. But you do have the opportunity, if you don't like that position, to start looking at the job site and applying for um a new position within the district. Yeah. You know, or also too, if something happens between the time you're told you're gonna be in third grade until the end of the year, if all of a sudden there's some weird influx of, you know, I could see that happening like maybe with kindergarten where initially they don't get a whole lot of and then in this over the summer or spring. Yeah, then you typically can go ahead and move back if you haven't already assumed the position. Yeah. That sounded terrible. Sorry. Moved everything. Moved. Yeah, and our contract does let you get one day. I wish it was more, but we're happy to even have that. That was just bargained, just a few. Yeah, just a few contracts ago. Yeah, just a few contracts ago. So for an administrative reassignment, you do get one day to move your stuff and you know, prepare. I was just turning the paper. Yeah. Um yeah, and you know, and the the same process would apply, you know, in middle school. A lot. Jerry and I were talking about this. A lot of middle school teachers have the K-8 endorsement so they can teach any middle school subject. Um but there are some who might have a secondary endorsement, like somebody might only be endorsed in social studies. Yes. And so they aren't endorsed to teach just anything seventh grade English language arts. You know, and so in those types of situations, the the principal and the district do have to consider your endorsements.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, because they they still owe you a job.
SPEAKER_00Right. It's kind of the same, you know, with you know, with special education as well, that sometimes a special ed teacher may be passed over because nobody else has the right endorsement.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know. Um but yeah, and then at the high school it becomes even more challenging because most high school teachers have some may have multiple endorsements, but if they do, it might be a science teacher who is endorsed to teach maybe certain subjects within science, but you might not get a high school teacher who's endorsed to teach science, math, social studies.
SPEAKER_01I think I have weird um high school endorsements. What is it? Psychology and sociology.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I have the psychology, and they don't even offer that. You can't even get that endorsement anymore. Oh, really? Yeah. I have a reading. I have a like a uh the a reading endorsement. So I guess I could go and do some sort of probably a like a remedial skills class or something. I don't know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But yeah. Um and those are pretty, I mean, yeah. Those actually happen fairly often, I think.
SPEAKER_00Those do happen often, and unfortunately, it's something that will sometimes happen right before school is getting ready to start.
SPEAKER_01Um again, because of that influx of numbers or people moving in over the summer.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, or just somebody else leaves and the you know, the district decides, oh, this a fourth grade teacher left, and so instead of doing the a two-three combo, we're gonna move it to a three-four. Yeah. Um, you know, so yeah, so you know, it's one of those things where, you know, you might want to play it by ear if you're you know, if you're reassigned, I would always say take your summer to go enjoy yourself. Yeah. I mean, if you're gonna do any sort of work, do the type of work that can um, I don't know, be relevant across like a wide array of stuff. Don't I you might not want to go right into your classroom and start moving things and start decorating and getting it specifically set up for a yeah, yeah, you know, kindergarten class when the day before school, you know? Yes.
SPEAKER_01I think in that in elementary, that's so much harder because I want to say we, but I know I had to like um lower my decoration standards when I moved to middle school. It was really hard. I you know, I wanted to do all of the borders and the everything, and we just don't do that much in middle school. Like you do in elementary. See, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00I think even though I'm an elementary teacher, I think I have the mentality of a middle school. Mine, my room was always fairly sparse, but then I loved when all of the um the research are at some point, maybe it was just when I started reading it all about um you know sensory issues. Because you'd go into those beautiful classrooms that just have so much going on, and then people would come into mind and they'd be like, Oh wow, this is just so clean and clean and tidy and calm. But yeah, but really that's all administrative reassignment is. It's just, you know, we need the the bill the principal needs to move a teacher from one subject or grade level to another because that's where the kids are. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01And there's enough staff in the building to do that without having to have somebody new come in or anybody to leave, and so people just get shuffled.
SPEAKER_00And one thing that that is important to note because sometimes people think that, oh, if I was administratively reassigned to a new subject or grade level, that oh, I get my go back rights if my position opens back up, you know, I was very specific in saying that, you know, if you're told right now you're gonna teach third and you're a second grade teacher, but before the end of the school year, you've never vacated your second grade, but it opens up, then yeah, you know, you're gonna be able to stay there. But once the school year really ends, you're now that third grade teacher, and you don't necessarily get the right of first refusal to go back to your previous assignment when it's an in-building.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, the the you get that with a transfer because that's you going to a completely different building, which is sometimes far more traumatic.
SPEAKER_01Far more traumatic, yeah. But that's all I can think of on that one. Yeah, that one's pretty simple. So that's kind of nice.
SPEAKER_00So I guess we will end there. Next week, I think we will be back talking about administrative transfers, which, like we said, are a little bit a little bit trickier and a little bit more upsetting, but we'll get you through it. So remember, in union there is strength.
SPEAKER_01Uh oh.