MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF

Date:          July 7, 2021

Subject:     Transfers – District Refusal to Grant

Once again, the District is choosing the teachers who will or will not receive transfers to the schools of the teachers’ choice.

As per our July 2, 2021 email, teachers have a right to transfer to a school based upon their seniority regardless of any meetings with principals or others (pg. 30-33, BTF Contract). Note: Contract is on BTF website. (www.btfny.org)

Any teacher denied a transfer, for which they believe they have a contractual right, should complete the attached form (Click Here), email it to the appropriate administrators(s), keep a copy and send a copy to your LRS (Click Here) and BTF, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We will be filing a “Federation” grievance and as is likely necessary, taking it to arbitration.

The Federation grievance will demand that the teachers wrongly denied a transfer to the school/site of their choice will be transferred to the school/site to which they were entitled.

As long as the District administrators think they will get away with doing as they wish, because teachers will accept being on the following year’s transfer list, ahead of some other teachers, they will continue to do as they please and prevent teachers from being placed where they want to go.

Yes, this may mean that some teachers wrongly placed may have to be moved. Our grievance will also demand that any such teachers be placed at the head of the transfer list.

Some teachers initially might be concerned about possibly being moved; however, when you consider how you would feel, if your rights to go to the school/site of your choosing had been violated, I am sure you would want it corrected and our contract upheld.