Teacher transfer survey opens May 8

Now that both teacher transfer posting and interviews/selection processes are completed, a joint union-employer workgroup will gather feedback from teachers and administrators who want to provide input on ways to improve the current transfer process.

Currently, the process of participating in the teacher transfer program includes two separate vacancy postings known as the Teacher Assignment and Transfer Program (TATP) from February to May. When the TATP closes down, all other vacancies are filled by unassigned teachers and new hires. This limits any further transfers of tenured teachers and probationary 5-6 teachers.

Based on the the Hawai’i State Teachers Association’s last negotiated four-year contract, which runs from 2023-2027, this effort is a follow-up survey scheduled to be sent to all teachers in Bargaining Unit 05 and administrators involved in the hiring process from Bargaining Unit 06 to gather information about the Teacher Transfer Program (TTP) using and reviewing the TATP.

Participation in this survey is completely confidential, and individual survey links will be emailed from HIDOE to administrators and all Bargaining Unit 05 members. The survey will go live on May 8 and remain open for two weeks, until 11:59 p.m. on May 22. Email invites are being sent to teachers and administrators from sender teacher.reclassification@k12.hi.us via SurveyMonkey.

The survey will be compiled in a format that is helpful to the Teacher Transfer Program Workgroup to prepare written recommendations to Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi and HSTA to improve the TATP process. The entire survey should take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

The Teacher Transfer Program Workgroup was created as a result of the last bargain back in 2023, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is located in Appendix XIII, MOU Teacher Transfer Program Workgroup. This workgroup was established to be composed of no more than five representatives appointed by HIDOE and no more than five representatives appointed by HSTA. The workgroup met four times this school year. Its main goal is to explore ways to improve the teacher transfer process, year-round vacancy postings, and transfer opportunities, while also finding increased transfer opportunities for probationary teachers.