Rifts in RIFs

As school districts faced budget cuts all across the country, they were contractually obligated to issue Reduction in Force (RIF) notifications to teachers they might not be able to afford in 2009–10. The process districts must go through to layoff workers is typically spelled out in the negotiated agreements. Here’s the relevant passage from the expiring contract between Indianapolis Public Schools and the Indianapolis Education Association:

ARTICLE XVII REDUCTION IN FORCE
Section 1. In the event a reduction in force is necessary, the following procedures shall apply:
a. IPS will identify the teaching areas to be reduced.
b. IPS will identify the least senior teacher(s) in those areas.
c. IPS will select the least senior teacher(s) to be laid off, and seniority shall be determinative.
d. A teacher who is identified to be laid off shall be allowed to displace the least senior teacher in another teaching assignment for which that teacher is certified and has the ability to perform.

These are pretty clear and straightforward. Nowhere does it mention any factor that can be considered other than seniority. This contract was agreed upon for the 2006–7 school year, and negotiations on a new contract are just finishing. Included in the new deal was a provision that teachers displaced from neighborhood schools can no longer bump less-senior teachers at specialty magnet schools. The district will also be forming a committee to consider other factors besides seniority in layoff decisions.

The reasons for these new provisions can be traced to a recent report from The New Teacher Project. Its findings and recommendations are based on surveys of principals, central office staff, and almost 1,700 Indianapolis teachers (75 percent of all district teachers). 90 percent of principals reported losing a teacher due to the RIF provision who they wanted to keep, and two of the 308 teachers receiving RIF notifications this spring are up for the city’s teacher of the year award. The page below answers the question on how teachers feel about the layoff process:

Opinion on Criteria Used to Determine Layoffs

Seniority was sixth on the list, behind things like classroom management, teacher attendance, specific licensure, and instructional performance. 74 percent of teachers and 98 percent of principals agreed that some additional factors should be considered alongside seniority. Let’s hope these preferences play out in the committee.

Tagged as: Reduction in Force, Teachers, Teachers Unions