Parents express frustration over Bend-La Pine Schools’ teacher transfer policy after multiple teachers get transferred

(Update: Adding video, comments from parent of first-grader, Bend-La Pine Schools)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Some parents of children who attend Highland Magnet School at Kenwood Elementary School are upset with Bend-La Pine Schools over their teacher transfer policy.

According to the school district, the teacher transfer policy clause allows the district to not notify its teachers of potential transfers until the last day of a school year, if the teachers are under contract with the teachers' union, the Bend Education Association.

An upset parent, Sarah Williamson, reached out to NewsChannel 21 to discuss what she saw last week at Highland Elementary: "She was bawling in the hallway, and I was very confused on why she was upset. I asked her why she was so upset, and she said, "I may be getting transferred." 

She says teacher Becky Eriksson had been notified the night before the last day of school she was being transferred, along with two other teachers. "She's taught at Highland Elementary for 20 years. If there's someone that's going to advocate for your kids, it's going to be this person."

Bend-La Pine Schools Director of Communications Scott Maben told us this is the usual time of year the district notifies employees of transfers, to allow them the summer for planning.

In Article 9 of the collective bargaining agreement between the Bend Education Association and Bend- La Pine Schools, it states that members will be informed by the final day of school if they'll be transferred for the upcoming school year.

The agreement also states members will be notified in writing as soon as practically possible of any involuntary change in assignment or transfer.

"She (Ms. Eriksson) had to leave. And left because she was so emotional and they had to have a substitute on their last day of school during the school party," Williamson told us.

As for why the district transfers teachers, there are many reasons, including balancing enrollment, adjusting class sizes, and evaluating the best fit, according to administrators.

Transferred teachers are notified of the reason, and they may request a meeting with a district administrator.

The union-district agreement does state involuntary transfers are not a disciplinary action, and instead aim to balance needs in the district.

"I'm just concerned about why, how the district and the board thought that this was an effective way to navigate the situation" Williamson voiced.

All three teachers, along with the Bend Education Association, declined to comment on this story.

Highland parents have started an online petition to reinstate them. As of late Wednesday morning, it had more than 400 signatures.

The Following is Article 9 (Assignments and Transfers) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Bend Education Association and Bend-La Pine School District:

"Members will be informed as of the last workday of a school year of their assignment for the following year to the extent to which this is possible. This shall not preclude the District from making further changes during the summer for reasons such as resignation, leave requests, changes in
enrollment or other similar reasons as determined by the District. If a member's assignment is
changed, the member will be notified of the revised assignment as soon as the decision has been
made."

Bend-La Pine Schools Director of Communications Scott Maben released a statement Tuesday on the Highland Elementary incident:

"Friday was a difficult day for some of our Highland students and their families after they learned that two of our teachers would be at different schools next school year, and one would be teaching a different grade level at Highland. Changes like this from one year to the next can be concerning for families, and some Highland students and families are especially upset by these changes and how they learned about them. We are so sorry they had to experience this on the last day of school.

"We also want to address possible misunderstandings around these decisions. Personnel moves between schools occur every year for a variety of reasons and involve certified, classified, and administrative staff. In considering staff transfers, the District follows the process agreed upon in Article 9 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Bend Education Association. Due to employee confidentiality rights, the District does not share details on individual employee placement decisions. Following this agreement in the labor contract with our teachers, the District notifies affected staff by the end of the current school year.  Within this process, our hope is that any information that may be shared with students and families is done in a sensitive and appropriate manner. 

"We want to address some misinformation about this situation at Highland. No one on the Highland staff has been dismissed, and this was not a disciplinary action. It’s also important to understand that this was not a decision made by the building leadership; this was a District-level decision involving our elementary leadership team, Human Resources office, and Superintendent’s office. 

"It’s important we provide some context for the changes we are making at Highland. Late in the 2021-22 school year and near the outset of the 2022-23 year, the District engaged with Highland staff in conversations to improve the school’s professional culture in response to concerns emanating from a variety of sources. From these conversations, the district developed specific expectations around professional communication and interactions. This spring, staff interviews were conducted to identify where staff may still be struggling. Based on this work over the last 18 months, the District determined that staffing adjustments, including the transfers to other schools and a grade-level reassignment, would be constructive changes. As new Principal Scott Edmondson prepares to lead Highland, the District will provide coaching and support for this transition.

"We are optimistic about the future of the Highland school community, and we are committed to providing staff and families our full support," the district statement concluded.