By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
EAST SPENCER — The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education voted Tuesday during an emergency meeting to revise its employee transfer policy.
The board approved 6-0, with board member Linda Freeze abstaining from the vote, to add language to the policy to consider volunteers first in the district’s reassignment process.
“The bottom line is that satisfied and happy employees are going to be better employees,” board member Dr. Richard Miller said.
As enrollment numbers fluctuate at schools each year, the school system shuffles teachers in order to assure each position is filled.
The decision to adjust the policy was made after Chairman Dr. Jim Emerson asked to board to consider clarifying the policy to ensure that teachers who want to be transferred to another school are the first ones to go.
“If you ask for a volunteer first you may not have to go any further,” Emerson said.
The change includes a stipulation that the employee must be properly certified and meet the needs of the system to be considered for a transfer.
“Always with personnel you are matching a person to a need,” board member Kay Wright Norman said.
Delores Morris, assistant superintendent for human resources, said 58 teachers have already received notice that they have been reassigned for next year. More than half of that group, made up primarily of veteran teachers, were not happy with the decision, she said.
“People don’t like change, no one wants to leave,” Morris said. “We’re using experienced teachers with good performance to move them where we need them.”
Emerson and Miller suggested adding language that would add length of service to the reassignment criteria, but a motion was never made to include it.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.