CMS Makes It Easier For Teachers To Transfer Schools This Year

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools is allowing more teachers to transfer between schools in the district this year. District officials haven't said why they're doing that, but some see it as a way to prevent teachers from leaving the district at a time when morale is low. CMS has a policy that requires all teaches who have chosen to move to a new school to stay there for at least two years. This year the district has waived that so teachers who want to transfer only after one year at a school can do so. CMS sent an email informing teachers of the change. It didn't explain the reason for it, only that school closures, program changes and reductions in force have "affected voluntary transfers." Beyond that, district officials declined to comment. Judy Kidd is the head of the North Carolina Classroom Teachers Association. She's also a teacher at Independence High. She says this past year has been rough on teacher morale in CMS. "We've got a lot of teachers who are going to be looking outside of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and this might be a positive carrot to keep some of them in CMS that would be leaving CMS otherwise," says Kidd. The closure of eleven schools last year meant big changes at many other schools. Some became k through 8 schools. Others saw big leadership changes. Kidd says it makes no sense to make a teacher stick around at a school when there isn't a good match. The CMS transfer fair for staff begins March 16th.