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Teacher reassignments are looming unless the Minneapolis school district and the teachers union agree on extending a moratorium.

The dreaded fourth R may be back for Minneapolis schools.

That's "Realignment:" the forced reassignment of teachers with multiple licenses into areas where they may not have taught for years -- or ever.

The district so far has refused to renew a moratorium on the practice. Unless the district and its teacher union negotiate one, which the union wants, teachers face a Dec. 29 deadline for dropping additional licenses to ensure that they won't be reassigned.

Parents are upset by the prospect of seeing their children's teachers moved next school year, according to e-mail discussions.

In a flurry of developments Wednesday, the district made a counteroffer that was being considered by the union's board.

Union President Robert Panning-Miller said that Superintendent Bill Green offered to extend the moratorium if the union made a concession -- exempting teachers from layoffs at a number of under-performing schools.

Panning-Miller said the union board rejected the last-minute offer, which he said undermined good-faith bargaining.

The school board wanted to lessen the role of seniority in layoffs in the last round of contract negotiations but said it lacked the money to trade for that. The question of extending the moratorium gives it a potential lever.

Realignment results from state tenure law and court decisions requiring layoffs in inverse order of seniority. Teachers holding multiple licenses must shift from an area in which they have taught into another area for which they are licensed if that would allow a more junior tenured teacher holding the proper license to avoid a layoff.

In 2004, about 140 teachers were reassigned -- many from elementary classrooms to special education -- when falling enrollments triggered layoffs. Another 74 were reassigned in 2005, but a change in state law allowed the union and district to negotiate a one-year exemption this year.

Unless it is extended, realignment could affect up to 60 elementary teachers holding multiple licenses and an unknown number of high school teachers.

Elementary teachers with up to 10 years of experience are likely to face layoff notices in the spring.

The district said that realignment benefits more junior tenured teachers, who avoid layoffs. Another benefit is that it lessens the turnover of teachers at schools serving high-needs students who tend to have less-experienced teachers, according to the district's employee relations director. Panning-Miller said he is skeptical that less teacher turnover at those schools alone translates to better student performance.

Two years ago, 88 Minneapolis teachers surrendered a total of 116 licenses to avoid realignment. This year, the union is advising teachers to fill out the necessary state forms, then wait until Dec. 29 to see if the moratorium is extended. Teachers who submit forms and want to rescind them may also do so by that date.

Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438

Steve Brandt • sbrandt@startribune.com

http://www.startribune.com/1592/story/889631.html