The Buffalo Public Schools will move forward with plans to involuntarily transfer 54 teachers out of three low-performing schools, a district spokesman said today.
The district will proceed with an appeal of an arbitrator's recent decision that found the transfers violate the Buffalo Teachers Federation contract, according to the statement read by Karl Kristoff, an outside attorney retained by the district.
"The appeal is the best way to move forward in the interest of the children we serve," Superintendent Pamela C. Brown is quoted as saying in the statement.
Kristoff read the statement after the board met briefly behind closed doors with the attorney. The district and the union are scheduled to appear in State Supreme Court at 9 a.m. Thursday regarding the arbitration decision.
"By appealing the decision, the district remains eligible to receive over $5 million in state funding for three persistently lowest achieving schools," Kristoff said.
"The money is intended to directly support the classrooms at each of the three schools. A decision to implement the award without exercising the district's right to appeal all but guarantees that the district will be ineligible to receive the greatest amount of funding available from the state of New York for the current academic year."
Rumore said he was not surprised by the board's decision, but was disappointed.
"Obviously it's a continuation of confrontation instead of collaboration," he said.
The 54 teachers in question who had been transferred out of Drew Science Magnet, Bilingual Center 33 and Futures Academy reported to work on the first day of school at the schools they have been involuntarily transferred to.

email: mpasciak@buffnews.com