As the Norwalk school district continues to grow, staffing changes and transfers have been occurring more frequently to better fit student numbers and the needs of the district. According to Norwalk Schools superintendent Shawn Holloway, the district used the involuntary transfer process last year, the first time in a long time. The transfer relocated staff from second grade, which was the district’s smallest class, to sixth grade, the largest class. As Norwalk has grown over the last 20 years, the school district has gradually been adding staff and anticipates a future need to utilize more staff transfers. Superintendent Holloway tells KNIA News the updated handbook language regarding staff transfers will allow the district to be more flexible.

“We just realized it was outdated. It was a place that just hadn’t received a lot of attention in the recent years, and so it was really time to update that. I think what this does, really, is gives the district some flexibility. It’s easy to say, ‘well, you’re an elementary teacher, you can teach elementary,’ but a fifth-grade teacher doesn’t necessarily want to teach kindergarten, and that may not be best for kindergarteners or the teacher. So, it just gives us some flexibility as we go through that process.”

The language updates give administrators more discretion and remove many rigid rules from the outdated version. It eliminates deadlines, waiting periods, and seniority as factors, instead focusing on teacher performance and experience factors. In addition, job postings are now required to be online for at least five days before a transfer is made, and voluntary transfers will take priority over involuntary. 

The full interview with Norwalk Schools superintendent Shawn Holloway can be heard below: