Proposed Process

Introduction

All of Oakland’s children need to have a quality teacher in every classroom. Teachers are a precious resource. They bring their individual skills, talents and abilities to the inspiring work of educating our young people. Teachers are not interchangeable cogs in a machine, defined only by their credentials.

To ensure that we build and support Community Schools where children thrive because teachers are supported and positioned to be successful, we MUST pay attention to how we match and assign teacher skills and abilities. Successful schools are vibrant communities, carefully and lovingly crafted by the collaborative efforts of children, parents, teachers and administrators. Successful schools build themselves from the inside out and need to have the opportunity to thoughtfully participate in identifying new faculty members who are well suited to the priorities, philosophies, climate and culture of the school.

Objectives of a Mutual Matching Process:

• Ensure a quality teacher who is well suited to the culture, climate and priorities of the school site in every classroom, for every student in Oakland.
• Honor and respect teachers as education professionals.
• Change the perception and reception of consolidated, displaced and voluntary transfer teachers.
• Increase retention of teachers who seek new assignments for a variety of different reasons.
• Offer real assignment flexibility through the voluntary transfer process.
• Eliminate hidden vacancies and reduce the pressure/necessity for precautionary lay off noticing.
• Strengthen effective school communities by supporting their involvement in proactively building collaborative faculties.
• Increase teacher job satisfaction.
• Successfully place all displaced and voluntary transfer teachers to the mutual satisfaction of teachers and receiving school sites without the need to displace temporary teachers.

Structure and Process Details

What follows is a draft structure and process for implementing Mutual Matching in OUSD. Its purpose is to support a more detailed conversation on how to reach our objectives.  It is not a formal proposal, but the outline of one way to reach our objectives.  This draft has evolved and will continue to evolve as we work with OEA and others to ensure our objectives are attained. 

Facilitated Mutual Matching – A process for assignment of voluntary transfers, and teachers in the Talent Pool who seek new assignments as a result of consolidation, school closure or return from leave of absence.

Please use the link below to download a printable PDF of the information above.