Arbitrator ruled in favor of Buffalo Teachers after superintendent denied transfers last year

Arbitrator issued ruling in favor of the Buffalo Teachers Federation on Wednesday,  July 27, that Superintendent James Williams violated the contract when he unilaterally decided last August to deny all request for voluntary transfers teachers in the Buffalo Public Schools submitted before March 23, 2010 as per the collective bargaining agreement.
District must now offer the positions these teachers would have filled had their requests been granted and "be made whole for any financial loses as a  result of this decision," the arbitrator ruled.
It is unlikely district officials  challenge the decision in court particularly after the arbitrator stated

" three issues surface as a result of this unfortunate decision: inadequate planning on the part of the District, lack of informed fiscal prioritizing and a lack of understanding the contractual significance of "past practice."

So 100 applications out of 590 teachers voluntary transfers  request last March have to be  honored now, while the new teachers district officials appointed to  fill the new vacancies last year instead of through the transfer process would have to be reasigned. A Buffalo News story appeared today on this ruling.