A study of Massachusetts teacher contracts and interviews with educators in four districts indicated several factors that can affect the impact of applying seniority agreements when laying off teachers. These factors include the size of the layoff unit, bumping rights, prerequisites for teaching in a second field, and reassignment prerogatives.…

The use of seniority in current school layoff and transfer practices and the impact of seniority provisions on school operations are examined in this paper. The data for the study came from two sources: interviews with teachers, principals, union leaders, and district administrators in four school districts (drawn from a national sample) facing…