# North Rhine-Westphalia teacher redistribution policy

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/north-rhine-westphalia-educational-staffing-and-resources
> Updated: 2026-08-11T09:25:02.000Z. Sources: 35. Developments: 2.

North Rhine-Westphalia is implementing new staffing measures to address teacher shortages following the completion of the transition to the nine-year Gymnasium (G9) system. As the G9 transition concludes, teachers previously assigned to other school types to cover temporary gaps are scheduled to return to their original Gymnasium positions for the 2026/27 school year.

To mitigate the resulting vacancies at other schools, Education Minister Dorothee Feller has announced a new steering model. The ministry will utilize a pool of approximately 4,250 positions to redistribute staff, specifically targeting schools facing high social burdens or difficult personnel situations. The plan aims to reassign up to 300 teachers initially, increasing to 600 positions by the 2027/28 school year. Under this model, secondary level II teachers may be assigned to high-need schools for up to two years before returning to their home schools.

Additionally, the state is implementing salary adjustments. Starting August 1, fully trained teachers at primary, general, and secondary schools will be compensated under the A13 pay scale, which is expected to increase monthly gross earnings by 600 to 700 euros.

## Claims

- One school psychologist is responsible for approximately 5,000 students in North Rhine-Westphalia. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The state is keeping the number of school psychologists constant despite budgetary constraints. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- One in four children reported feeling psychologically burdened last year. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Over 31 percent of children from very low-income families reported feeling psychologically burdened. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- 46 percent of surveyed teachers identified student behavior as their greatest professional burden. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- There are currently 464 school psychology positions available for approximately 2.5 million students in NRW. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Vacant school psychology positions in NRW decreased from approximately 64 in the 2022/23 school year to 20. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The fire department responded to a blaze at Lütgendortmunder Hellweg around 3:30 AM. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- A garden shed was completely engulfed in flames. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The fire spread to an adjacent conifer tree. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby residential building. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- No injuries were reported during the incident. (corroborated by 3 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-11: Krefeld-Neuss railway line closed after embankment fire

A two-kilometer embankment fire near Krefeld, likely caused by freight train sparks, has damaged rail infrastructure and disrupted several train lines between Krefeld and Neuss.

33 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/north-rhine-westphalia-maintains-constant-school-psychologist-staffing

### 2026-08-09: North Rhine-Westphalia implements teacher redistribution to address G9 transition gaps

North Rhine-Westphalia is restructuring teacher assignments and increasing pay scales to manage staff shortages caused by the return to the nine-year Gymnasium system.

13 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/north-rhine-westphalia-implements-new-teacher-staffing-measures

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Cite as: North Rhine-Westphalia teacher redistribution policy. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/north-rhine-westphalia-educational-staffing-and-resources