What is happening at Hearst?

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else concerned with the amount of staff leaving this year? I’ve been at the school for 9 years (multiple children) and have never seen something like this.

[Anonymous]

Well the outgoing principal has been here for 9-10 years, so I could imagine things being more stable during this period and then a lot of folks choosing this June to make a change.

[Anonymous]

Post pandemic fatigue mixed with appointing the AP to Principal seemed to be the losing combo. Seeing some of the veterans leave is telling. I heard there are even more departures than what was announced this morning.

[Anonymous]

News travels fast. I do not believe this mass exodus is a result of the AP, but rather the exiting P. My eldest is several years removed from Hearst, but throughout the duration of our time at Hearst, the teachers I had close relationships with were quietly unhappy with the way the school was being run and didn’t have any avenues to speak up. As someone who was there to witness the Hearst community under former leadership, the exiting P certainly left her mark. A lot of what made the place special has been removed from the docket. We left before entering 4th and before the pandemic because we were unhappy with all the changes. I know parents were largely unhappy with the pandemic years as well. Now hearing about this lengthy list of exiting staff, I wonder if P is in fact leaving because she simply doesn’t want to fix this mess. There are some hard hitters on that list, longtime teachers that had really strong reputations. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and know why they’re jumping ship anyways with P finally on the way out…

[Anonymous]

There was another Hearst post a few months ago and someone mentioned 1/3 of the staff was leaving. I remember thinking that it sounded like an exaggeration but really sad to see it is turning out to be true.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. There were some really dedicated, involved teachers on that list. I'm stunned. I got the impression that several will still be teaching in DCPS, just not at Hearst. Makes you wonder what is happening behind closed doors for them to not return next year. Such a loss for the Hearst community.

[Anonymous]

One of the teachers leaving has had a transformative effect on my child’s self-confidence and academics this year. She is superb. I am gutted by this news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:News travels fast. I do not believe this mass exodus is a result of the AP, but rather the exiting P. My eldest is several years removed from Hearst, but throughout the duration of our time at Hearst, the teachers I had close relationships with were quietly unhappy with the way the school was being run and didn’t have any avenues to speak up. As someone who was there to witness the Hearst community under former leadership, the exiting P certainly left her mark. A lot of what made the place special has been removed from the docket. We left before entering 4th and before the pandemic because we were unhappy with all the changes. I know parents were largely unhappy with the pandemic years as well. Now hearing about this lengthy list of exiting staff, I wonder if P is in fact leaving because she simply doesn’t want to fix this mess. There are some hard hitters on that list, longtime teachers that had really strong reputations. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and know why they’re jumping ship anyways with P finally on the way out…

The AP is just a dud extension of the P. Teachers didn't want this hire but it came anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:News travels fast. I do not believe this mass exodus is a result of the AP, but rather the exiting P. My eldest is several years removed from Hearst, but throughout the duration of our time at Hearst, the teachers I had close relationships with were quietly unhappy with the way the school was being run and didn’t have any avenues to speak up. As someone who was there to witness the Hearst community under former leadership, the exiting P certainly left her mark. A lot of what made the place special has been removed from the docket. We left before entering 4th and before the pandemic because we were unhappy with all the changes. I know parents were largely unhappy with the pandemic years as well. Now hearing about this lengthy list of exiting staff, I wonder if P is in fact leaving because she simply doesn’t want to fix this mess. There are some hard hitters on that list, longtime teachers that had really strong reputations. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and know why they’re jumping ship anyways with P finally on the way out…

The AP is just a dud extension of the P. Teachers didn't want this hire but it came anyway.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:News travels fast. I do not believe this mass exodus is a result of the AP, but rather the exiting P. My eldest is several years removed from Hearst, but throughout the duration of our time at Hearst, the teachers I had close relationships with were quietly unhappy with the way the school was being run and didn’t have any avenues to speak up. As someone who was there to witness the Hearst community under former leadership, the exiting P certainly left her mark. A lot of what made the place special has been removed from the docket. We left before entering 4th and before the pandemic because we were unhappy with all the changes. I know parents were largely unhappy with the pandemic years as well. Now hearing about this lengthy list of exiting staff, I wonder if P is in fact leaving because she simply doesn’t want to fix this mess. There are some hard hitters on that list, longtime teachers that had really strong reputations. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and know why they’re jumping ship anyways with P finally on the way out…

The AP is just a dud extension of the P. Teachers didn't want this hire but it came anyway.

Check again. The teachers who had input into this hire did want this hire and are delusional.

[Anonymous]

One of the school’s best teachers is leaving to go to a school down the road. If that’s a sign that the school is in trouble, don’t know what is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:News travels fast. I do not believe this mass exodus is a result of the AP, but rather the exiting P. My eldest is several years removed from Hearst, but throughout the duration of our time at Hearst, the teachers I had close relationships with were quietly unhappy with the way the school was being run and didn’t have any avenues to speak up. As someone who was there to witness the Hearst community under former leadership, the exiting P certainly left her mark. A lot of what made the place special has been removed from the docket. We left before entering 4th and before the pandemic because we were unhappy with all the changes. I know parents were largely unhappy with the pandemic years as well. Now hearing about this lengthy list of exiting staff, I wonder if P is in fact leaving because she simply doesn’t want to fix this mess. There are some hard hitters on that list, longtime teachers that had really strong reputations. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and know why they’re jumping ship anyways with P finally on the way out…

The AP is just a dud extension of the P. Teachers didn't want this hire but it came anyway.

Check again. The teachers who had input into this hire did want this hire and are delusional.

You must be new to DCPS if you think the teachers had a say. The panel they sat on was all for show. Teachers and families are not heard. The AP is not well received by the community but that never mattered.

[Anonymous]

The principal should have been removed years ago. Dcps waited until too much damage done.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, my family joined Hearst in the 2020-21 school year and liked both the principal and the AP. Not everyone was happy with the way they handled access to in-person learning after the pandemic, but I think they managed it smoothly and tried to balance various needs. I was also happy that they picked the AP to continue as the Principal. I can't speak to the volume of teachers who are leaving, but I will say that there's more diversity of opinion than represented above, and that my child has had a great experience.

[Anonymous]

This is becoming more concerning now that I’m inquiring where the departing staff members are going. Apparently a few are staying in the neighborhood at other DCPS schools?! What is going on???