MCPS faces Teacher shortage next year

[Anonymous]

So many posts here are putting so much effort into minimizing and denying what teachers are saying.

There are very real trends happening here. They are apparent and simple to find evidence for.

Jobs are taking longer and longer to fill, more and more positions are going unfilled indefinitely, teachers are receiving less and less respect from all sides, MCPS is becoming altogether less attractive to work in because of central office level decisions and increasingly a parent culture of animosity rather than collaboration, and pay and benefits are simply not as appealing as they were 15 years ago.

I know everyone wants a simple answer or wants to deny it is happening to reduce their cognitive dissonance. But talk to the teachers: new ones, veterans, those that stay, and those that are leaving. We can't solve issues that we don't listen to, and certainly not by putting words in other people's mouths.


If you are unsatisfied with the above, we welcome you to become a teacher or a sub. I can tell you how things have changed over the last 21 years, what we are trying to do to keep our heads above water, and then we can discuss together what we must do collectively as a community to make it to 2035.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many posts here are putting so much effort into minimizing and denying what teachers are saying.

There are very real trends happening here. They are apparent and simple to find evidence for.

Jobs are taking longer and longer to fill, more and more positions are going unfilled indefinitely, teachers are receiving less and less respect from all sides, MCPS is becoming altogether less attractive to work in because of central office level decisions and increasingly a parent culture of animosity rather than collaboration, and pay and benefits are simply not as appealing as they were 15 years ago.

I know everyone wants a simple answer or wants to deny it is happening to reduce their cognitive dissonance. But talk to the teachers: new ones, veterans, those that stay, and those that are leaving. We can't solve issues that we don't listen to, and certainly not by putting words in other people's mouths.


If you are unsatisfied with the above, we welcome you to become a teacher or a sub. I can tell you how things have changed over the last 21 years, what we are trying to do to keep our heads above water, and then we can discuss together what we must do collectively as a community to make it to 2035.

I guess as a parent, I don't really know what to do. My kids are well behaved. I supported my oldest as best I could during a year of virtual school. I avoid bugging their teachers to the point that I don't even know what reading level my kindergartener finished the year at, but I feel bad emailing the teacher to ask now that school is out.

I support better teacher pay. I try to make educated decisions when voting in BOE elections. I wish central office had better, more competent staff, but I don't know how to fix that.

[Anonymous]

Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

Why does it seem that way to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

This is a fictional crisis since they're turning down highly qualified applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

This is a fictional crisis since they're turning down highly qualified applicants.

Yes, it's part of the sky is falling narrative the haters have been pushing. Everything is so much worn today except it really isn't...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

Why does it seem that way to you?

Classrooms with only about 11 or so students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

This is a fictional crisis since they're turning down highly qualified applicants.

I've noticed this as well. There are definitely openings and many applicants. I remember being in a room when an MCPS recruiter entered. When the room heard she was a recruiter, there was high interest. People seem confused about the hiring process. Many wondered why they haven't heard back from MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Why does the MCPS careers page not reflect this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

Why does it seem that way to you?

Classrooms with only about 11 or so students

That seems really low, even for a Title 1 school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

Why does it seem that way to you?

Classrooms with only about 11 or so students

That seems really low, even for a Title 1 school

I'd be curious what grade- our Focus school was very imbalanced this year. Kindergarten classes all had 20+ students but some of the 1st-3nd grade classes were <15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

This is a fictional crisis since they're turning down highly qualified applicants.

I've noticed this as well. There are definitely openings and many applicants. I remember being in a room when an MCPS recruiter entered. When the room heard she was a recruiter, there was high interest. People seem confused about the hiring process. Many wondered why they haven't heard back from MCPS.

My guess is that if this was broken out better, the greatest unfilled positions in MCPS are:

Paras (poor pay)
Special Ed teachers (very difficult job for the pay)
In schools whose principals have a bad rap
In schools with significant challenges- be it behavioral, poor performance, very high ESOL etc.

So for some schools, attracting staff, particularly experienced teachers, probably isn't that difficult, whereas for others, it is very difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

This is a fictional crisis since they're turning down highly qualified applicants.

I've noticed this as well. There are definitely openings and many applicants. I remember being in a room when an MCPS recruiter entered. When the room heard she was a recruiter, there was high interest. People seem confused about the hiring process. Many wondered why they haven't heard back from MCPS.

My guess is that if this was broken out better, the greatest unfilled positions in MCPS are:

Paras (poor pay)
Special Ed teachers (very difficult job for the pay)
In schools whose principals have a bad rap
In schools with significant challenges- be it behavioral, poor performance, very high ESOL etc.

So for some schools, attracting staff, particularly experienced teachers, probably isn't that difficult, whereas for others, it is very difficult.

+1. I think there is truth in this and there is some agenda that is being pushed. Remember when McKnight went "recruiting" to her alma mater to pick up two awards, yet more people are leaving this year than last year during the pandemic?

It's a leadership failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a labor shortage. This is not unique to mcps.

There isn't a shortage of qualified teachers. There is a shortage of qualified teachers willing to do the job. There's a difference.

I would disagree.

There are retirees as boomers and others leave the workforce. There is pandemic burnout taking others out of teaching.

Interest in being a teacher is waning. We are not graduating from college and producing enough certified teachers. Exit > Entrants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a labor shortage. This is not unique to mcps.

There isn't a shortage of qualified teachers. There is a shortage of qualified teachers willing to do the job. There's a difference.

I would disagree.

There are retirees as boomers and others leave the workforce. There is pandemic burnout taking others out of teaching.

Interest in being a teacher is waning. We are not graduating from college and producing enough certified teachers. Exit > Entrants

Retired teachers can come back and teach in other districts without it affecting their retirement. One of my colleagues in my district does this. She retired around age 60 from Baltimore County and a few yrs later, she took a job in Baltimore City. She's now at the top of the pay scale there and she gets her full pension from the county. $$$$$


As long as teachers have a current certification, they can teach. They just don't want to because it is too much these days. My colleague hates sitting at home being bored so retirement wasn't for her. I'd have no problem being retired.