What’s going on with St Mary’s?

[Anonymous]

Am a parent and was told that 15 staff/faculty are leaving this summer, including the principal. But it’s presented like it’s no big deal and no explanation is given. What’s going on? I’m not in the “loop” on this stuff among the parent cliques, etc., but this seems weird to me. I’ve asked around but nobody else seems to know either.

[Anonymous]

Which St. Mary's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which St. Mary's?

Old Town.

[Anonymous]

Did you call the front office staff to ask them, OP?

There is always movement during the summer months of staff as they retire, get new jobs, move to a new location, etc. Why should your child's school be any different? Especially after a pandemic?

My advice? Relax, stop assuming the worst, and call the front office. I assume you a kindergarten parent?

[Anonymous]

FIFTEEN???? Time for homeschool

[Anonymous]

How many staff is that out of?

Is that more than years past?

[Anonymous]

TBH that school has been a mess for a while. It used to be the middle school was a disaster. Teachers leaving in the middle of year. They used to never have to do summer hires. Now that's regular.

They are in a tough spot. They have public school class sizes, but parents who expect private school service. Also the pastor does not help.

[Anonymous]

How did St. Mary’s do with 9th grade placement? How many to Visi and Gonzaga?

[Anonymous]

We’re not at St Mary’s but at another of the larger diocesan K-8s and we’re also losing around 15 or 16 teachers. 3 are retiring, 2 are staying home with new babies, and that total number also includes Resource, pre-K, aides, and Specials, so it’s not all homeroom teachers, but it’s still dramatically higher than a typical year.

[Anonymous]

OP Update — not sure of her exact number. Might be fewer than 15. But seems like several people moving out.

[Anonymous]

I checked the faculty and staff openings on the diocesan website. There didn't look like that many teacher position openings, but there were openings for admin assistant type positions.

I am in the community and heard grumblings, but will note that many teachers are military.

[Anonymous]

It’s universal in the teaching profession this year. And catholic schools don’t have the “golden handcuffs” of pensions like many public schools do. I wouldn’t take it as a sign of something particular to that school.

[Anonymous]

We’re at a private prek-8th on the west coast with similar departure numbers, although they seemed like less because the announcements trickled out over the spring. Some of our departures include:
-teaching abroad x2
-out after one year of middle school after being a late summer hire and probably has a rough start
-home with baby x2
-switching to public school
-retiring x3

We’ve lost a couple of teachers to international schools abroad for the past few years and I think that’s normal in a certain age cohort. 2 of the retirements were probably postponed when the pandemic hit out of loyalty to the school and the challenge of hiring during shutdown. The middle school is impossible to hire for and I don’t know what the solution is.

I think this is the new normal and schools and especially parents need to adapt and accept it. It definitely scares parents and makes it hard to maintain a school culture when many grades are starting over every year.

[Anonymous]

I work with someone whose kids go there. It sounds like a 1950s/60s Catholic School for the 2020s. Strict rules. What do people think of the academics there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work with someone whose kids go there. It sounds like a 1950s/60s Catholic School for the 2020s. Strict rules. What do people think of the academics there?

+1
It has always been that way. I grew up here (and went to church and ccd there) and the stories from when I was growing up and today from my friends kids are awful. We know a few families who have moved from there to public, and the kids have been behind academically