Major HR Screw-up in PGCPS - 900 vacancies in teaching staff

[Anonymous]

On Tuesday Aug 16th, 2022, three days before teachers reported back to work, the PGCPS spokesperson said there were 300 unfilled teaching positions in the county school district.

The teacher's union disagreed, warning their data showed about 1,116 teaching positions vacant. No one could explain why the numbers were so far apart.

Prince George's officials far apart on teacher shortage severity just weeks from reopening

The bad news is that like most schools systems, they don’t have enough teachers. According to Gebresalassie, the system is currently short just over 300 teachers even after recently hiring nearly 750.

(snip)

However the county teacher’s union, the Prince George’s Educators Association (PGCEA), claims the shortage is much more severe. They say the data given them shows PGCPS is short 1,116 teachers and that only 317 new teachers have been hired.

"Our parents and family of our community should be concerned about class sizes where there are vacancies classes may be dissolved so that enlarges all the other classes," said Dr. Donna Christy, President of the PGCEA.

Neither the system nor the union can explain why their numbers are so different. Both say they’re accurate. However, they do agree they are hundreds of classrooms teachers short of being fully staffed. The teachers say pay and conditions need to improve.

https://wjla.com/news/local/prince-georges-county-teacher-shortage-education-school-back-summer-fall-masks-covid-maryland-pandemic-dmv-washington-inflation-crisis-classroom-substitute?fbclid=IwAR2kXegdb4nw8j0K7rakWHCs1kq8B7c0-glRdPpaa1IaTsR7oBujQyIw9Wo


Now, just nine days later, the Washington Post reports the county school district may need to combine classes and raise caps on class sizes in order to deal with the the lack of teachers. Now they say there are at least 900 teaching staff vacancies (almost 10% of the entire teaching staff).

Pr. George’s schools may combine classes amid 900 teacher vacancies

Maryland’s second-largest school district is facing roughly 900 vacancies among its 10,000 employees, which may force it to combine classes in the upcoming school year.

Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Monica Goldson wrote to the school system community in a back-to-school letter this week, detailing ongoing challenges in the school system, specifically staffing vacancies.

(snip)

Just over half of the school system’s anticipated teacher vacancies have been filled, Goldson said, with an average of about 4.5 openings at each of its 200 schools. A spokeswoman for the school system added that its top areas to fill are in special education, mathematics, science, elementary education and early-childhood programs. Overall, the school system is roughly 91 percent staffed.

“As a result, we are reviewing class size at all levels and combining classes where practical, particularly in under-enrolled classes,” Goldson said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/08/25/prince-georges-schools-staff-vacancies

What happened between August 16th ("300 vacancies") and August 25th ("900 vacancies")? Why was HR so poorly informed as to the extent of the vacancies? Clearly the union had better data. Why is that?

A major function of the HR department is to know what vacancies there are, and then to hire to fill the vacancies. What happened here in between Aug 16th and Aug 25th? 300 vacancies is bad enough, but to have 900 vacancies and only think you have 300 points to very bad data gathering procedures.

Or did 600 staff quit between Aug 16th and August 25th? If so, why?

[Anonymous]

I have heard that the Central Office has been told all staff whose positions fall under the PGCEA (union) classification need to move into a teaching position at school next week..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that the Central Office has been told all staff whose positions fall under the PGCEA (union) classification need to move into a teaching position at school next week..

Yep. A friend has been told to head back to the classroom and prepare to spend the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that the Central Office has been told all staff whose positions fall under the PGCEA (union) classification need to move into a teaching position at school next week..

Yep. A friend has been told to head back to the classroom and prepare to spend the year.

Do you have a sense of how many Central Office staff were involved in this? Will it even make a dent? I don't think we have even 100 people who are teachers in Central Office.

[Anonymous]

MCPS uses alot of new substitutes. Better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if they can squeeze 80 hours per week out of a sub and pay them for 40 and then fire them for not inflating all their data and keep quiet about the violence and disrespect. Time to leave the profession. Public Education in America is hopeless.