3 MCPS Principals Retiring Mid-Year

[Anonymous]

https://moco360.media/2023/11/30/three-high-school-principals-retiring-mid-year-at-mcps/

Three Montgomery County Public Schools principals—Jennifer Baker of Walter Johnson High School in North Bethesda, Marc Cohen of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown and Edward Owusu of Clarksburg High School—plan to retire before the end of the academic year. All three have announced their retirement within the past two months.

The three principals said the moves came for personal and career reasons and did not attribute their exits to issues within MCPS or to being pushed out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://moco360.media/2023/11/30/three-high-school-principals-retiring-mid-year-at-mcps/

Three Montgomery County Public Schools principals—Jennifer Baker of Walter Johnson High School in North Bethesda, Marc Cohen of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown and Edward Owusu of Clarksburg High School—plan to retire before the end of the academic year. All three have announced their retirement within the past two months.

The three principals said the moves came for personal and career reasons and did not attribute their exits to issues within MCPS or to being pushed out.

They should want to retire. That's a miserable job in 2023.

[Anonymous]

It would be great if one of them has the balls to speak out.
The system is falling apart of the seams and unless someone speaks up, they will continue to post "oh its totally normal for principals to leave. We have plenty of teachers. There's no sub problem. Everyone's happy. Increase our budget! We're doing great!@"

[Anonymous]

No way they’re going to speak up publicly. You should hope they talk to members of the BOE or of the County Council or a media person. At least one of the three retiring plans to do educational consulting so doubt they want to be on record criticizing their district. Worried about who will replace them. Few are left and many are mediocre at best.

[Anonymous]

There will be more, probably many more, but mostly end-of-year. Some will be APs and some will leave for another county [even though MCPS has the highest salary]. The relevant part will be the total number, and how many are leaving with fewer than 30 years.

For more veteran educators, our MD pension pays significantly reduced rates if you retire before completing 30 years. Many of us think of year 15(ish) an inflection point: after 15, you have so much committed that it’s hard to justify walking away early.

When MCPS employees retire in the 25-29 year range, they are quietly saying “this isn’t $&@?#%* worth it, I need to get out before I have a heart attack or have a breakdown.”

[Anonymous]

I know there is alot of heat and criticism about grade inflation fraud and abuse of teachers. The oig should look at every case of teachers being pushed out. Teachers obviously invested alot and were loyal and hardworking before being hacked by bully principals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know there is alot of heat and criticism about grade inflation fraud and abuse of teachers. The oig should look at every case of teachers being pushed out. Teachers obviously invested alot and were loyal and hardworking before being hacked by bully principals.

Please don’t take this the wrong way. I mean this kindly and I’m not an administrator, but your writing style is so distinct and rambling that it makes me think you might want to talk to a career coach about why you might have been fired. Complaining here in this highly recognizable way only reinforces to those who fired you that they made the right choice. I am sure it’s not your goal to undercut your own case with these repetitive and poorly written posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be great if one of them has the balls to speak out.
The system is falling apart of the seams and unless someone speaks up, they will continue to post "oh its totally normal for principals to leave. We have plenty of teachers. There's no sub problem. Everyone's happy. Increase our budget! We're doing great!@"

I agree that a few brave principals speaking out could really help to shake the system up, but I also understand why they don't, since many of them are going on to education consultant roles post-retirement. So no one would hire them if they burned down the house of their last school district behind them.

I'm a parent, and I don't fully understand the culture of education, but it seems like a toxic suicide pact, where everyone acknowledges it's miserable and broken but no one is brave enough to say it out loud and in public.

[Anonymous]

Good thing the county approved a 4.7% property tax increase for the schools. Let's keep giving more money to the system, because clearly that's why things aren't working here. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with the people in charge... no way. not a chance. Keep pumping funds in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It would be great if one of them has the balls to speak out.
The system is falling apart of the seams and unless someone speaks up, they will continue to post "oh its totally normal for principals to leave. We have plenty of teachers. There's no sub problem. Everyone's happy. Increase our budget! We're doing great!@"

The histrionics with this poster…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a parent, and I don't fully understand the culture of education, but it seems like a toxic suicide pact, where everyone acknowledges it's miserable and broken but no one is brave enough to say it out loud and in public.

For someone who doesn't work in MCPS, you sure nailed it with this statement. Except it's not about bravery, it's fear. And not irrational fear, valid fear with years of data and watching it happen to others. If you say it out loud you have black balled yourself. It might not happen immediately but slowly you are pushed out. You stop being invited to meeting or asked to work on important and meaningful projects. You get no more recognition or praise even when you are working your hardest and making an impact. Your budget gets reduced so you have to do more with less and the expectations become unreasonable. And eventually your position will be cut or reorganized into a different position you have to reapply for and you won't get it and that's how they punish you.

[Anonymous]

I messed that up. The post above was in response to the suicide pact observation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I messed that up. The post above was in response to the suicide pact observation.

You nailed it with your first post! I found out my first year as a career changer what happens when you speak up. My school had a principal that absolutely “ drank the Kool-aid of MCPS”. That’s what we called it there when we couldn’t understand the push back and refusal to address actual professional issues. I was punished by my principal when my consulting teacher wanted to release me from his observations because I was doing well. Huge honor I thought! No other negative observations. But the principal denied because apparently someone complained to her I wasn’t abiding by professional teaching standards because I spoke up about work load. She never once observed me or spoke to me about any “unprofessional” So they gave me more work to do. He was so upset he had to go before the PAR panel to explain but they wouldn’t listen. I ended up on anxiety medication that year. She’s now at Central go figure. No one speaks up. It’s career suicide for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I messed that up. The post above was in response to the suicide pact observation.

You nailed it with your first post! I found out my first year as a career changer what happens when you speak up. My school had a principal that absolutely “ drank the Kool-aid of MCPS”. That’s what we called it there when we couldn’t understand the push back and refusal to address actual professional issues. I was punished by my principal when my consulting teacher wanted to release me from his observations because I was doing well. Huge honor I thought! No other negative observations. But the principal denied because apparently someone complained to her I wasn’t abiding by professional teaching standards because I spoke up about work load. She never once observed me or spoke to me about any “unprofessional” So they gave me more work to do. He was so upset he had to go before the PAR panel to explain but they wouldn’t listen. I ended up on anxiety medication that year. She’s now at Central go figure. No one speaks up. It’s career suicide for sure.

Isn't this kind of abuse and mistreatment what MCEA is supposed to defend and protect you from? Why are they failing teachers like this, when their whole reason for being is to prevent or at least respond to this kind of abuse and manipulation?

And if the union is this useless, why don't more teachers abandon it or call for new leadership?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I messed that up. The post above was in response to the suicide pact observation.

You nailed it with your first post! I found out my first year as a career changer what happens when you speak up. My school had a principal that absolutely “ drank the Kool-aid of MCPS”. That’s what we called it there when we couldn’t understand the push back and refusal to address actual professional issues. I was punished by my principal when my consulting teacher wanted to release me from his observations because I was doing well. Huge honor I thought! No other negative observations. But the principal denied because apparently someone complained to her I wasn’t abiding by professional teaching standards because I spoke up about work load. She never once observed me or spoke to me about any “unprofessional” So they gave me more work to do. He was so upset he had to go before the PAR panel to explain but they wouldn’t listen. I ended up on anxiety medication that year. She’s now at Central go figure. No one speaks up. It’s career suicide for sure.

Isn't this kind of abuse and mistreatment what MCEA is supposed to defend and protect you from? Why are they failing teachers like this, when their whole reason for being is to prevent or at least respond to this kind of abuse and manipulation?

And if the union is this useless, why don't more teachers abandon it or call for new leadership?

It's not clear cut bullying and harassment it's all in the massive gray area that MCPS created to protect themselves. MCPS, and the unions, are very "written rule driven." If something doesn't meet the written definition nobody does anything (and still nothing even when it does). It's the small day to day things that add up and create a horrible and anxiety inducing work environment.

It's literally like being in an abusive romantic relationship. You'll get love bombed where they overly praise and recognize you at first and then every once in awhile to keep you around, but eventually it goes away and your ideas are dismissed or you are hardly acknowledged. They'll gaslight you telling you that you misunderstood or they'll change their minds and say something totally different than what was first said related to work projects and initiatives. It's the eggshells of coming into work everyday and not know the moods people will be in and if your supervisor is even going to say hello to you that day. It's not one big obvious thing that the unions can fight against. It's little things that can't easily be proven. Luckily I got out after 16 years because I had the ability to leave, but most people are stuck to keep their salary and pension.