How big a deal are the recent teacher involuntary transfers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On Twitter, the coach who was surplussed from Sherwood is saying that it's retaliatory and capricious. He's also ticked because MCEA apparently isn't even returning his calls.

MCEA didn’t help any of the teachers that were involuntarily transferred in April either. The school level union reps said there was no recourse for teachers that suffered from MCPS breaking the contract rules.

When quitting is your only means of recourse, expect trouble

What does that even mean?

[Anonymous]

MCEA has now responded to the involuntary transfers.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher and was not impacted by these transfers, so I know I don’t have much clout. But…tbh, I think this needed to happen. We are so short staffed. If they really had enough staff at one school that TWENTY teachers were able to be moved, then that would have been really unfair to the other schools.

We keep saying that MCPS needs to address the issue and now they are. Do I feel bad for the 40 seniors? Yes. Do I feel they should be allowed to stay if they want? Yes. However, if we need to end programs to have enough staff and bus for the regular programs, that’s what needs to happen. I also feel that the gt centers in elementary schools need to end. We need to free up the busses and staff for the good of everyone in the county.

My school will start the year with classes with no teachers. None. We are going to start to look for a long term substitute soon and this is in multiple grade levels. I also know this is true at lots of schools. So if there is a program that could end that would only impact 40 kids and would staff some of these classes, I think it should happen even if it makes the teacher who moves upset.

As for the teachers, I truly feel horrible for them. But I think it is the right move by the county for the greater good. Now if only they’d do the same to central office staff!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCEA has now responded to the involuntary transfers.

How so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCEA has now responded to the involuntary transfers.

How so?

Email to members. Sound and fury signifying nothing. What's the recourse? Without the ability to strike, any union is a paper tiger. They filed a grievance about special ed paperwork last year, won it, and not a single thing changed for the rank and file. They're going to stomp their feet and MCPS will say "I'm sorry" and then go on doing whatever it is anyway.

[Anonymous]

What does mcea plan to do? If there's no recourse what is the point of a union?

[Anonymous]

As a teacher who was involuntarily transferred years ago, it does stink, but seeing that my school is short several teachers, I know that will mean more work for everyone else by way of coverages, bigger class sizes and helping out substitute teachers. I wish for the teachers the decision had come earlier, but it needed to happen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher who was involuntarily transferred years ago, it does stink, but seeing that my school is short several teachers, I know that will mean more work for everyone else by way of coverages, bigger class sizes and helping out substitute teachers. I wish for the teachers the decision had come earlier, but it needed to happen

It's unfortunate for those who were negatively impacted but ya the shortages are a bigger problem so glad they're taking these steps now to head off the problem before fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and was not impacted by these transfers, so I know I don’t have much clout. But…tbh, I think this needed to happen. We are so short staffed. If they really had enough staff at one school that TWENTY teachers were able to be moved, then that would have been really unfair to the other schools.

We keep saying that MCPS needs to address the issue and now they are. Do I feel bad for the 40 seniors? Yes. Do I feel they should be allowed to stay if they want? Yes. However, if we need to end programs to have enough staff and bus for the regular programs, that’s what needs to happen. I also feel that the gt centers in elementary schools need to end. We need to free up the busses and staff for the good of everyone in the county.

My school will start the year with classes with no teachers. None. We are going to start to look for a long term substitute soon and this is in multiple grade levels. I also know this is true at lots of schools. So if there is a program that could end that would only impact 40 kids and would staff some of these classes, I think it should happen even if it makes the teacher who moves upset.

As for the teachers, I truly feel horrible for them. But I think it is the right move by the county for the greater good. Now if only they’d do the same to central office staff!

+1 from another HS teacher here

Also, I’m not particularly happy with MCEAs new leadership. Every email I get seems to be unnecessarily combative. It’s not helpful. Stomping around and yelling “against the contract” doesn’t help things or solve the problem. Saying they will advocate for the teachers to have first priority to return to their schools next year or priority placement at the job fair next year would be a start. Saying they will work with MCPS on a process for leveling between schools in summer is really important for next year. Just shaking fists is useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher and was not impacted by these transfers, so I know I don’t have much clout. But…tbh, I think this needed to happen. We are so short staffed. If they really had enough staff at one school that TWENTY teachers were able to be moved, then that would have been really unfair to the other schools.

We keep saying that MCPS needs to address the issue and now they are. Do I feel bad for the 40 seniors? Yes. Do I feel they should be allowed to stay if they want? Yes. However, if we need to end programs to have enough staff and bus for the regular programs, that’s what needs to happen. I also feel that the gt centers in elementary schools need to end. We need to free up the busses and staff for the good of everyone in the county.

My school will start the year with classes with no teachers. None. We are going to start to look for a long term substitute soon and this is in multiple grade levels. I also know this is true at lots of schools. So if there is a program that could end that would only impact 40 kids and would staff some of these classes, I think it should happen even if it makes the teacher who moves upset.

As for the teachers, I truly feel horrible for them. But I think it is the right move by the county for the greater good. Now if only they’d do the same to central office staff!

+1 from another HS teacher here

Also, I’m not particularly happy with MCEAs new leadership. Every email I get seems to be unnecessarily combative. It’s not helpful. Stomping around and yelling “against the contract” doesn’t help things or solve the problem. Saying they will advocate for the teachers to have first priority to return to their schools next year or priority placement at the job fair next year would be a start. Saying they will work with MCPS on a process for leveling between schools in summer is really important for next year. Just shaking fists is useless.

+1. This is what parents want to see. People who are reasonable and rational don’t want teachers moved in July. They also don’t want some schools fully staffed over staffed while some are so understaffed that classes have no teachers or monstrously large class sizes. These same reasonable people understand that Dr. McKnight is not to blame for all the ills in MCPs nor willl she be able to remedy them all with the snap of her fingers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First they drop CareFirst BC/BS, and now this. Yet more of Dr. McKnight's "New Beginning" for us teachers. She should save her breath and simply give us one of these 🖕

I know it's great that she's heading off the teacher shortage before it becomes a problem and also looking out for teachers by getting rid of a third rate insurance provider that almost nobody even takes these days.

Oh? If she's claiming she's "fixing the hiring problem", it sounds like a serious case of Hero Syndrome to me. In my view, it was her total incompetence and lack of attention to staffing issues last year when teachers were begging for help, the mishandling of the January covid fiasco, flipping the bird to the MCEA on two no confidence votes, that made teachers want to quit in the first place.

And I think you meant the Maryland IG is cleaning up the MCPS insurance issues? Unless you're saying she's taking credit for that as well?
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGNewsRelease/2022/MCPSRetainsPrepaidInsurancePremiumsPublication.pdf

If you think that’s why teachers are quitting you haven’t been paying attention. Further if McKnight is the reason, then why are districts all across the country experiencing the same problem??

Of course, McKnight has nothing to do with it, but these cranks have an agenda.

You're both right, but the McKnight Stalker is going to post these wacky conspiracies no matter what.

At this point I ignore them. It's not like anyone serious cares about their wacky conspiracy theories.

I think it's ironic that you and your partner seem to be the only "conspiracists" around? I read these carefully. You use the same words over and over again because you have no good responses and no new material or news articles to support your POV. However, the ticked off teachers and parents are genuine. Different opinions. Different material.

No, there is no "stalker" or conspiracy against McKnight. If she was a good superintendent, people would agree with you. But she's not. And there are tangible and well-documented reasons why she's not.

If you're with the boe, or just with MCPS, I couldn't say. But I do know the more you try to defend her, the more likely you'll get caught into the tailspin as she crashes.

If she's done her job properly and is competent, there will be no further staffing issues in August. No additional overcrowding - especially since the student population has dropped, not increased.

Or you could accept that there are others who live outside your bubble who don’t agree with you.

Staffing issues exist because teachers retired or quit, en masse across the country. This happened because teachers are tired, worn down, and want to be compensated on a similar level as other with their level of training and hours worked. Some teachers are not even against fully revamp the model to go year round school.

The student population decreased last year. We have no idea what it will be this year. And just because there was decrease, does not mean overcrowding was eliminated, because the decrease wasn’t just purely from schools that were overcrowded.

So unless McKnight can suddenly conjure up trained teachers, substitutes, and bus drivers out of thin air there are going to be problems come August. Putting plans in place now to address some of those issues and risk is the smart thing to do. Will some be inconvenienced? yes, but so is life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First they drop CareFirst BC/BS, and now this. Yet more of Dr. McKnight's "New Beginning" for us teachers. She should save her breath and simply give us one of these 🖕

I know it's great that she's heading off the teacher shortage before it becomes a problem and also looking out for teachers by getting rid of a third rate insurance provider that almost nobody even takes these days.

Oh? If she's claiming she's "fixing the hiring problem", it sounds like a serious case of Hero Syndrome to me. In my view, it was her total incompetence and lack of attention to staffing issues last year when teachers were begging for help, the mishandling of the January covid fiasco, flipping the bird to the MCEA on two no confidence votes, that made teachers want to quit in the first place.

And I think you meant the Maryland IG is cleaning up the MCPS insurance issues? Unless you're saying she's taking credit for that as well?
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OIG/Resources/Files/PDF/IGNewsRelease/2022/MCPSRetainsPrepaidInsurancePremiumsPublication.pdf

If you think that’s why teachers are quitting you haven’t been paying attention. Further if McKnight is the reason, then why are districts all across the country experiencing the same problem??

Of course, McKnight has nothing to do with it, but these cranks have an agenda.

You're both right, but the McKnight Stalker is going to post these wacky conspiracies no matter what.

At this point I ignore them. It's not like anyone serious cares about their wacky conspiracy theories.

I think it's ironic that you and your partner seem to be the only "conspiracists" around? I read these carefully. You use the same words over and over again because you have no good responses and no new material or news articles to support your POV. However, the ticked off teachers and parents are genuine. Different opinions. Different material.

No, there is no "stalker" or conspiracy against McKnight. If she was a good superintendent, people would agree with you. But she's not. And there are tangible and well-documented reasons why she's not.

If you're with the boe, or just with MCPS, I couldn't say. But I do know the more you try to defend her, the more likely you'll get caught into the tailspin as she crashes.

If she's done her job properly and is competent, there will be no further staffing issues in August. No additional overcrowding - especially since the student population has dropped, not increased.

Or you could accept that there are others who live outside your bubble who don’t agree with you.

Staffing issues exist because teachers retired or quit, en masse across the country. This happened because teachers are tired, worn down, and want to be compensated on a similar level as other with their level of training and hours worked. Some teachers are not even against fully revamp the model to go year round school.

The student population decreased last year. We have no idea what it will be this year. And just because there was decrease, does not mean overcrowding was eliminated, because the decrease wasn’t just purely from schools that were overcrowded.

So unless McKnight can suddenly conjure up trained teachers, substitutes, and bus drivers out of thin air there are going to be problems come August. Putting plans in place now to address some of those issues and risk is the smart thing to do. Will some be inconvenienced? yes, but so is life.

You're basically admitting that she focused on the wrong things as a leader. She wasted her time on looking for discrimination witches hiding in the closet, and keeping teachers in seats exposing them to possible covid infection instead of keeping schools staffed and the teachers happy and safe so they can reopen in the Fall.

MCPS leadership has no one to blame but themselves. There is no scapegoat they can pin this one on.

[Anonymous]

I work for MCPS and support the transfer of the teachers. And, yes, they should have done it awhile ago. However, it's hard to know what is going in to play here. For those being transferred, it may definitely be a hardship. They deserve to be pissed. Also, I am seeing people/teachers reporting on Facebook that many Kindergarten classes are under enrolled and if more people don't enroll then those teachers may be transferred as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a big deal. It's not like every school is the same commute or administration. It can impact a family, before care, after care, and so many other things. These placements should be determined in the spring, not one month before returning to work. If MCPS doesn't want to lose more teachers, they should be considerate. Ask for volunteers. Allow for these teachers to resign without prejudice so they can go to another county (if desired). Follow the staffing guidelines set forth each year. Anyone saying it's not a big deal have no idea how this can become a huge issue for teachers.

There are schools where projected enrollments can differ a lot from actual enrollment. The county needs the flexibility to be able to move teachers around. All this bellyaching just makes it seem like teachers and the teacher's union don't care about kids. If a teacher doesn't like the policy they are welcome to leave.

They had the flexibility, until February, which was five months ago. Contracts matter. If administrators don’t like it, they are welcome to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too late, it has already happened. It is what it is.

Nope.