The wisdom of rewarding Montgomery’s school employees (Washington Post)

[Anonymous]

Whining that a teacher makes $50k a year... How about the HVAC guy or Plumber that makes $200 for a 1/2 hour service call... PUUULLLLEEEAAASSSEEE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They can attract talent just fine. They had close to 10,000 applicants for school year 2010. Their attrition rate was 4.7% compared to a national teacher attrition rate is 27.7%.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/olo/reports/pdf/3-14-11MCGandMCPSRecruitmentandRetentionv.5.pdf

A turnover rate of about 5% seems great, especially when compared to the national average. Doesn't seem like MoCo teachers are deserting in droves.

They're not. Nobody in County government is. There is no place to go, and as any County employee who has worked elsewhere knows, this is a pretty good place to work compared to other jurisdictions. It's not perfect, but what is?

[Anonymous]

I don't know what's grosser. That, or the hypocrisy that kills me is the PP who says she wouldn't send her dog to public school - check for her post above - doing her utmost to stiff public school teachers so she can have a few more pennies in her pocket for private school. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the needs of the students to come first (smaller class size, thoughtful curriculum, excellent pay for excellent teachers (not across-the-board raises). That would be a great start.

Teacher here (I have posted earlier in this thread).

First, I totally agree with the parents that they want more done and good for you that you do. I would LOVE a parent union in MCPS (I will be an MCPS parent next year as well). There is a lot the county is doing wrong, especially with curriculum, not keeping students back who haven't mastered skills, class size, etc. Fight the good fight. It is the higher ups you want to take it to. The teachers are following their lead - believe me, there is nothing we can do on our end.

However, you want to be very careful about the "excellent pay for excellent teachers" theory. it is impossible to prove this. Everyone wants to base "excellent teaching" off of results (test scores, grades) but then you will get 1. a bunch of teachers teaching to the test and 2. grade inflation.

In addition, you have a million factors that go into what each teacher has to deal with. What is her classroom population like? What time of day is she teaching (yes, this matters, just ask a teacher)? Does s/he have that ONE kid who sucks the learning away from everyone else in the room? There are just way too many variables to be able to grade teachers "across the board". While it would be great to be able to prove which teachers "deserve" a raise, it is impossible (and I am the teacher who said before that you can ask each teacher in the school to name the bottom three, and they could - mostly due to classroom management, but I don't know how you manage salaries that way without being completely unfair).

I appreciate your post and appreciate how you didn't ascribe negative motives to the parents posting here. Honestly, I appreciate it and it is a welcome change from some of the antagonism on this thread.

I hear what you are saying about evaluating teachers. I'm sure it would require nuance and attention by the supervisor (in this case, probably the principal). But, to be fair, we all have these issues in our own businesses. One could say that it is impossible to evaluate any employee based on which cases they were assigned, whether or not they had the difficult sale, tougher customer, new product rollout and on and on. Businesses must take these issues into account all the time when evaluating employees; I'm sure principals could take them into account and fairly evaluate teachers on staff. (I agree with you that a top-down evaluation from a county-wide system would be unfair and would lead to teaching-to-the-test, but I would say that individual principals can and should be able to figure out which teachers on their staff are worthy of merit raises).

[Anonymous]

Any parent who posts that she "wouldn't send her dog to public school" - see her post at 5/30 at 22:17 - then complains about public school teacher salaries deserves all the antagonism she gets for being a total bitch on a subject she obviously has no experience with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any parent who posts that she "wouldn't send her dog to public school" - see her post at 5/30 at 22:17 - then complains about public school teacher salaries deserves all the antagonism she gets for being a total bitch on a subject she obviously has no experience with.

Agreed. But is it also possible that, on this anonymous forum, there are other people posting. Why get caught up with one crack-pot. You don't know who or how many people are posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this thread! For the first time in a long time, I actually hear parents standing up and saying "enough MCPS" and demanding that we have a voice in these important decisions. I believe the sound we're hearing is the sound of parents who want a voice at the table and want more for their children. Maybe it is time for a Parents Union in MCPS.

Way to go parents! I feel a bit of hope that if we all band together, we may actually create some positive change.

Yes! Time to stop the talking and band together as a Parents Union. Our tax dollars are being spent without our input and little regard to our children. Time for change.

[Anonymous]

If MCPS, the teachers union and the BOE play fancy foot games with how our taxes are spent then tax payers and parents need to unionise on behalf of the education of our children -- if the public route remains viable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this thread! For the first time in a long time, I actually hear parents standing up and saying "enough MCPS" and demanding that we have a voice in these important decisions. I believe the sound we're hearing is the sound of parents who want a voice at the table and want more for their children. Maybe it is time for a Parents Union in MCPS.

Way to go parents! I feel a bit of hope that if we all band together, we may actually create some positive change.

Yes! Time to stop the talking and band together as a Parents Union. Our tax dollars are being spent without our input and little regard to our children. Time for change.

Isn't it hard to start/join a Parent's Union if you don't, you know, actually have kids in MCPS? If instead you send your kids to private because "MCPS is for dogs"? Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know what's grosser. That, or the hypocrisy that kills me is the PP who says she wouldn't send her dog to public school - check for her post above - doing her utmost to stiff public school teachers so she can have a few more pennies in her pocket for private school. Ugh.

Actually, the grossest is the entitled teacher having a little hissy fit about how much she deserved her raise and carrying on like she spent all day fighting for freedom from a foxhole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this thread! For the first time in a long time, I actually hear parents standing up and saying "enough MCPS" and demanding that we have a voice in these important decisions. I believe the sound we're hearing is the sound of parents who want a voice at the table and want more for their children. Maybe it is time for a Parents Union in MCPS.

Way to go parents! I feel a bit of hope that if we all band together, we may actually create some positive change.

Yes! Time to stop the talking and band together as a Parents Union. Our tax dollars are being spent without our input and little regard to our children. Time for change.

Isn't it hard to start/join a Parent's Union if you don't, you know, actually have kids in MCPS? If instead you send your kids to private because "MCPS is for dogs"? Just a thought.
I don't have kids in MCPS but my taxes help support the schools so sign me up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this thread! For the first time in a long time, I actually hear parents standing up and saying "enough MCPS" and demanding that we have a voice in these important decisions. I believe the sound we're hearing is the sound of parents who want a voice at the table and want more for their children. Maybe it is time for a Parents Union in MCPS.

Way to go parents! I feel a bit of hope that if we all band together, we may actually create some positive change.

Yes! Time to stop the talking and band together as a Parents Union. Our tax dollars are being spent without our input and little regard to our children. Time for change.

Isn't it hard to start/join a Parent's Union if you don't, you know, actually have kids in MCPS? If instead you send your kids to private because "MCPS is for dogs"? Just a thought.
I don't have kids in MCPS but my taxes help support the schools so sign me up.

The word "parents" means people who have "kids" in MCPS schools. I'm surprised this isn't obvious to you.

Instead, sign yourself up for the Republican Party, although you're probably already in it. The Reps are more likely to work in your favor than this super-fake approach you're taking here. Your game is pathetically obvious: pretend there's mass support (i.e., you and maybe one other poster) for a new Parents Union, in order to create a super-fake appearance of mass opposition (again, you and maybe one other poster) to the teachers' raises, so ... wait for it ... your own taxes can be lowered because you send your own kids elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The word "parents" means people who have "kids" in MCPS schools. I'm surprised this isn't obvious to you.

Instead, sign yourself up for the Republican Party, although you're probably already in it. The Reps are more likely to work in your favor than this super-fake approach you're taking here. Your game is pathetically obvious: pretend there's mass support (i.e., you and maybe one other poster) for a new Parents Union, in order to create a super-fake appearance of mass opposition (again, you and maybe one other poster) to the teachers' raises, so ... wait for it ... your own taxes can be lowered because you send your own kids elsewhere.

As a general point -- I love how the most manipulative people always think their game isn't completely obvious to everyone else!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this thread! For the first time in a long time, I actually hear parents standing up and saying "enough MCPS" and demanding that we have a voice in these important decisions. I believe the sound we're hearing is the sound of parents who want a voice at the table and want more for their children. Maybe it is time for a Parents Union in MCPS.

Way to go parents! I feel a bit of hope that if we all band together, we may actually create some positive change.

Yes! Time to stop the talking and band together as a Parents Union. Our tax dollars are being spent without our input and little regard to our children. Time for change.

Isn't it hard to start/join a Parent's Union if you don't, you know, actually have kids in MCPS? If instead you send your kids to private because "MCPS is for dogs"? Just a thought.
I don't have kids in MCPS but my taxes help support the schools so sign me up.

The word "parents" means people who have "kids" in MCPS schools. I'm surprised this isn't obvious to you.

Instead, sign yourself up for the Republican Party, although you're probably already in it. The Reps are more likely to work in your favor than this super-fake approach you're taking here. Your game is pathetically obvious: pretend there's mass support (i.e., you and maybe one other poster) for a new Parents Union, in order to create a super-fake appearance of mass opposition (again, you and maybe one other poster) to the teachers' raises, so ... wait for it ... your own taxes can be lowered because you send your own kids elsewhere.

Hmmmm... I did not realize "parents" was defined as having kids in MCPS schools. I always used the more common meaning - to read: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/parents?s=t

[Anonymous]

For an "MCPS Parents Union" ummmm, duh, you would need to be the parent of an MCPS kid.

Time to try a different sleazy approach. I'm sure your sleaziness is chameleon-like, even if you're not very bright.