Dr. Duran must go

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact that Dr. Durán has retained his composure throughout this pandemic no matter what kind of &*% parents and others have thrown at him shows what a quality person he is. This thread shows we don't deserve him. What a shame that would be if he figures that out.

+1

Imagine having to deal with raging a-holes like these?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

[Anonymous]

Before 2021-2023 started, all APS schools should have had:

-outdoor structures/tents added for increased time outside and for a chance to eat outside

-more outdoor tables

-required each school to propose creative use of space for distancing when eating inside

-contingency plans for staffing needs

-stop using the iPads in school!


When Omicron issues obvious around December 15th, APS should have ordered at home test kits and quality masks to be prepared for return to school.


Society, schools, government, and parents have failed our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

He still hasn't realized that a kindergarten isn't the same as a high school. If he did, he'd have a plan that says if schools close for staff shortages he'll prioritize keeping K-2 in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

And during the elementary virtual school info. session, parents were told with a straight face that kids should only need parental involvement for a week or two as they got the hang of things. The people running the show under Duran legitimately acted as if illiterate kindergartners, many of whom had never used an iPad before, would be able to navigate Teams meetings on their own instead of admitting yeah, sorry parents, but you’re going to have to basically be a teacher yourself or hire someone if you want your child to get anything out of virtual learning. I think that is what makes me so mad — the gas lighting where APS acts as if they were doing the educating without acknowledging the heavy freeloading they were doing on the backs of parents. I definitely had my fair share of “you didn’t build that” moments when they patted themselves on the back for distance learning.

The absolute disconnect between what APS told parents vs. how things actually played out warrants scrapping Duran. He’s so out of touch with actual families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

He still hasn't realized that a kindergarten isn't the same as a high school. If he did, he'd have a plan that says if schools close for staff shortages he'll prioritize keeping K-2 in person.

Exactly! If we do get to a point of staffing shortages (which we likely will) then we should be prioritizing available substitutes, bus drivers, etc. to the elementary schools. At least elementary kids are with one class cohort and not mixing like MS and HS kids. So why can’t we have separate contingencies for different grade levels?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

He still hasn't realized that a kindergarten isn't the same as a high school. If he did, he'd have a plan that says if schools close for staff shortages he'll prioritize keeping K-2 in person.

Exactly! If we do get to a point of staffing shortages (which we likely will) then we should be prioritizing available substitutes, bus drivers, etc. to the elementary schools. At least elementary kids are with one class cohort and not mixing like MS and HS kids. So why can’t we have separate contingencies for different grade levels?

He won't do anything that makes it more logistically challenging for him. It's either open or closed. And if even one kid temporarily can't access learning, instead of solving that problem, his solution is no learning for anyone. It's a perverted version of equity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

I do agree that VLP was a colossal waste of tax payer dollars. Other than that, he's been dealing with the hand he was dealt. I'm happy that no leader in the DMV operated like we live in Alabama or Mississippi. Having many family members there, you wouldn't want those school systems even before COVID. Complete failures.

They've actually been open. What a joke.

Under Duran, APS' first priority is providing paychecks to adults, not educating children.

Yes, open. That's not the point. You're good with open no matter the standards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

He still hasn't realized that a kindergarten isn't the same as a high school. If he did, he'd have a plan that says if schools close for staff shortages he'll prioritize keeping K-2 in person.

Exactly! If we do get to a point of staffing shortages (which we likely will) then we should be prioritizing available substitutes, bus drivers, etc. to the elementary schools. At least elementary kids are with one class cohort and not mixing like MS and HS kids. So why can’t we have separate contingencies for different grade levels?

He won't do anything that makes it more logistically challenging for him. It's either open or closed. And if even one kid temporarily can't access learning, instead of solving that problem, his solution is no learning for anyone. It's a perverted version of equity.

God forbid he actually have to do some complicated planning for his quite generous salary. He’s paid $250,000 per year of our tax dollars to claim the logistics are too challenging. How does this man have any supporters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Duran's lowest priority is education. He has shown that over and over again. Both he and Loft should be sacked.

Loft - aboslutely!!!
Duran - maybe not for the long haul; but I hesitate to give up on him entirely....yet. He has yet to be in charge under normal circumstances. Communication is significantly improved from his predecessor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

+100 and how he’s shown no creativity in trying to get as many kids back in classrooms last year. Why couldn’t he have at least prioritized getting younger kids (who cannot engage well with virtual school) back ASAP and as many days as possible, but instead decided all K-12 kids had to be treated the exact same. And I still see nothing being done this year to prepare for staffing issues. Maybe instead of spending so much COVID relief money on creating VLP we could have used it to create bonuses for substitute teachers to make sure we were competitive for hiring. I saw the pay rate for subs is $18/hour, which is not going to entice people into classrooms during a pandemic. It’s almost as if he wanted virtual learning to be the wave of the future and for his VLP to lauded as some success. But putting so many eggs in the basket of virtual learning is a bust for most students. He’s truly awful, especially in the eyes of young elementary families and I hope he gets fired.

??

K-2 did go back earlier. After highest needs SpEd.

Not until spring shortly before everyone else went back. They should have been at least hybrid in the fall and 4 or 5 days in the spring. Because of all the logistical challenges in getting everyone back more days, no one could go back more than 2 days. You can’t treat a kindergartner the same as a high schooler. There should have been separate planning from day 1.

He still hasn't realized that a kindergarten isn't the same as a high school. If he did, he'd have a plan that says if schools close for staff shortages he'll prioritize keeping K-2 in person.

Exactly! If we do get to a point of staffing shortages (which we likely will) then we should be prioritizing available substitutes, bus drivers, etc. to the elementary schools. At least elementary kids are with one class cohort and not mixing like MS and HS kids. So why can’t we have separate contingencies for different grade levels?

He won't do anything that makes it more logistically challenging for him. It's either open or closed. And if even one kid temporarily can't access learning, instead of solving that problem, his solution is no learning for anyone. It's a perverted version of equity.

God forbid he actually have to do some complicated planning for his quite generous salary. He’s paid $250,000 per year of our tax dollars to claim the logistics are too challenging. How does this man have any supporters?

It's probably because he completely fails at anything logistical. Remember the mess of teacher vaccine rollout in Jan 2021? Summer school sign ups in spring 2021? VLP start up in fall 2021?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By any metric, Dr. Duran has failed APS students. Under his watch, children are barely even learning anything and the test scores reflect that. Teacher compensation has stagnated while administrative positions keep being added at Syphax with in sight. Our kids cannot go another school year with him at the helm. He is steering APS into a death spiral which it may not recover from.

Most of what you are saying either was an issue before he arrived, some of which he is already working to change, or pandemic related which really, can’t be all his fault. I appreciate that he has begun to identify issues and solve problems that were created long before he came to APS.

The disaster called VLP was 100% under his watch. That alone should be enough to show he must go.

VLP was NOT a disaster for us. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't a disaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to the FCPS and MCPS forums and you will see people saying the same hung about their superintendents. When I talk to my friends in other parts of the country, they are saying to same kind of thing. There are no good options for superintendents right now because these are shitty circumstances.

FCPS, MCPS and APS were some of the most closed schools in the country last year! Of course everyone's saying the same thing about such horrible performance.

They've also ran the past 2 years for the teachers unions, not the students. So have most big blue state urban school districts.

You can't have a school system without the teachers and new teachers are in short supply. Still, have you seen the mess in Chicago? Their stand-offs are far worse in the long run than any pandering going on here.