FCPS school decline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

Did you know that your car can go there as well?

I don't know that the trip to Jamestown is necessary, however second grade took a trip to Gunston Hall and I dont understand why 4th did not.

Because one is an hour away and the other is 3.5 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Not all schools go to Jamestown. I taught 4th grade for a few years about 7-9 years ago and we didn’t go. I don’t ever remember the 4th graders going to Jamestown.

My current school has never gone to Jamestown. My last school did - they went to Williamsburg in the same trip (the farms rate was about 10%). It cost $70 per person. This is why my current school has never gone. Parents at Title 1 schools don’t have that kind of money to spare. And no, there is no money from the school or the virtually non-existent PTA.

In fact, for some grades in my school there is ZERO money from the school to go on any field trips (but I’ve seen it in the county budget plans so that’s always confusing). And you can’t go far because you leave at 9:30 and have to be back at 1:00.

[Anonymous]

My 3DC ES all went to Jamestown 2010-13-16
via multiple charter buses paid for by the PTA. So many parent chaperones that had to be selected by lottery with wait list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

I have been hearing this complaint since I moved here in 1987. Some people will always believe it. Some will eventually see the light when their kids go off to college and see how well prepared or not they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

I have been hearing this complaint since I moved here in 1987. Some people will always believe it. Some will eventually see the light when their kids go off to college and see how well prepared or not they are.

My DD called home the first semester of college to tell me how stupid all the non- NoVA kids were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

I have been hearing this complaint since I moved here in 1987. Some people will always believe it. Some will eventually see the light when their kids go off to college and see how well prepared or not they are.

My DD called home the first semester of college to tell me how stupid all the non- NoVA kids were.

In a few more years, the NOVA kids will be as stupid (poorly educated) as the non-NOVA kids...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

Blah, blah, blah. Tired of the right wing attacks on public schools. I have kids in FCPS and do not believe schools are in free fall. Many of us disagree yet you people keep stating this same thing as if it’s fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Not all schools go to Jamestown. I taught 4th grade for a few years about 7-9 years ago and we didn’t go. I don’t ever remember the 4th graders going to Jamestown.

My current school has never gone to Jamestown. My last school did - they went to Williamsburg in the same trip (the farms rate was about 10%). It cost $70 per person. This is why my current school has never gone. Parents at Title 1 schools don’t have that kind of money to spare. And no, there is no money from the school or the virtually non-existent PTA.

In fact, for some grades in my school there is ZERO money from the school to go on any field trips (but I’ve seen it in the county budget plans so that’s always confusing). And you can’t go far because you leave at 9:30 and have to be back at 1:00.

PP here. My ES has a FARMS rate under 10%. I know one reason we didn’t go is because there just weren’t enough teachers willing to go through all that is involved with that trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

Sadly all of this is true. But I can’t afford to send my kids to private. So we are just stuck.

Block scheduling has also led to a lot of lost learning. It’s crazy they haven’t eliminated it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Not all schools go to Jamestown. I taught 4th grade for a few years about 7-9 years ago and we didn’t go. I don’t ever remember the 4th graders going to Jamestown.

My current school has never gone to Jamestown. My last school did - they went to Williamsburg in the same trip (the farms rate was about 10%). It cost $70 per person. This is why my current school has never gone. Parents at Title 1 schools don’t have that kind of money to spare. And no, there is no money from the school or the virtually non-existent PTA.

In fact, for some grades in my school there is ZERO money from the school to go on any field trips (but I’ve seen it in the county budget plans so that’s always confusing). And you can’t go far because you leave at 9:30 and have to be back at 1:00.

PP here. My ES has a FARMS rate under 10%. I know one reason we didn’t go is because there just weren’t enough teachers willing to go through all that is involved with that trip.

I have a really hard time believing that. Teachers love that trip. They have parent chaperones and get to have fun all day. Who wouldn’t love that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

Sadly all of this is true. But I can’t afford to send my kids to private. So we are just stuck.

Block scheduling has also led to a lot of lost learning. It’s crazy they haven’t eliminated it.

how does block scheduling lead to less learning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Not all schools go to Jamestown. I taught 4th grade for a few years about 7-9 years ago and we didn’t go. I don’t ever remember the 4th graders going to Jamestown.

My current school has never gone to Jamestown. My last school did - they went to Williamsburg in the same trip (the farms rate was about 10%). It cost $70 per person. This is why my current school has never gone. Parents at Title 1 schools don’t have that kind of money to spare. And no, there is no money from the school or the virtually non-existent PTA.

In fact, for some grades in my school there is ZERO money from the school to go on any field trips (but I’ve seen it in the county budget plans so that’s always confusing). And you can’t go far because you leave at 9:30 and have to be back at 1:00.

PP here. My ES has a FARMS rate under 10%. I know one reason we didn’t go is because there just weren’t enough teachers willing to go through all that is involved with that trip.

I have a really hard time believing that. Teachers love that trip. They have parent chaperones and get to have fun all day. Who wouldn’t love that?

Teachers that don’t want to be with the kids and parents from 6am-6pm (but only paid for 7.5 hours), go home and be back at school the next morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

Blah, blah, blah. Tired of the right wing attacks on public schools. I have kids in FCPS and do not believe schools are in free fall. Many of us disagree yet you people keep stating this same thing as if it’s fact.

They’re like a broken record, starting a new post weekly on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

Blah, blah, blah. Tired of the right wing attacks on public schools. I have kids in FCPS and do not believe schools are in free fall. Many of us disagree yet you people keep stating this same thing as if it’s fact.

Blame right wing nut jobs if that makes you feel better, but take a look at the screen time and grammar threads. Reality is FCPS is using fad of the day online solutions to capture irrelevant data on your child's learning progress. Teachers got used to using screens as a prop and continue to use them. Hope your kid(s) are visual learners and can get at least something out of learning by screen.

Good teachers would see what the children in their classrooms preferred learning style is (visual, auditory or kinesthetic) and their teaching style accordingly.

COVID put a spotlight on public education. It has been two years since FCPS students have returned to the classroom. Do you really believe things have gotten better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private.

Blah, blah, blah. Tired of the right wing attacks on public schools. I have kids in FCPS and do not believe schools are in free fall. Many of us disagree yet you people keep stating this same thing as if it’s fact.

They’re like a broken record, starting a new post weekly on this forum.

When I can see the difference between my older DC and younger DC's learning, at the same schools, I'm not a right winger. I'm a concerned parent. It seems Democrats haven't learned anything from Youngkin's election.

Parents are unhappy.