What's a normal churn rate for ES principals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents.

Yes, this.

Not just the parents. Teachers regularly go after administrators, too. They get attacked from all sides. I don't know why anyone would want the job.

That part! Add social media and anonymous posters who call you out, by name, for any little thing - humph! Who needs that? You all want better leadership but don't treat them well. So the problem won't get better until there's a true change.

[Anonymous]

In the current climate of MCPS, the current length of a principal is 5-10 years. Even young principals are talking about when they can retire. It has become a burnout job.
MCPS Employee

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could imagine that the parent population at Wyngate in particular is very demanding and difficult. Imagine living in a DCUM MCPS forum thread, come to life, for 10-12 hours a day.

Your heart is in the right place but there are so many factors likely at play here. Principals take so much garbage from all sides, and none of those sides are willing to do the change and self-reflection necessary to notice that THEY are a big part of the problem. From their supervisors they get, "Just do your best to make 2+2=5" and from the parents they get "I deserve/my child is entitled to/how could you blah blah." It's lose-lose.

Actually it’s pretty supportive. W definitely didn’t leave due to parents — he was promoted and felt like he should take the promotion. He had a great relationship with PTA and parents. His replacement had a totally different approach and refused to engage with either the kids or the parents — didn’t know any of the kids and the kids didn’t know her, so I do think some parents complained to her and she felt unwelcome and left. I don’t know the current guy but my sense is that it was just bad luck.

I’m still irritated at McPS for offering W a promotion after he’d only been there a few years — that wasn’t really fair to the school and he’s a better fit for working with students anyway.

Hopefully the next principal will stick. I do think it’s a great school for a principal that is happy to have engaged parents volunteering for things like field day, class parties, science fair etc. the parents are very supportive of teachers and are happy to help provide whatever will make the teachers lives easier.

PP. Like I said in my above post, total lack of self-reflection. Thank you for illustrating the case exactly.

I’m not at the school anymore but my impression when I was there was that the school and the admin really appreciated having parent community that provides things like Chlorox wipes and Kleenex, weekly breakfast for teachers, and volunteers for things like the annual book sale, teacher appreciation week and Olympics day. There are advantages to being at a school with involved parents. I don’t know any parents that made demands particular for their child. In 12 years there I never once complained about a teacher. Ms. L, who was there for decades, had established a practice in which parents could come in for a 15 minute meeting to express any desires about their kids placement for the next year (not specific teachers but general gist like my kid does better with a teacher with a very gentle demeanor, or a demeanor that is more authoritative or whatever). I think one of the principals may have been surprised about that practice, and also not thrilled with tougher traditions lkke the Olympics day so it was a bit of a culture shock on both sides. I think McPS did a bad job with that placement since I think the principal didnt r really know what the past practice had been. Part of the reason people love the neighborhood and many of the teachers have been there for decades is that the parents and teachers have historically had a very supportive relationship.

[Anonymous]

We are currently on our fourth principal in five years, but the pandemic really hammered one of those into leaving; one was temporary; and another moved on to middle school instead. It happens.

[Anonymous]

I would rather have had the churn, than the one who stayed far too long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally know one of the admin who left wyngate . It’s the parents. They are intense, demanding and entitled. It’s exhausting and sucks the life out of the profession

Is this school going into Woodward HS eventually? What do you anonymous parents say? Sell now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally know one of the admin who left wyngate . It’s the parents. They are intense, demanding and entitled. It’s exhausting and sucks the life out of the profession

Is this school going into Woodward HS eventually? What do you anonymous parents say? Sell now?

Wyngate? Why not wait and see who the new principal is?