FCPS Half Day Mondays

[Anonymous]

My DH and I work full time outside the home and our kids are in SACC but I do think the early dismissal on Monday's is a decent idea. Two of my kids have IEPs and I'm actually in the school a lot for meetings and to observe. The teachers work really hard, have a lot of demands and haven't had a pay raise in 2 years. Yes, they are professionals but their reward isn't commeasurate with what they do. Even with that 2 hours on Monday, they still put in a lot of after hours time. If we can't pay them more money we can at least provide them more time to get their work done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH and I work full time outside the home and our kids are in SACC but I do think the early dismissal on Monday's is a decent idea. Two of my kids have IEPs and I'm actually in the school a lot for meetings and to observe. The teachers work really hard, have a lot of demands and haven't had a pay raise in 2 years. Yes, they are professionals but their reward isn't commeasurate with what they do. Even with that 2 hours on Monday, they still put in a lot of after hours time. If we can't pay them more money we can at least provide them more time to get their work done.

Would you feel the same if you didn't need to be as involved as other parents may not be? Not necessarily.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I don't doubt most teachers work hard, and it seems very simplistic to blame the teacher's union for the shorter school day on Monday. For me, it simply makes more sense to have a set dismissal time M-F rather than one day that has an earlier dismissal time. And I am a parent who has considerable flexibility with my work schedule. For a number of reasons, I just think it would be better for the children to be in school for the same number of hours each day. And, if there has to be early dismissal, why not on Friday?

[Anonymous]

As taxpayers, just rally and demand change. The school schedule needs to be child and family centric NOT convenient for teachers.

[Anonymous]

Has elimination of half-day mondays ever been considered during the budget process?

I would assume that if they could have shorter school hours the rest of the week, and potentially a shorter school year, that it would save a lot of energy costs that are incurred when the buildings are open and running.

[Anonymous]

Yup. Just rally, taxpayers. That's all it will take. Thanks, PP. That gave me a chuckle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

2141 your mother sounds like a glutton for punishment. I say that "professionals" should take a lesson from their blue collar counterparts and organize for better working conditions as well.

Right. Lawyers of the world, unite! If that brief can't be finished between 9am & 5pm, we're not doing it, dammit! It's not in our contract! And we'd like a half day on Mondays, please.

Lawyers get paid a LOT more than teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

2141 your mother sounds like a glutton for punishment. I say that "professionals" should take a lesson from their blue collar counterparts and organize for better working conditions as well.

Right. Lawyers of the world, unite! If that brief can't be finished between 9am & 5pm, we're not doing it, dammit! It's not in our contract! And we'd like a half day on Mondays, please.

Lawyers get paid a LOT more than teachers.

Nobody says it's right, but if teachers wanted to get paid like lawyers, they should have become lawyers.

[Anonymous]

And thank God they didn't. We already have more than enough lawyers in this town.

[Anonymous]

Montgomery Co parent here. I thought they did this so that parents could count on a consist schedule. In our county, they take half a here half a day there and it is very difficult to deal with if you work. I would much rather have the FCPS method.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

2141 your mother sounds like a glutton for punishment. I say that "professionals" should take a lesson from their blue collar counterparts and organize for better working conditions as well.

Right. Lawyers of the world, unite! If that brief can't be finished between 9am & 5pm, we're not doing it, dammit! It's not in our contract! And we'd like a half day on Mondays, please.

Just because teachers aren't standing in front of a classroom doesn't mean they aren't working. My guess is they aren't trotting home after the buses leave on Monday. If teachers were paid by the actual hours they work they would make a lot more money. Your post makes me think that you should only be paid for the time you are actually talking to a client. BTW, I'm not a teacher, I'm scientist working at NIH. So don't get me started on why some professions make more money than others. I hazard to say that the lawyer types don't put in a whole lot more hours than i do but they sure get paid more.

[Anonymous]

I have heard that the FFX county powers that be believe that having this time set aside helps them recruit and retain teachers. Not sure if this is really true or urban legend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And thank God they didn't. We already have more than enough lawyers in this town.

I agree with that, but we also have a lot more whining teachers than we have lawyers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If teachers were paid by the actual hours they work they would make a lot more money.

So would I. (Already logged 40 hours this week.) But teachers are salaried employees. There are a lot of salaried employees around here, and we work above and beyond core hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If teachers were paid by the actual hours they work they would make a lot more money.

So would I. (Already logged 40 hours this week.) But teachers are salaried employees. There are a lot of salaried employees around here, and we work above and beyond core hours.

Well, teachers salaries are based on having about 1/4 of the year off (all holidays, long Christmas break, Spring break, and summer time). Most teachers even work during the summer for extra money. Also, they are eligible to retire at around 55 with full benefits and a pension. Therefore, teachers aren't as bad off as they say they are. They're in fact, very lucky.