Schools Without Teachers for 2014-15?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how the schools that hire Master Teachter and Assistant Teachers do with turnover (AppleTree, IT, Cap City, etc)?

I assume the Master Teachers get paid a lot more than other charters because the Assistants only get $25k/year. Anyone know if that's true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a previous charter school teacher who switched to the public school. My salary at the charter school was only $40K, my starting salary for the district was closer to $50K. I left prior to the start of my second year at the charter school because with major gains (they even asked me to loop with my students) I was offered a raise of $1800. I have a Masters degree, and I felt I deserved more. Plus my health insurance was insanely expensive with high deductibles.

I think you deserved more too!

Were your coworkers at the charter school looking to leave too? Is there something charter parents can do to keep good teachers (or is it really just in the hands of the administration)?

[Anonymous]

this is not a situation unique to charters. In lots of public school systems, current teachers wait until right before the start of the school year to quit so they can keep their health insurance over the summer and because *they* didn't get hired until right before the new school year.

My brother is a teacher in a well-regarded suburban district in the DC area, and that's how he got his job--first hired as a long-term sub for someone who quit a few days before school started, and then they made it permanent.

[Anonymous]

Whoa, this seems like a problem that can be fixed with the right incentives for teachers. Sounds like it's bad for everyone - teachers, admin and the kids. I wonder why this hasn't been dealt with (again incentives for staying with school).

[Anonymous]

I worked at two charter schools, for low pay, lousy benefits, no liability insurance, hours and assignments continually expanded without additional compensation, no union to defend us. And it was like a revolving door with teachers and administrators leaving during the school year. We were at-will employees that could be terminated without notice and without cause. I was offered a DCPS position on a Friday, packed up my stuff on a Saturday and started teaching in my new school on the following Monday.

[Anonymous]

And this is what school reformers want to do to public school, basically turn the teaching profession into a temporary job. Welcome to our Brave New World.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a previous charter school teacher who switched to the public school. My salary at the charter school was only $40K, my starting salary for the district was closer to $50K. I left prior to the start of my second year at the charter school because with major gains (they even asked me to loop with my students) I was offered a raise of $1800. I have a Masters degree, and I felt I deserved more. Plus my health insurance was insanely expensive with high deductibles.

I think you deserved more too!

Were your coworkers at the charter school looking to leave too? Is there something charter parents can do to keep good teachers (or is it really just in the hands of the administration)?

Not the PP, but someone who worked at a charter for two years and is now in DCPS. No, there really isn't anything you can do. I loved my students and families at my charter, but the administration, unattainable expectations for teachers, poor benefits, no union representation, incredibly long hours, and low pay just wasn't worth it (among many other negative aspects of the school). DCPS offers more to teachers than the majority of charters do in DC. I haven't found a single charter that offers a better "package" for attracting teachers to work for their organization instead of DCPS, but if anyone knows of a special case, by all means share your information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And this is what school reformers want to do to public school, basically turn the teaching profession into a temporary job. Welcome to our Brave New World.[/quote

And this has been the case for a long time, and not just in charters. I'm glad if DC parents are waking up to it, because of how the "controlled choice" and "lottery for all" ideas would affect their children, because it's a way for parent to see that these ideas benefit no one in education -- except the administrators who benefit from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this is not a situation unique to charters. In lots of public school systems, current teachers wait until right before the start of the school year to quit so they can keep their health insurance over the summer and because *they* didn't get hired until right before the new school year.

My brother is a teacher in a well-regarded suburban district in the DC area, and that's how he got his job--first hired as a long-term sub for someone who quit a few days before school started, and then they made it permanent.

It depends on where they are going. Several Northern Va schools systems have a no poaching rule with each other and in their counties. There is a specific deadline when a teacher can inform her/his school that he/she is looking or has another job lined up. Sort of like an open season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how the schools that hire Master Teachter and Assistant Teachers do with turnover (AppleTree, IT, Cap City, etc)?

I assume the Master Teachers get paid a lot more than other charters because the Assistants only get $25k/year. Anyone know if that's true?

At IT, the resident teachers are supposed to only be there one year - that is part of the model. This past year, two resident teachers were offered full time jobs as lead teachers, so they stayed on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whoa, this seems like a problem that can be fixed with the right incentives for teachers. Sounds like it's bad for everyone - teachers, admin and the kids. I wonder why this hasn't been dealt with (again incentives for staying with school).

Ha ha, you mean incentives like decent pay, advancement, and job security? Like say in a ... Union? Charters were created expressly to circumvent teachers unions. There certainly may be problems related to unions, but one consequence of de-unionizing is lack of workforce stability. Also the ethos and practical impact of programs like Teach for America is to hire teachers with no long term commitment to the school or even the profession. Charter schools probably have a ton of administrative flux, which I imagine also contributes to high turnover. A competent, effective teacher is going to have a hard time operating under conditions of constant change.

Bottom like is that charters trade the stability of the institution of public schools for the instability of "innovation". That works out well for some schools, not so well for others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a previous charter school teacher who switched to the public school. My salary at the charter school was only $40K, my starting salary for the district was closer to $50K. I left prior to the start of my second year at the charter school because with major gains (they even asked me to loop with my students) I was offered a raise of $1800. I have a Masters degree, and I felt I deserved more. Plus my health insurance was insanely expensive with high deductibles.

I think you deserved more too!

Were your coworkers at the charter school looking to leave too? Is there something charter parents can do to keep good teachers (or is it really just in the hands of the administration)?

Not the PP, but someone who worked at a charter for two years and is now in DCPS. No, there really isn't anything you can do. I loved my students and families at my charter, but the administration, unattainable expectations for teachers, poor benefits, no union representation, incredibly long hours, and low pay just wasn't worth it (among many other negative aspects of the school). DCPS offers more to teachers than the majority of charters do in DC. I haven't found a single charter that offers a better "package" for attracting teachers to work for their organization instead of DCPS, but if anyone knows of a special case, by all means share your information.

This is why we have to fight for neighborhood schools. I want my child taught by long term teachers with an investment in the community and school, who receive a decent middle class wage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a previous charter school teacher who switched to the public school. My salary at the charter school was only $40K, my starting salary for the district was closer to $50K. I left prior to the start of my second year at the charter school because with major gains (they even asked me to loop with my students) I was offered a raise of $1800. I have a Masters degree, and I felt I deserved more. Plus my health insurance was insanely expensive with high deductibles.

I think you deserved more too!

Were your coworkers at the charter school looking to leave too? Is there something charter parents can do to keep good teachers (or is it really just in the hands of the administration)?

My nanny earns well over 40k in our share!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know how the schools that hire Master Teachter and Assistant Teachers do with turnover (AppleTree, IT, Cap City, etc)?

I assume the Master Teachers get paid a lot more than other charters because the Assistants only get $25k/year. Anyone know if that's true?

At IT, the resident teachers are supposed to only be there one year - that is part of the model. This past year, two resident teachers were offered full time jobs as lead teachers, so they stayed on.

Our DCPS PK4 teacher is a proceduct of IT. This is her first year at a public school. She is doing a fantastic job.

[Anonymous]

most quality schools are already staffing for next year if they haven't completed hiring already. waiting until summer gets you newbies and passed-overs.