How does this end?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They really need to bring back the "half day Mondays" (what we called them).

Every Monday was a 2 hr early release. Period.

Predictable.
No random teacher work days or other wonky early dismissals.

A compromise that might work given the situation

That wouldn’t do it for me - I mean, that’s not a “benefit” that would compensate for a lower salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really need to bring back the "half day Mondays" (what we called them).

Every Monday was a 2 hr early release. Period.

Predictable.
No random teacher work days or other wonky early dismissals.

A compromise that might work given the situation

+1000

Really? Getting out early on Monday? That’s it? You know they would end up scheduling faculty meetings and crappy PD units then.

[Anonymous]

They should not have gotten rid of the padded rooms. Like any five foot tall teacher really wants to get into a brawl with a kid when they are out of control. All the parents I know with out of control kids sent their kids back immediately during the pandemic so someone else could have to be in charge of them part of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really need to bring back the "half day Mondays" (what we called them).

Every Monday was a 2 hr early release. Period.

Predictable.
No random teacher work days or other wonky early dismissals.

A compromise that might work given the situation

That wouldn’t do it for me - I mean, that’s not a “benefit” that would compensate for a lower salary.

So you don't want more planning time? That seems to have been a useful block of time for ES teachers and getting rid of it seems to have caused lots of strain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the quality of schools and teachers will be in decline in the coming years, but most likely it will pick up at some point in the future. Fairfax has the advantage of being very large and centrally located, so a lot of people will work there in spite of the fact that working conditions are poor and the pay is less than surrounding areas. Eventually, they are likely to be able to match the pay of most of the other districts. Loudoun pays a lot more and is likely to attract single teachers who can move easily, but those with families and kids can't drive that far every day and can't move. So Fairfax won't suffer too much.

I don't know....

When did Loudon start paying a lot more than FCPS and how did that happen? What are they doing that we aren’t?

They have given a step increase to staff every year, while FCPS has skipped most of the last 5 years. As a county, they are also investing heavily in data centers, which create a big tub of $ and is really helping them invest in K12 without having to raise taxes. Their teacher and admin salaries have increased significantly. The problem with this is not just that they pay better, it’s that they pay better in an area way more attractive to teachers (still some cheaper housing available, way less traffic, etc.). Folks who used to make way more in FCPS tolerated the traffic in order to make more, but why would they stay now? New teachers are not incentivized by the “2nd pension” in FCPS because they’ve watered it down to nothingness.

The other thing Loudoun is doing is stealing administrators through better salaries and different classifications of positions. For example, most of the LCPS HR department is paid like school-based APs and principals. They retain nearly everyone and have put in place solid systems. FCPS pays all of the HR folks more like teachers, and they’ve been unable to hire anyone. Some of the top names/directors have also recently fled to PWCS. It is a mess at the worst possible moment when recruitment/retention are most needed.

Data hubs? Look, they have to go somewhere, I suppose. But Loudon is a barren, sh--hole, wasteland of McMansions and commercial landscapes. Ugly. No charm. Crazy traffic, as well, to get to work.

I don't know the solution here, but turning Fairfax into Loudon isn't it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really need to bring back the "half day Mondays" (what we called them).

Every Monday was a 2 hr early release. Period.

Predictable.
No random teacher work days or other wonky early dismissals.

A compromise that might work given the situation

+1000

Really? Getting out early on Monday? That’s it? You know they would end up scheduling faculty meetings and crappy PD units then.

+1
We had less planning time with early release Mondays. They were often filled with meetings and our specials/planning time blocks the rest of the week we’re shorter. When the early release days went away we were supposed to have at least 300 minutes a week of planning with a minimum of 240 for teacher directed planning. At least, that’s the policy on paper.

[Anonymous]

I wish we would departmentalize subjects below grade 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely believe that large districts across the country will start implementing a 4 day week for students. The 5th day will be used for planning and meetings.

But that makes no sense.

Yes, planning time needs to return to teachers' schedules. But the way to do that is to return planning time to teachers'schedules, not to close schools for 20% of the school week.

Protecting the planning time we currently have would be a start.

I assume a 4 day student week would push the start of the school year back into earlier in the summer and the end of the SY later. If that's the case I'm sticking with the 5 day student week please.

ES Teacher

The 4-day-week poster is envisioning the 5th day as an asynchronous day, so kids will stay home and do assigned work or ST Math/Lexia on their laptops. No change in the calendar start and end dates.

Thank god that’s illegal at the state level now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely believe that large districts across the country will start implementing a 4 day week for students. The 5th day will be used for planning and meetings.

But that makes no sense.

Yes, planning time needs to return to teachers' schedules. But the way to do that is to return planning time to teachers'schedules, not to close schools for 20% of the school week.

Protecting the planning time we currently have would be a start.

I assume a 4 day student week would push the start of the school year back into earlier in the summer and the end of the SY later. If that's the case I'm sticking with the 5 day student week please.

ES Teacher

The 4-day-week poster is envisioning the 5th day as an asynchronous day, so kids will stay home and do assigned work or ST Math/Lexia on their laptops. No change in the calendar start and end dates.

Thank god that’s illegal at the state level now

As a teacher, fine with me. But I am so tired of planning time being consumed by bullcrap administrative duties and useless team meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish we would departmentalize subjects below grade 6.

This is school-by-school, an issue for the principal, not for FCPS overall. I know some teachers like departmentalization and others don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely believe that large districts across the country will start implementing a 4 day week for students. The 5th day will be used for planning and meetings.

But that makes no sense.

Yes, planning time needs to return to teachers' schedules. But the way to do that is to return planning time to teachers'schedules, not to close schools for 20% of the school week.

Protecting the planning time we currently have would be a start.

I assume a 4 day student week would push the start of the school year back into earlier in the summer and the end of the SY later. If that's the case I'm sticking with the 5 day student week please.

ES Teacher

The 4-day-week poster is envisioning the 5th day as an asynchronous day, so kids will stay home and do assigned work or ST Math/Lexia on their laptops. No change in the calendar start and end dates.

Thank god that’s illegal at the state level now

Is it? I thought the law that passed was only for one school year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really need to bring back the "half day Mondays" (what we called them).

Every Monday was a 2 hr early release. Period.

Predictable.
No random teacher work days or other wonky early dismissals.

A compromise that might work given the situation

That wouldn’t do it for me - I mean, that’s not a “benefit” that would compensate for a lower salary.

There are no other good options to keep teachers, parents, and still maintain state requirements.

Half day Mondays isn't a panacea, but it's the closet thing to a compromise and solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$10 million for cyber security? Tell me why this much?

How much is cyber security for over 200k laptops and 200 schools supposed to cost?

They could (should) outsource cybersecurity and have a personal tutor for every child who wants/need one for $10 million.

This is the same person who would freak out if there is a hack or privacy breach of FCPS systems. Like it or not, organizations have to seriously plan for cybersecurity needs. Look at all the stories of even small cities and town being hacked and the huge problems that brings.

Sure, but $10 mm???

FCPS is a huge organization it’s not a Mom and Pop shop. How much money do you think would be adequate for that service?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish we would departmentalize subjects below grade 6.

This is school-by-school, an issue for the principal, not for FCPS overall. I know some teachers like departmentalization and others don't.

+1, many of us that teach K-2 would not enjoy. There is so much cross-over in the curriculum that it doesn’t make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely believe that large districts across the country will start implementing a 4 day week for students. The 5th day will be used for planning and meetings.

But that makes no sense.

Yes, planning time needs to return to teachers' schedules. But the way to do that is to return planning time to teachers'schedules, not to close schools for 20% of the school week.

Protecting the planning time we currently have would be a start.

I assume a 4 day student week would push the start of the school year back into earlier in the summer and the end of the SY later. If that's the case I'm sticking with the 5 day student week please.

ES Teacher

The 4-day-week poster is envisioning the 5th day as an asynchronous day, so kids will stay home and do assigned work or ST Math/Lexia on their laptops. No change in the calendar start and end dates.

Thank god that’s illegal at the state level now

I would have no issue with a 4 day week. That 5th day could be used in a way that is pretty useful, catch up (for teachers and students), meetings, parent/teacher/student meetings, etc. This would take the free time and fluff out of the other 4 days (the advisory period, for example).