Area Private School Teacher Shortage?

[Anonymous]

Smaller school $1,150/ student counting perquisites, maybe more. Then look at advancement offices and how many years the funds they generate cover all of those salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smaller school $1,150/ student counting perquisites, maybe more. Then look at advancement offices and how many years the funds they generate cover all of those salaries.

I'm confused by your second sentence. What do you mean?

[Anonymous]

I'm a private school administrator reading the comments about the disparity in admin costs vs teacher salaries. I think that administrations might be scaled in some areas, but not in the DC area.

We want to put most of our time and resources towards the students, but the parents require an incredible amount of personalized attention in this region. You're busy, so we ramp up communications to make your lives easier. You want to socialize with your fellow parents or fellow alumni, so we hold loads of events. You want the very best facilities, so fundraisers are needed. You want lots and lots of hand-holding through the college process, so we staff up there. You want every kind of club and program to help your child find their specific strength and build a resume around it, so we're always adding new opportunities.

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

We're all ready to quit. Teachers and staff. There's no amount of money that makes this job worthwhile. Everything that is wrong in society right now feels amplified in the microcosm of school. And hell yes, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. The only people who will stay are those who can't imagine any other job than one working with children. Let's hope that there are enough of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Smaller school $1,150/ student counting perquisites, maybe more. Then look at advancement offices and how many years the funds they generate cover all of those salaries.

So which school’s Dev office do you work in? Because this sounds just like the Dev Director who told me that she was the most important person on campus, more than HOS or any teacher, which is a completely normal and well adjusted thing to say.

[Anonymous]

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

Oh, so the same things public admins deal with daily, just without politicians calling for you to be fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a private school administrator reading the comments about the disparity in admin costs vs teacher salaries. I think that administrations might be scaled in some areas, but not in the DC area.

We want to put most of our time and resources towards the students, but the parents require an incredible amount of personalized attention in this region. You're busy, so we ramp up communications to make your lives easier. You want to socialize with your fellow parents or fellow alumni, so we hold loads of events. You want the very best facilities, so fundraisers are needed. You want lots and lots of hand-holding through the college process, so we staff up there. You want every kind of club and program to help your child find their specific strength and build a resume around it, so we're always adding new opportunities.

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

We're all ready to quit. Teachers and staff. There's no amount of money that makes this job worthwhile. Everything that is wrong in society right now feels amplified in the microcosm of school. And hell yes, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. The only people who will stay are those who can't imagine any other job than one working with children. Let's hope that there are enough of them.

I’ve been a private school parent for 7 years and I just want to say thank you for putting up with my peers who are so demanding and rude. Since Covid started the only messages I’ve sent our school are “thank you!” and “what else can we do to support you?” I hope you know how many of us appreciate our excellent administrators and teachers, our tuition is a struggle for our family but we would pay more for better salaries for the people who are doing such a great job educating our kids every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a private school administrator reading the comments about the disparity in admin costs vs teacher salaries. I think that administrations might be scaled in some areas, but not in the DC area.

We want to put most of our time and resources towards the students, but the parents require an incredible amount of personalized attention in this region. You're busy, so we ramp up communications to make your lives easier. You want to socialize with your fellow parents or fellow alumni, so we hold loads of events. You want the very best facilities, so fundraisers are needed. You want lots and lots of hand-holding through the college process, so we staff up there. You want every kind of club and program to help your child find their specific strength and build a resume around it, so we're always adding new opportunities.

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

We're all ready to quit. Teachers and staff. There's no amount of money that makes this job worthwhile. Everything that is wrong in society right now feels amplified in the microcosm of school. And hell yes, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. The only people who will stay are those who can't imagine any other job than one working with children. Let's hope that there are enough of them.

I get all you are saying, and agree to most of it. However, that is one of the reasons many families chose private; for the "Concierge Service". Of course parents should always be polite and mindful when asking, but that's what we expect; above and beyond service for our kid and for us.

[Anonymous]

You agree this is the state of things. You disagree that it is actually a problem.

[Anonymous]

Not every school is like that.

[Anonymous]

Teachers should be making a minimum of 90k.

[Anonymous]

As a family who didn’t choose private for “the concierge service” - thank you to the teachers, staff and administrators who have given my child the social-emotional and educational support in a smaller environment they needed after a tough 2020/2021. We respect this isn’t easy right now for all the reasons stated above and appreciate all of your efforts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To get back to the original topic…

I am a teacher at a large, well-respected NOVA private. Our school has been very vocal about teacher salaries being “at or above those of our peer schools” (they have not said which schools those peer schools are). I have been teaching for 10 years and have a masters. I teach a STEM subject. I currently make about $68,000 annually and until recently our school was on a step salary scale that was public to all teachers. Our raises last year (which got me to my current salary) were between 3 and 3.5%.

All of the peer schools work to keep their salaries in the same band, so none of them dares to start a bidding war. If one did, that nonsensical pay level after 10 years would reflect a mid-career professional, probably six figures in most professions. Young people starting their careers can see the difference and choose accordingly.

It's a racket.

How would this work? Wouldn't prices go way up at that school and make them lose students?

Not if a school actually puts the tuition towards teacher salaries and changes how they spend their money. If a head of school makes 600k a year (which ours does, for sure), then that’s 4 GOOD teacher salaries right there if a head of school makes 200k instead. Then, think about how many schools have a totally bloated administrative system right now — heads and associate heads of divisions, deans, associate deans, heads of diversity/curriculum/sustainability/etc… that’s just off the top of my head. The number of admin at my school has grown hugely since I started, and those salaries come from somewhere. If a school actually put its teachers first and was willing to make cuts at the admin level, I’m sure that stronger teacher salaries could be a reality.

The Superintendents of FCPS & MCPS make something like $2 per student. My HOS makes about $884 per student.

Something is INCREDIBLY wrong with that disparity.

I’ve been saying this forever. Its absolutely amazing what some of the HOS are making in comparison to local public Superintendents who are responsible for WAAY more students and staff. And that just the tip of the iceberg. The Super’s still have to deal with bus transportation, pre-k-12, special education, law suits, and a district that could span 15 -50 miles where the weather could be wholly different between schools. I really can’t understand why a HOS in this area would be making more that the FCPS or MCPS Superintendent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a private school administrator reading the comments about the disparity in admin costs vs teacher salaries. I think that administrations might be scaled in some areas, but not in the DC area.

We want to put most of our time and resources towards the students, but the parents require an incredible amount of personalized attention in this region. You're busy, so we ramp up communications to make your lives easier. You want to socialize with your fellow parents or fellow alumni, so we hold loads of events. You want the very best facilities, so fundraisers are needed. You want lots and lots of hand-holding through the college process, so we staff up there. You want every kind of club and program to help your child find their specific strength and build a resume around it, so we're always adding new opportunities.

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

We're all ready to quit. Teachers and staff. There's no amount of money that makes this job worthwhile. Everything that is wrong in society right now feels amplified in the microcosm of school. And hell yes, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. The only people who will stay are those who can't imagine any other job than one working with children. Let's hope that there are enough of them.

It's a troubling time for sure. I'm sad to read this and to hear that your experience isn't unique.

Perhaps I'm an anomaly parent, but I welcome a conversation from admin/leadership that reflects a prioritization reset. Frankly, I think that competitive teacher salaries should be one of the top priorities to attract and retain top talent, but I suspect that it isn't. Also, the lack of transparency and clear credentialing is clearly an issue in the profession broadly. I don't understand all of them but just reading this thread suggests a lot of variance that needs to be addressed. If certifications aren't valuable/valued, then perhaps that needs to be revamped and tied to clear salary bumps, along with education bumps for advanced degrees. I have no idea what our schools' staff credentials/criteria are. Shouldn't that be transparent? If teaching/curricular quality metrics aren't clear, that leads to a focus on what can be measured or observed, such a shiny buildings and fancy events. But what really matters more?

Private schools do not have unlimited resources and parents are always going to want and demand *more* but academic quality should be the top priority. The problem with leadership trying to please everyone and offer a wide breadth of everything is that resources are spread too thin and quality is sacrificed. Then everyone is burned out and annoyed - parents, admin, teachers, and students. In DC's upper school, clubs rarely ever meet. College counseling is shaky with meaningful turnover and limited student attention so most parents with means pay for outside help anyway. Community events exist but are half-hearted. For example, sporting events are unevenly/not supported by students. DEI really seems to be an event-focused box-checking exercise, such as outside having speakers, rather than truly looking inward and doing the work on culture, process, and an attitude of inclusion. So much of the admin planning and energy just seems to be focused on the optics. Clear priorities/strategy, communication of those priorities, and boundary setting are desperately needed IMO.

As someone else mentioned, I've observed significant administrative bloat over the past few years and could not describe if my life depended on it what the responsibilities of many of those roles are. It's annoying and just seems like a waste of $. I'd rather pay for top flight teachers that inspire.

I'm tired of seeing these entitled parents behaving horribly and yet their offspring seemingly just benefit, not to mention it is frustrating that these jerks are making life miserable for the whole community. And guess what? The kids are then in turn learning that bad behavior and spreading it on to their peers.

Parents need to hear "no" with unreasonable demands. If you are on vacation, the parent must wait or accept help from a colleague. Your HOS needs to back you up, even if it means pissing off a big donor. Otherwise, the cycle never stops and the students don't get the modeled behavior they need from the adults in their lives.



I get all you are saying, and agree to most of it. However, that is one of the reasons many families chose private; for the "Concierge Service". Of course parents should always be polite and mindful when asking, but that's what we expect; above and beyond service for our kid and for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a private school administrator reading the comments about the disparity in admin costs vs teacher salaries. I think that administrations might be scaled in some areas, but not in the DC area.

We want to put most of our time and resources towards the students, but the parents require an incredible amount of personalized attention in this region. You're busy, so we ramp up communications to make your lives easier. You want to socialize with your fellow parents or fellow alumni, so we hold loads of events. You want the very best facilities, so fundraisers are needed. You want lots and lots of hand-holding through the college process, so we staff up there. You want every kind of club and program to help your child find their specific strength and build a resume around it, so we're always adding new opportunities.

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

We're all ready to quit. Teachers and staff. There's no amount of money that makes this job worthwhile. Everything that is wrong in society right now feels amplified in the microcosm of school. And hell yes, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. The only people who will stay are those who can't imagine any other job than one working with children. Let's hope that there are enough of them.

But it’s a vicious cycle. People expect a lot of attention because they are paying such large prices. Schools charge a lot because parents demand a lot. Parents demand a lot because schools charge a lot. Schools charge a lot because parents demand a lot….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a private school administrator reading the comments about the disparity in admin costs vs teacher salaries. I think that administrations might be scaled in some areas, but not in the DC area.

We want to put most of our time and resources towards the students, but the parents require an incredible amount of personalized attention in this region. You're busy, so we ramp up communications to make your lives easier. You want to socialize with your fellow parents or fellow alumni, so we hold loads of events. You want the very best facilities, so fundraisers are needed. You want lots and lots of hand-holding through the college process, so we staff up there. You want every kind of club and program to help your child find their specific strength and build a resume around it, so we're always adding new opportunities.

The Head of School, any associate or assistant heads, any division heads had better be available around the clock. I got torn apart by a parent on the phone this summer because I didn't answer a message within 24 hours -- while I was on a family vacation after the worst 2 years of school in the history of school. A colleague gets endless calls from alumni who think something is too woke, and lots of calls from alumni who don't think the program is woke enough. The language you use with us is DEMEANING.

We're all ready to quit. Teachers and staff. There's no amount of money that makes this job worthwhile. Everything that is wrong in society right now feels amplified in the microcosm of school. And hell yes, the pandemic has had a lot to do with it. The only people who will stay are those who can't imagine any other job than one working with children. Let's hope that there are enough of them.

But it’s a vicious cycle. People expect a lot of attention because they are paying such large prices. Schools charge a lot because parents demand a lot. Parents demand a lot because schools charge a lot. Schools charge a lot because parents demand a lot….

It's a vicious cycle because so many "elite" parents are just selfish, vicious thugs who think they can bully their way into anything they want, because no one in their office ever dares to challenge them. Makes me glad not to be a part of this whole "elite" world with all its angry, miserable folk.

I used to teach in a private and left it for an infinitely nicer teaching experience at a charter.