MCPS faces Teacher shortage next year

[Anonymous]

I am seeing 507 teacher positions open at the moment in MCPS. The FCPS forum says there over 600 posted positions but some of them might be one posting for several positions at an ES. Principals say on that forum say they have never seen it this bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am seeing 507 teacher positions open at the moment in MCPS. The FCPS forum says there over 600 posted positions but some of them might be one posting for several positions at an ES. Principals say on that forum say they have never seen it this bad.

Wow! I’m keeping my kid in private. I was thinking of switching back to public now that the brunt of the pandemic has passed but I think public schools will be dealing with the pandemic ramifications for longer than I thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am seeing 507 teacher positions open at the moment in MCPS. The FCPS forum says there over 600 posted positions but some of them might be one posting for several positions at an ES. Principals say on that forum say they have never seen it this bad.

Wow! I’m keeping my kid in private. I was thinking of switching back to public now that the brunt of the pandemic has passed but I think public schools will be dealing with the pandemic ramifications for longer than I thought.

Yes, please stay private. The teacher shortage isn't really a shortage. There are just the usual turnover and staffing issues. However, schools are overcrowded. The problem is they keep building new housing without new schools so by staying private you're helping everyone.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

Why does it seem that way to you?

Classrooms with only about 11 or so students

That seems really low, even for a Title 1 school

I'd be curious what grade- our Focus school was very imbalanced this year. Kindergarten classes all had 20+ students but some of the 1st-3nd grade classes were <15.

That's strange. Principals can move teachers within their school to a different grade level to prevent these imbalances. Unless a a high number of the 1st and 2nd graders withdrew after the school year began?

There's been a surplus at a lot of schools since enrollment went down.

If you say so. Not my experience.

Anecdotally, this has only been true in wealthy single family neighborhoods where people are retiring in place and young families that do move in are having fewer children. The rest of the county has been growing.

Strange, the thread here a week or so ago claimed enrollment was way DOWN and people were leaving droves for private. I don't so how both of these things can be true.

Enrollment plummeted in 2020 due to virtual. It increased last year.

There was just a thread last month that claimed MCPS was overstaffed because enrollment was plumetting. I just don't see how all these things can be true.

Between this and the fact that apparently they're turning away great applicants in droves leads me to believe this isn't much of a shortage.

If they're not hiring, then there probably isn't a shortage.

The problem with your premise is that you expect them to be reasonable and logical. Education departments at the state or county level are set up to follow rigid rules rather than a common sense flexible approach. I have seen them fire strong teachers who are missing a small portion of their certification requirements and then fill the position with a warm-body sub for 6months because no qualified person was available or interested in the position. They ended up hurting students rather than helping. They could have given the teacher a one-time extension to take care of the missing requirement but nope. Rules must be followed

Nope - if they needed people they'd be hiring but they aren't so the rumors of this shortage are greatly exaggerated.

+1

Lol, one person on this hellsite mentioned their friend's daughter didn't automatically get hired and so everyone just assumes MCPS isn't hiring? So pathetic.

Almost every media outlet has reported the mass exodus of teachers. There were positions that could not be filed last school year. There are people leaving even before retirement. Even at my child’s graduation, the BOE member was pitching for graduates to come back and work for MCPS.

I am not understanding why someone is trying to dispute that a staffing shortage exists.

They were overstaffed. They're not hiring. There's no shortage. The sky isn't falling.

Keep sticking your head in the sand to fit your preconceived narrative. It’s going to go soooooooo well for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am seeing 507 teacher positions open at the moment in MCPS. The FCPS forum says there over 600 posted positions but some of them might be one posting for several positions at an ES. Principals say on that forum say they have never seen it this bad.

Wow! I’m keeping my kid in private. I was thinking of switching back to public now that the brunt of the pandemic has passed but I think public schools will be dealing with the pandemic ramifications for longer than I thought.

Private schools aren’t faring any better. Many I filled positions. Private schools are just better at keeping their secrets private. They are short in teachers and very short on Learning Specialists. Several local schools just posted openings for these admin jobs THIS week! Doubtful they will hire qualified candidates before the school year when they pay much less than public schools with worse benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am seeing 507 teacher positions open at the moment in MCPS. The FCPS forum says there over 600 posted positions but some of them might be one posting for several positions at an ES. Principals say on that forum say they have never seen it this bad.

Wow! I’m keeping my kid in private. I was thinking of switching back to public now that the brunt of the pandemic has passed but I think public schools will be dealing with the pandemic ramifications for longer than I thought.

Yes, please stay private. The teacher shortage isn't really a shortage. There are just the usual turnover and staffing issues. However, schools are overcrowded. The problem is they keep building new housing without new schools so by staying private you're helping everyone.

Even without building new housing there are multiple families living together in the same house or apartment all over MoCo. The people are already here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am seeing 507 teacher positions open at the moment in MCPS. The FCPS forum says there over 600 posted positions but some of them might be one posting for several positions at an ES. Principals say on that forum say they have never seen it this bad.

Wow! I’m keeping my kid in private. I was thinking of switching back to public now that the brunt of the pandemic has passed but I think public schools will be dealing with the pandemic ramifications for longer than I thought.

Private schools aren’t faring any better. Many I filled positions. Private schools are just better at keeping their secrets private. They are short in teachers and very short on Learning Specialists. Several local schools just posted openings for these admin jobs THIS week! Doubtful they will hire qualified candidates before the school year when they pay much less than public schools with worse benefits.

We’ll all I can say is this is not an issue at our private.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Most of my DC ES teachers left MCPS. They are underpaid and there is no incentive to work here considering how expensive life is in MC. MCPS has a huge budget but looks like money go into wrong pockets and directions. Education is not a priority now days.
Property tax increases will resolve the problem in the near future.

Society has been in freefall for decades. When were schools good again?

For MCPS? About 20 years ago, when MCPS was recognized as a top school system within the U.S. I think it started declining after Weast left. This paper explains the issues.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/leadingforequity/pdf/HarvardCase-DifferientiatedTreatment.pdf

An interesting sidenote - compare Jerry Weast's resume to McKnight's. See the difference? That's the caliber of Superintendent of Schools resume you should get with half-a-million dollars, imho.

You're delusional. I went to MCPS 20 years ago. It wasn't all that. There is greater economic diversity today which impacts averages, but anyone who wants a top notch education can do better today than back then.

Completely agree! I graduated from a W 20 years ago and my kid's DCC schools are so much better. MCPS is better today for anyone who wants a great education. The people complaining only have themselves to blame.

Agree my oldest graduated from an application magnet with over 14 APs and near perfect SATs. I don't think my w high school even offered that many APs. My point is that if you want a great education the opportunities today are even greater than in the past but it's up to you to make that happen. So many people here complain but I've done nothing and take no's personal responsibility for their lives. They want a nanny state for the county tells them what to do.

AP exams and the SAT are also no longer what they used to be. Just because your DC is at the top of the heap doesn't mean that they are getting a great education, just one that is better than some other kids. Lots of us who have been around education see the deterioration. - AP teacher

AP and SAT exams are no longer required for Maryland public system admission. They become irrelevant.
Soon, we'll live in a surreal county where all students have only 'A's and everybody will be happy. 'A's for all, free tuition for all, government jobs for all, free "affordable" houses for everybody. Take it as a joke (still a joke) but that's the direction.

I joined MCPS as a teacher this year from a different district. I still don’t understand why MCPS uses an E for a failing grade instead of an F. So weird.
And why are department heads called resource teachers? And yes, the 50% rule for no work turned in is pathetic. MCPS has a good reputation but I have been less than impressed

Maybe because many colleges all over the country use E instead of F? It's the least confusing thing. You explain it to a kid once and they don't forget. Maybe worry about important things.

Colleges use F for failing. And if we are going by college standards, then D should be a failing grade

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Most of my DC ES teachers left MCPS. They are underpaid and there is no incentive to work here considering how expensive life is in MC. MCPS has a huge budget but looks like money go into wrong pockets and directions. Education is not a priority now days.
Property tax increases will resolve the problem in the near future.

Society has been in freefall for decades. When were schools good again?

For MCPS? About 20 years ago, when MCPS was recognized as a top school system within the U.S. I think it started declining after Weast left. This paper explains the issues.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/leadingforequity/pdf/HarvardCase-DifferientiatedTreatment.pdf

An interesting sidenote - compare Jerry Weast's resume to McKnight's. See the difference? That's the caliber of Superintendent of Schools resume you should get with half-a-million dollars, imho.

You're delusional. I went to MCPS 20 years ago. It wasn't all that. There is greater economic diversity today which impacts averages, but anyone who wants a top notch education can do better today than back then.

Completely agree! I graduated from a W 20 years ago and my kid's DCC schools are so much better. MCPS is better today for anyone who wants a great education. The people complaining only have themselves to blame.

Agree my oldest graduated from an application magnet with over 14 APs and near perfect SATs. I don't think my w high school even offered that many APs. My point is that if you want a great education the opportunities today are even greater than in the past but it's up to you to make that happen. So many people here complain but I've done nothing and take no's personal responsibility for their lives. They want a nanny state for the county tells them what to do.

AP exams and the SAT are also no longer what they used to be. Just because your DC is at the top of the heap doesn't mean that they are getting a great education, just one that is better than some other kids. Lots of us who have been around education see the deterioration. - AP teacher

AP and SAT exams are no longer required for Maryland public system admission. They become irrelevant.
Soon, we'll live in a surreal county where all students have only 'A's and everybody will be happy. 'A's for all, free tuition for all, government jobs for all, free "affordable" houses for everybody. Take it as a joke (still a joke) but that's the direction.

I joined MCPS as a teacher this year from a different district. I still don’t understand why MCPS uses an E for a failing grade instead of an F. So weird.
And why are department heads called resource teachers? And yes, the 50% rule for no work turned in is pathetic. MCPS has a good reputation but I have been less than impressed

Maybe because many colleges all over the country use E instead of F? It's the least confusing thing. You explain it to a kid once and they don't forget. Maybe worry about important things.

Colleges use F for failing. And if we are going by college standards, then D should be a failing grade

Not the pp, but MANY colleges use E for failing. You're just complaining to complain. I agree- focus on improving things that matter, not what grade letters the district uses. This is why nothing improves- people choose to worry about things that don't matter.

[Anonymous]

There are also many vacancies for related service providers. School psychologists have around 30 percent of their positions unfilled.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Most of my DC ES teachers left MCPS. They are underpaid and there is no incentive to work here considering how expensive life is in MC. MCPS has a huge budget but looks like money go into wrong pockets and directions. Education is not a priority now days.
Property tax increases will resolve the problem in the near future.

Society has been in freefall for decades. When were schools good again?

For MCPS? About 20 years ago, when MCPS was recognized as a top school system within the U.S. I think it started declining after Weast left. This paper explains the issues.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/leadingforequity/pdf/HarvardCase-DifferientiatedTreatment.pdf

An interesting sidenote - compare Jerry Weast's resume to McKnight's. See the difference? That's the caliber of Superintendent of Schools resume you should get with half-a-million dollars, imho.

You're delusional. I went to MCPS 20 years ago. It wasn't all that. There is greater economic diversity today which impacts averages, but anyone who wants a top notch education can do better today than back then.

Completely agree! I graduated from a W 20 years ago and my kid's DCC schools are so much better. MCPS is better today for anyone who wants a great education. The people complaining only have themselves to blame.

Agree my oldest graduated from an application magnet with over 14 APs and near perfect SATs. I don't think my w high school even offered that many APs. My point is that if you want a great education the opportunities today are even greater than in the past but it's up to you to make that happen. So many people here complain but I've done nothing and take no's personal responsibility for their lives. They want a nanny state for the county tells them what to do.

AP exams and the SAT are also no longer what they used to be. Just because your DC is at the top of the heap doesn't mean that they are getting a great education, just one that is better than some other kids. Lots of us who have been around education see the deterioration. - AP teacher

AP and SAT exams are no longer required for Maryland public system admission. They become irrelevant.
Soon, we'll live in a surreal county where all students have only 'A's and everybody will be happy. 'A's for all, free tuition for all, government jobs for all, free "affordable" houses for everybody. Take it as a joke (still a joke) but that's the direction.

I joined MCPS as a teacher this year from a different district. I still don’t understand why MCPS uses an E for a failing grade instead of an F. So weird.
And why are department heads called resource teachers? And yes, the 50% rule for no work turned in is pathetic. MCPS has a good reputation but I have been less than impressed

Maybe because many colleges all over the country use E instead of F? It's the least confusing thing. You explain it to a kid once and they don't forget. Maybe worry about important things.

Colleges use F for failing. And if we are going by college standards, then D should be a failing grade

I work in HR for a huge corporation. I see transcripts all the time. E is very standard for a failing grade. Most schools accept D's as passing as long as their GPA for the major is above 3.0. It won't transfer to other schools. Maybe educate yourself, aren't you a teacher?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are also many vacancies for related service providers. School psychologists have around 30 percent of their positions unfilled.

That’s because the pay for a school psychologist is much lower than what a private practice psychologist makes. However, MCPS is willing to lower the qualifications for a school psychologist to only a Master’s degree where a private practice psychologist needs a PhD. M

WJLA did a Crisis in the Classroom story on the shortage of school psychologists. The low pay and high case loads were the main reasons people are not applying and experienced school psychologists are leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also many vacancies for related service providers. School psychologists have around 30 percent of their positions unfilled.

That’s because the pay for a school psychologist is much lower than what a private practice psychologist makes. However, MCPS is willing to lower the qualifications for a school psychologist to only a Master’s degree where a private practice psychologist needs a PhD. M

WJLA did a Crisis in the Classroom story on the shortage of school psychologists. The low pay and high case loads were the main reasons people are not applying and experienced school psychologists are leaving.

School psychologists typically have a specialist degree- a masters plus 30. Only around 10-15 percent have doctoral degrees. There are not enough school psych training programs and lack of young people interested in the field. Private practice psychologists can make more and sometimes much more- but it takes time and affluent clients. MCPS is losing psychologists to other districts where the working conditions are better and the pay is higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also many vacancies for related service providers. School psychologists have around 30 percent of their positions unfilled.

That’s because the pay for a school psychologist is much lower than what a private practice psychologist makes. However, MCPS is willing to lower the qualifications for a school psychologist to only a Master’s degree where a private practice psychologist needs a PhD. M

WJLA did a Crisis in the Classroom story on the shortage of school psychologists. The low pay and high case loads were the main reasons people are not applying and experienced school psychologists are leaving.

School psychologists typically have a specialist degree- a masters plus 30. Only around 10-15 percent have doctoral degrees. There are not enough school psych training programs and lack of young people interested in the field. Private practice psychologists can make more and sometimes much more- but it takes time and affluent clients. MCPS is losing psychologists to other districts where the working conditions are better and the pay is higher.

UMD graduates hundreds of students in psychology every semester. Students choose other options after graduation rather than a low paying job with MCPS.

My DD chose the PhD route with eventual goals of research and legislative work for students with disabilities. She works for the school she attends for graduation school so her program is paid for.

Other cohorts went the medical school route or marketing if they didn’t choose a PhD program.

Perhaps if MCPS raised pay for school psychologists and talked with college students before graduation, they would be interested in the positions.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Some MCPS schools, including my DC's, seem to have too many teachers. It's sounding like the schools with the good principals don't have as many staffing issues?

Also, many former MCPS students have gone elsewhere due to the in-person school closures.

So would be curious which schools are the ones with all these unfilled positions.

Why does it seem that way to you?

Classrooms with only about 11 or so students

That seems really low, even for a Title 1 school

I'd be curious what grade- our Focus school was very imbalanced this year. Kindergarten classes all had 20+ students but some of the 1st-3nd grade classes were <15.

I've worked in a focus school a few years and seen it happen a few times. Usually the year started out balanced but a disproportionate number of kids left or transferred and then that teacher usually is the designated person to get new students transferring in. In another case there were kids with very high behavioral needs so it made sense to make that class smaller.

In my school we needed more kindergarten students but couldn't find a qualified kindergarten teacher. In some cases the applicants had multiple offers and chose schools closer to home

Teachers picking schools close to home is a big problem. There is a lack of affordable housing for moco workers including teachers. So if teachers can make the same salary in Germantown with a shorter commute, they will.

Most Germantown schools will also have smaller class sizes, because they have a higher FARMS rate.

I think the applicant chose a job in either Ann Arundel or Howard county

I teach in Germantown and enjoy the reverse commute from Bethesda. I have wonderful co-workers but most elementary schools in Germantown are far from easy. There's a ton of poverty, trauma, etc.

I've worked in both Bethesda and Germantown (and others). The culture of the Bethesda schools is insane, really, really hard to stomach, while the culture in a place like Germantown is normal. That makes a BIG difference in someone's day, and explains why schools in upper class areas have a harder time attracting and keeping teachers and paras. They're miserable places to work.

I’ve also worked in both, though more recently in Germantown. Both areas have their issues and both are having trouble retaining teachers. In Bethesda, the parent demands can just be too much. The daily emails and constant judgement is hard to stomach (just read DCUM for examples). In Germantown, I rarely have any interaction with parents. In fact, I am often struggling just to get calls returned. However, the student behavior is out of this world. School is expected to fix all of society’s issues which is impossible. The daily disrespect from the students is horrible.

So teachers are dealing with very different issues, but both are challenging and both are driving teachers away from teaching. I believe Rockville might be ideal, but who knows? All I know is that I used to love teaching and now hate it.

NP here. I began my career at an elementary school in Potomac and am in Germantown twenty years later. The difference between the two are night and day, and you are correct, the behavior is off the chain. I agree that one of the hardest parts is trying to meet all the needs of our students when the root cause of the challenges are societal issues that bleed into schools. I will love on my kids as much as possible while still holding firm boundaries but I can't help with all the crap that they deal with when they leave school each day. Part of me wonders if I would rather go back to snowplow parents over my current situation when Johnny tears my room apart daily but mom refuses to answer the phone.

Is there a happy medium anywhere??

Focus schools

I could see this- although I think the administration at the school is important too. Teachers talk, they know which principals are supportive and which aren't.