Working at a DC Charter School vs DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you comparing just salary or total comp (retirement, health insurance, vacation/sick leave)?

actually looking more at work environment, testing, evaluations, etc. From what I've seen the benefits and salary at the schools I'm looking at are very similar.

Work environment is going to depend a lot of which charter or DCPS school you work at. I worked at a charter for a year in DC as an experienced teacher and it was miserable, but I found a great fit in DCPS and I'm very happy. For me, the pay cut was absolutely worth having a better work-life balance. I can definitely give more specifics in regards to charter networks and teacher satisfaction if you'd like.

Yes please!

I can tell you more which schools to stay away from than which ones to go to.

KIPP, DC Prep, Achievement Prep --> don't know a teacher who has stayed at one of those longer than 2 years. KIPP DC has a LOT of behavior problems because they don't want to suspend for PR reasons. Kids hitting, kicking, punching teachers and admin does nothing. DC Prep is very strict, so not as many behavior problems but work-life balance is nearly impossible. They work teachers hard. Achievement Prep is just a disaster. One year they turned over more than 25 teachers in a single school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I currently work at DCPS and I made just over 100k last year as a 5th year teacher including bonuses. No charter school was able to even get close to that figure this past year, and I was approached by multiple charters. However, this year a few charters have been able to offer an admin base salary that is higher than a year 1 VP in DCPS. Charters are able to offer you the money, however they need to be able to justify it to their board members, and code your position the correct way.

Cry me a friggin river. 5th year making 100k?

I don't think she wanted anyone to feel bad for her. I think the point was charter pay just isn't comparable over the long term.

Signed,
Another teacher making $100k base salary

Good point. I didn't look at it from that perspective.

100? How is that possible even with bonuses, the LIFT hasn't been going that long?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I currently work at DCPS and I made just over 100k last year as a 5th year teacher including bonuses. No charter school was able to even get close to that figure this past year, and I was approached by multiple charters. However, this year a few charters have been able to offer an admin base salary that is higher than a year 1 VP in DCPS. Charters are able to offer you the money, however they need to be able to justify it to their board members, and code your position the correct way.

Cry me a friggin river. 5th year making 100k?

Well I have two advanced degrees and I have been highly effective 4 consecutive years at a Title I school, so 100k was easy to get too considering the 20k bonus and the higher base pay due to lift.

No, I have ben highly effective longer and I'm not making that? DCPS sales pitch!

[Anonymous]

I've done both. I went to a charter as a last minute hire (licensed teacher from a different state who relocated to DC with spouse). The charter paid more than the DC scale for my experience, but it also provided less. Less resources for the classroom. Less support from the admins for students with disabilities and emotional disturbance issues. Less collaboration (I don't think I ever meaningfully collaborated with any other teacher during the two years I was there.). Finally, the teachers were young, eager and completely clueless when it comes to classroom management and executing lessons. The school played fast and loose in assigning teachers. I saw an English teacher suddenly become a calculus teacher without any real training or a math degree or even a STEM degree. Teachers were also fired if there wasn't enough students (we were pressured to sit at Metro stations "recruiting" students to keep our jobs. I didn't, but others did hustle. Unpaid, btw). You were pressured and punished for taking sick days because they couldn't get subs.

The hours were way worse. We had the expectation of working extended days. On a per hour pay scale, I actually make more working for DCPS. There wasn't administrative support for compliance if that makes sense. They skirted the disability and ESL rules regarding service and the students got a lot less than they would in a public setting (where I teach now).

There was a massive amount of money spent on branding. School name crap was everywhere. But we didn't have money for books or learning resources.

I left and went to DCPS. I'm happier because I think we are providing better services to students. I feel more supported and there are clearer delineations between what I am expected to do as a teacher versus what administration is expected to handle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done both. I went to a charter as a last minute hire (licensed teacher from a different state who relocated to DC with spouse). The charter paid more than the DC scale for my experience, but it also provided less. Less resources for the classroom. Less support from the admins for students with disabilities and emotional disturbance issues. Less collaboration (I don't think I ever meaningfully collaborated with any other teacher during the two years I was there.). Finally, the teachers were young, eager and completely clueless when it comes to classroom management and executing lessons. The school played fast and loose in assigning teachers. I saw an English teacher suddenly become a calculus teacher without any real training or a math degree or even a STEM degree. Teachers were also fired if there wasn't enough students (we were pressured to sit at Metro stations "recruiting" students to keep our jobs. I didn't, but others did hustle. Unpaid, btw). You were pressured and punished for taking sick days because they couldn't get subs.

The hours were way worse. We had the expectation of working extended days. On a per hour pay scale, I actually make more working for DCPS. There wasn't administrative support for compliance if that makes sense. They skirted the disability and ESL rules regarding service and the students got a lot less than they would in a public setting (where I teach now).

There was a massive amount of money spent on branding. School name crap was everywhere. But we didn't have money for books or learning resources.

I left and went to DCPS. I'm happier because I think we are providing better services to students. I feel more supported and there are clearer delineations between what I am expected to do as a teacher versus what administration is expected to handle.

Oh, another thing. The charter was a revolving door. People quit not only mid-year, but mid-day. I saw teachers just walk out of classrooms and never return. I just checked the website and all of the administrators, including the two main honchos from central office aren't there anymore. And I left that charter less than a year ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done both. I went to a charter as a last minute hire (licensed teacher from a different state who relocated to DC with spouse). The charter paid more than the DC scale for my experience, but it also provided less. Less resources for the classroom. Less support from the admins for students with disabilities and emotional disturbance issues. Less collaboration (I don't think I ever meaningfully collaborated with any other teacher during the two years I was there.). Finally, the teachers were young, eager and completely clueless when it comes to classroom management and executing lessons. The school played fast and loose in assigning teachers. I saw an English teacher suddenly become a calculus teacher without any real training or a math degree or even a STEM degree. Teachers were also fired if there wasn't enough students (we were pressured to sit at Metro stations "recruiting" students to keep our jobs. I didn't, but others did hustle. Unpaid, btw). You were pressured and punished for taking sick days because they couldn't get subs.

The hours were way worse. We had the expectation of working extended days. On a per hour pay scale, I actually make more working for DCPS. There wasn't administrative support for compliance if that makes sense. They skirted the disability and ESL rules regarding service and the students got a lot less than they would in a public setting (where I teach now).

There was a massive amount of money spent on branding. School name crap was everywhere. But we didn't have money for books or learning resources.

I left and went to DCPS. I'm happier because I think we are providing better services to students. I feel more supported and there are clearer delineations between what I am expected to do as a teacher versus what administration is expected to handle.

Oh, another thing. The charter was a revolving door. People quit not only mid-year, but mid-day. I saw teachers just walk out of classrooms and never return. I just checked the website and all of the administrators, including the two main honchos from central office aren't there anymore. And I left that charter less than a year ago.

If this is a HRCS, it would be great for parents to know which one...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've done both. I went to a charter as a last minute hire (licensed teacher from a different state who relocated to DC with spouse). The charter paid more than the DC scale for my experience, but it also provided less. Less resources for the classroom. Less support from the admins for students with disabilities and emotional disturbance issues. Less collaboration (I don't think I ever meaningfully collaborated with any other teacher during the two years I was there.). Finally, the teachers were young, eager and completely clueless when it comes to classroom management and executing lessons. The school played fast and loose in assigning teachers. I saw an English teacher suddenly become a calculus teacher without any real training or a math degree or even a STEM degree. Teachers were also fired if there wasn't enough students (we were pressured to sit at Metro stations "recruiting" students to keep our jobs. I didn't, but others did hustle. Unpaid, btw). You were pressured and punished for taking sick days because they couldn't get subs.

The hours were way worse. We had the expectation of working extended days. On a per hour pay scale, I actually make more working for DCPS. There wasn't administrative support for compliance if that makes sense. They skirted the disability and ESL rules regarding service and the students got a lot less than they would in a public setting (where I teach now).

There was a massive amount of money spent on branding. School name crap was everywhere. But we didn't have money for books or learning resources.

I left and went to DCPS. I'm happier because I think we are providing better services to students. I feel more supported and there are clearer delineations between what I am expected to do as a teacher versus what administration is expected to handle.

Oh, another thing. The charter was a revolving door. People quit not only mid-year, but mid-day. I saw teachers just walk out of classrooms and never return. I just checked the website and all of the administrators, including the two main honchos from central office aren't there anymore. And I left that charter less than a year ago.

If this is a HRCS, it would be great for parents to know which one...

I wish I could, but I would be outed and don't that.

If I was a parent, I would seriously ask about licensure rates, how many teach for america fellows are in the building and retention/turnover. My old school had this data, but kept it close to the vest because it undermined its image.

And yes, it's what one would consider a decent charter school. It's large and has multiple campuses.

[Anonymous]

I taught at Community Academy (when it existed) and I will never go back to another charter. Student behavior was way worse at the elementary school level. It was an entirely low income school. When low income parents leave a public school, it is often because the kid has been having behavior or academic problems at school. Get a class with about 10 such kids, extended school days, no administrative support, underpaid teachers and overpaid admins, etc - it was a miserable experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I currently work at DCPS and I made just over 100k last year as a 5th year teacher including bonuses. No charter school was able to even get close to that figure this past year, and I was approached by multiple charters. However, this year a few charters have been able to offer an admin base salary that is higher than a year 1 VP in DCPS. Charters are able to offer you the money, however they need to be able to justify it to their board members, and code your position the correct way.

Cry me a friggin river. 5th year making 100k?

Well I have two advanced degrees and I have been highly effective 4 consecutive years at a Title I school, so 100k was easy to get too considering the 20k bonus and the higher base pay due to lift.

No, I have ben highly effective longer and I'm not making that? DCPS sales pitch!

Check the salary scale. Year 6 w/ 20k bonus, being paid at yr 8 w/ masters plus 30. Not a sales pitch but facts.
But regardless this page is for prospective teachers in my opinion. DCPS is great for some because of the benefits, however I feel like some of my friends at charters receive better PD and have more flexibility at times.

[Anonymous]

If you teach at a Title 1 school and earn highly effective several years in a row, you are eligible for a 5 year bump, up to two times. So you can jump 10 steps ahead AND collect yearly bonuses up to $20,000

It's very possible to be earning over $100K as a year 6 teacher.