What will be the next DCPS/OSSE scandal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools not adhering to the Physical Education requirements.

+1

[Anonymous]

I am convinced that DCPS has a very serious chronic absenteeism problem among its teaching staff. I think OSSE and Central Office should be looking at this and if they determine there are serious teacher absenteeism problems (and I KNOW there are) examine why. Is it a morale issue? Are some teachers just burnt out and don't care? Are some administrators just ridiculous pushovers and don't make expectations clear?

Here's a study that got me thinking about all of this along with a related article:

Here’s the study:
https://edexcellence.net/publications/teacher-absenteeism

Article about the study:

https://www.the74million.org/article/new-study-finds-chronic-teacher-absences-three-times-likelier-in-district-schools-than-charters/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:corruption in construction contracts

That's the easiest one to prove if you can get someone knowledgeable to talk about it. The cost differences between DCPS/DGS projects and similar projects by charters are ridiculous- DCPS at least twice as much for similar buildings, sometimes 3 times as much. And the charters still have to abide by some of the hiring standards like hiring a certain percentage of DC residents and DC businesses.

My recollection is that Latin spent $17 million for a gut-rehab of the old Rudolph school. Compare that to the $200 million spent on Ellington, or even some of the less outrageous DCPS projects, and you wonder what is going on. Also compare to the $40 million that GDS is reportedly asking for their lower campus and you have to wonder.

DGS is not good at managing DCPS capital projects. That said, the DC Government has construction requirements that increase costs and don't apply to charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am convinced that DCPS has a very serious chronic absenteeism problem among its teaching staff. I think OSSE and Central Office should be looking at this and if they determine there are serious teacher absenteeism problems (and I KNOW there are) examine why. Is it a morale issue? Are some teachers just burnt out and don't care? Are some administrators just ridiculous pushovers and don't make expectations clear?

Here's a study that got me thinking about all of this along with a related article:

Here’s the study:
https://edexcellence.net/publications/teacher-absenteeism

Article about the study:

https://www.the74million.org/article/new-study-finds-chronic-teacher-absences-three-times-likelier-in-district-schools-than-charters/

I don't doubt the chronic absenteeism possibility. My child's teacher a couple of years back was absent A LOT--most of it was legit and was medically-related, but occasionally her reasons was suspect. Once since I was class parent she let me know that she was going home early that Wednesday--she said she wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure why (although description was a little suspicious). She also said she wouldn't be able to make it in on Thursday and Friday. This was right before spring break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am convinced that DCPS has a very serious chronic absenteeism problem among its teaching staff. I think OSSE and Central Office should be looking at this and if they determine there are serious teacher absenteeism problems (and I KNOW there are) examine why. Is it a morale issue? Are some teachers just burnt out and don't care? Are some administrators just ridiculous pushovers and don't make expectations clear?

Here's a study that got me thinking about all of this along with a related article:

Here’s the study:
https://edexcellence.net/publications/teacher-absenteeism

Article about the study:

https://www.the74million.org/article/new-study-finds-chronic-teacher-absences-three-times-likelier-in-district-schools-than-charters/

I don't doubt the chronic absenteeism possibility. My child's teacher a couple of years back was absent A LOT--most of it was legit and was medically-related, but occasionally her reasons was suspect. Once since I was class parent she let me know that she was going home early that Wednesday--she said she wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure why (although description was a little suspicious). She also said she wouldn't be able to make it in on Thursday and Friday. This was right before spring break.

yeah, I get that teachers are human and they get sick, having weddings to attend, get hangovers, etc. But most have summers off and that's supposed to be the trade off for committing to get there, on the job late-August through mid-June. This year, my child's second grade teacher has been absent an insane number of days--20+ at least. It it was a student, it might prompt a call/investigation. And my other child is in middle school and almost every singe day she tells me that at least one of her teachers was not there that day. It's nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grades are being inflated for children of HHI white parents in order to increase chances of college acceptance- the WOTP grade scandal.

Oh please.....

[Anonymous]

My kids teachers are absent a lot too. I don't get it. I have taken a few days off this winter when i had the flu but that is it.
Teachers already get winter and summer break. Why are they constantly taking so many random days off.
My HS kid's English teacher took one week off a few weeks ago and then another one week off last week. As it is they are barely learning anything with this teacher but then they keep ending up with substitutes. Other teachers also say they are not coming in as they need to stay home due to home repair, etc. I actually respect teachers a lot and feel they get blamed for a lot unfairly but they need to stop with the constant days off.

[Anonymous]

Maybe if teachers didn’t get burnt out so much, they wouldn’t take as many days off. I can’t imagine being a teacher in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids teachers are absent a lot too. I don't get it. I have taken a few days off this winter when i had the flu but that is it.
Teachers already get winter and summer break. Why are they constantly taking so many random days off.
My HS kid's English teacher took one week off a few weeks ago and then another one week off last week. As it is they are barely learning anything with this teacher but then they keep ending up with substitutes. Other teachers also say they are not coming in as they need to stay home due to home repair, etc. I actually respect teachers a lot and feel they get blamed for a lot unfairly but they need to stop with the constant days off.

Ten month teachers get 96 hours (12 days) of sick leave per year, 4 days of which can be used for general leave. Unused sick leave carries over. It's in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

http://www.wtulocal6.org/usr/2017/pdf/contract.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Grades are being inflated for children of HHI white parents in order to increase chances of college acceptance- the WOTP grade scandal.

Seriously? Because the data suggest that the grade inflation scandal is at low performing schools like Ballou where a third of the student body can't be bothered to show up for school. And then the community is offended that the Principal is fired because she wanted to graduate a collection of lazy losers.

The anger WOTP is coming from the low standards in the rest of the system that drag down the value of the diploma earned by students who actually bothered to show up for class and learn the material according to the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:corruption in construction contracts

That's the easiest one to prove if you can get someone knowledgeable to talk about it. The cost differences between DCPS/DGS projects and similar projects by charters are ridiculous- DCPS at least twice as much for similar buildings, sometimes 3 times as much. And the charters still have to abide by some of the hiring standards like hiring a certain percentage of DC residents and DC businesses.

My recollection is that Latin spent $17 million for a gut-rehab of the old Rudolph school. Compare that to the $200 million spent on Ellington, or even some of the less outrageous DCPS projects, and you wonder what is going on. Also compare to the $40 million that GDS is reportedly asking for their lower campus and you have to wonder.

What is there to wonder about? Developers (who happen to be Bowser donors) underbid and win the deal. They then under-deliver, have cost overruns, and the taxpayers get bilked for hundreds of millions. There's no political fallout, because they all support the Mayor and graft is the lifeblood of this one-party town. Vote Democrat and vote for the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:corruption in construction contracts

That's the easiest one to prove if you can get someone knowledgeable to talk about it. The cost differences between DCPS/DGS projects and similar projects by charters are ridiculous- DCPS at least twice as much for similar buildings, sometimes 3 times as much. And the charters still have to abide by some of the hiring standards like hiring a certain percentage of DC residents and DC businesses.

My recollection is that Latin spent $17 million for a gut-rehab of the old Rudolph school. Compare that to the $200 million spent on Ellington, or even some of the less outrageous DCPS projects, and you wonder what is going on. Also compare to the $40 million that GDS is reportedly asking for their lower campus and you have to wonder.

What is there to wonder about? Developers (who happen to be Bowser donors) underbid and win the deal. They then under-deliver, have cost overruns, and the taxpayers get bilked for hundreds of millions. There's no political fallout, because they all support the Mayor and graft is the lifeblood of this one-party town. Vote Democrat and vote for the same.

Rinse and repeat. Every vote for the party machine is a vote to grab your ankles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids teachers are absent a lot too. I don't get it. I have taken a few days off this winter when i had the flu but that is it.
Teachers already get winter and summer break. Why are they constantly taking so many random days off.
My HS kid's English teacher took one week off a few weeks ago and then another one week off last week. As it is they are barely learning anything with this teacher but then they keep ending up with substitutes. Other teachers also say they are not coming in as they need to stay home due to home repair, etc. I actually respect teachers a lot and feel they get blamed for a lot unfairly but they need to stop with the constant days off.

Ten month teachers get 96 hours (12 days) of sick leave per year, 4 days of which can be used for general leave. Unused sick leave carries over. It's in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

http://www.wtulocal6.org/usr/2017/pdf/contract.pdf

So my kid’s first year teacher who has missed 20+ days, how does that figure in?

[Anonymous]

First year teachers do not get enough support and take days off to catch up on grading and planning, and to avoid nervous breakdowns.

[Anonymous]

Plus they actually do get sick a lot because they are so worn out their immune systems are weak.