Teacher turnover

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS has a very high rate of teacher turnover which is worrying because they pay teachers higher than all the surrounding districts.

So would you say this year isn't any different?

[Anonymous]

Do we know generally the reasons for high teacher turnover in DCPS? I'd imagine it is partly because of DC being a somewhat transient city, but I've also heard teachers complain about central office being a disaster. My understanding was that teachers in DCPS generally liked the schools WOTP because they were better equipped/were perceived as easier to manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do we know generally the reasons for high teacher turnover in DCPS? I'd imagine it is partly because of DC being a somewhat transient city, but I've also heard teachers complain about central office being a disaster. My understanding was that teachers in DCPS generally liked the schools WOTP because they were better equipped/were perceived as easier to manage.

Yes, I head DCPS central is an absolute s show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it any different than prior years? And is it purely about teachers being disgruntled? It sounds like some teachers moved because they....uh....wanted their kids to go to school in person and they are just staying someplace else?

I’m leaving my NW ES purely bc the families showed themselves to be really rude and entitled during the reopening period. I’m very excited to get out of the toxic W3 school culture.

So are you going to a different DCPS? Or what?

Yep different DCPS EOTP don’t want to get too detailed on here but it wasn’t too hard to find a school happy to take on a teacher with 5 straight years of highly effective scores. Looking forward to getting back to working with kids instead of placating overbearing parents

translation: you don’t want to be held accountable by parents so you’re moving to a school where you hope that less affluent parents will be less uppity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it any different than prior years? And is it purely about teachers being disgruntled? It sounds like some teachers moved because they....uh....wanted their kids to go to school in person and they are just staying someplace else?

I’m leaving my NW ES purely bc the families showed themselves to be really rude and entitled during the reopening period. I’m very excited to get out of the toxic W3 school culture.

So are you going to a different DCPS? Or what?

Yep different DCPS EOTP don’t want to get too detailed on here but it wasn’t too hard to find a school happy to take on a teacher with 5 straight years of highly effective scores. Looking forward to getting back to working with kids instead of placating overbearing parents

translation: you don’t want to be held accountable by parents so you’re moving to a school where you hope that less affluent parents will be less uppity.

DP. It’s not being held accountable. It’s parents being overbearing and “bulldozer” parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it any different than prior years? And is it purely about teachers being disgruntled? It sounds like some teachers moved because they....uh....wanted their kids to go to school in person and they are just staying someplace else?

I’m leaving my NW ES purely bc the families showed themselves to be really rude and entitled during the reopening period. I’m very excited to get out of the toxic W3 school culture.

So are you going to a different DCPS? Or what?

Yep different DCPS EOTP don’t want to get too detailed on here but it wasn’t too hard to find a school happy to take on a teacher with 5 straight years of highly effective scores. Looking forward to getting back to working with kids instead of placating overbearing parents

translation: you don’t want to be held accountable by parents so you’re moving to a school where you hope that less affluent parents will be less uppity.

If that’s what you got out of my statement then sure go with that. What exactly am I supposed to be accountable to parents for?

[Anonymous]

There's probably going to be a lot of turnover in a lot of professions. The pandemic has a lot of people rethinking their career choices.

Teachers in DC seem like they have a pretty cushy gig. They are extremely well paid and their union runs the schools. If they move somewhere else, they're likely going to take a pay cut and other school systems are not going to be so deferential to all their demands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's probably going to be a lot of turnover in a lot of professions. The pandemic has a lot of people rethinking their career choices.

Teachers in DC seem like they have a pretty cushy gig. They are extremely well paid and their union runs the schools. If they move somewhere else, they're likely going to take a pay cut and other school systems are not going to be so deferential to all their demands.

I moved from DCPS to MCPS a couple years ago. Yes, I took a small paycut but I’m much happier. MCPS has issues for sure, no question about it, but it is still much better run than DCPS. My principal is pretty good and is way less capricious and high handed than my old DCPS principal. The office staff at my new school is not great but the assistant principals are much stronger overall. Central office curriculum resources for my content area are fairly decent unlike some of the mish-mash DCPS used to send our way. Some of the MCPS professional development is also not great (similar to DCPS) but in general, the central office staff seems to be of higher quality than DCPS even though they are paid less than their DCPS counterparts. I think there is less cronyism and less of people hiring their friends. I’m happy I made the switch although life is not perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's probably going to be a lot of turnover in a lot of professions. The pandemic has a lot of people rethinking their career choices.

Teachers in DC seem like they have a pretty cushy gig. They are extremely well paid and their union runs the schools. If they move somewhere else, they're likely going to take a pay cut and other school systems are not going to be so deferential to all their demands.

I moved from DCPS to MCPS a couple years ago. Yes, I took a small paycut but I’m much happier. MCPS has issues for sure, no question about it, but it is still much better run than DCPS. My principal is pretty good and is way less capricious and high handed than my old DCPS principal. The office staff at my new school is not great but the assistant principals are much stronger overall. Central office curriculum resources for my content area are fairly decent unlike some of the mish-mash DCPS used to send our way. Some of the MCPS professional development is also not great (similar to DCPS) but in general, the central office staff seems to be of higher quality than DCPS even though they are paid less than their DCPS counterparts. I think there is less cronyism and less of people hiring their friends. I’m happy I made the switch although life is not perfect.

Ding ding ding!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far the principal has announced only three leaving at Janney.

I was hoping for a retirement announcement as well - but my prayers were not answered

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's probably going to be a lot of turnover in a lot of professions. The pandemic has a lot of people rethinking their career choices.

Teachers in DC seem like they have a pretty cushy gig. They are extremely well paid and their union runs the schools. If they move somewhere else, they're likely going to take a pay cut and other school systems are not going to be so deferential to all their demands.

I moved from DCPS to MCPS a couple years ago. Yes, I took a small paycut but I’m much happier. MCPS has issues for sure, no question about it, but it is still much better run than DCPS. My principal is pretty good and is way less capricious and high handed than my old DCPS principal. The office staff at my new school is not great but the assistant principals are much stronger overall. Central office curriculum resources for my content area are fairly decent unlike some of the mish-mash DCPS used to send our way. Some of the MCPS professional development is also not great (similar to DCPS) but in general, the central office staff seems to be of higher quality than DCPS even though they are paid less than their DCPS counterparts. I think there is less cronyism and less of people hiring their friends. I’m happy I made the switch although life is not perfect.

Do you think DCPS turnover can also be related to the fact that there are other choices for a good teacher in the immediate area - DCPCS/APS/FCPS/MCPS/PGCPS/etc.? It would be easier to contemplate a job change if you don’t have to move home and family. Is this a factor region-wide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS has a very high rate of teacher turnover which is worrying because they pay teachers higher than all the surrounding districts.

Pay isn't everything. I know a teacher that makes 6,000 less a year in Prince Georges than they did in DC. But their housing costs half what their rent was in DC and they have twice as much space. Even when the lived in PG but worked in DC, they had to deal with the commute. An extra $500 a month (less after taxes) just wasn't worth the expense of living in DC or the hassle of commuting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS has a very high rate of teacher turnover which is worrying because they pay teachers higher than all the surrounding districts.

Pay isn't everything. I know a teacher that makes 6,000 less a year in Prince Georges than they did in DC. But their housing costs half what their rent was in DC and they have twice as much space. Even when the lived in PG but worked in DC, they had to deal with the commute. An extra $500 a month (less after taxes) just wasn't worth the expense of living in DC or the hassle of commuting.

A lot of the DC turnover is due to cost of living. At our school teachers are either 1) young and live with roommates or 2) married to a higher earning spouse. Those in category #1 only last in DC so long before they decide "hey, I'd like to buy a house in my lifetime" and move out-of-area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's probably going to be a lot of turnover in a lot of professions. The pandemic has a lot of people rethinking their career choices.

Teachers in DC seem like they have a pretty cushy gig. They are extremely well paid and their union runs the schools. If they move somewhere else, they're likely going to take a pay cut and other school systems are not going to be so deferential to all their demands.

I am curious to know how teacher turnover compares with school principal turnover. I my observation the principles in DC have a lot of power to the detriment of the teaching profession generally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it any different than prior years? And is it purely about teachers being disgruntled? It sounds like some teachers moved because they....uh....wanted their kids to go to school in person and they are just staying someplace else?

I’m leaving my NW ES purely bc the families showed themselves to be really rude and entitled during the reopening period. I’m very excited to get out of the toxic W3 school culture.

So are you going to a different DCPS? Or what?

Yep different DCPS EOTP don’t want to get too detailed on here but it wasn’t too hard to find a school happy to take on a teacher with 5 straight years of highly effective scores. Looking forward to getting back to working with kids instead of placating overbearing parents

translation: you don’t want to be held accountable by parents so you’re moving to a school where you hope that less affluent parents will be less uppity.

If that’s what you got out of my statement then sure go with that. What exactly am I supposed to be accountable to parents for?

Hmm, let me think.