MCPS faces Teacher shortage next year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an "entitled" parent, I can believe that teachers are getting a hard time from parents at a Title I school, especially since the SRO's are removed and if the sup put the word out that 'restorative justice' is the policy.

MCEA already knows this current sup and board are an issue. My guess is that's why none of the incumbents were endorsed by the Apple Ballot this year.

For the first time ever, I'm taking an interest in the board elections and making sure I don't vote for a single encumbent.

We need restorative justice. We need more of it, not less. We need to heal our society members, not punish them. THAT IS NOT WORKING.

Restorative justice can only work with enough time and Human Resources. Schools are so under staffed and therefore restorative justice is not implemented correctly. Nor can it be with the current staffing levels. So you might think it’s what is best, but if it can’t be rolled out with our current reality then it is not helping anyone. We need a system in place that can actually be used daily in the schools!

I agree. But that doesn't mean we should give up on it. We should be committed to making it work -- or find something else that will. The way we are doing things clearly is not. How many shootings do we need to see how badly we are raising our young people? They are in school all day. What a missed opportunity.

Actually kids are at home more than they are at school. You might want to think that schools can fix all issues, but that’s not true. And this belief it is what is driving teachers away in droves. Without family support and better upbringing, kids will keep failing and schools ccan only do so much.

Kids are in school from roughly 9 to 4:30. Most stay at after care. That's a LONG day. They're home for dinner and TV. School plays a huge role. I think school should be half day or 3/4 of the hours it is now, honestly, because they spend so much time around people who cannot possibly "raise" them.

No one is stopping you from home schooling your kids.

You missed the entire point. Parents have gotten lazy and because their kids are at school, don’t lift a finger to do any heavy lifting when it comes to raising them. They expect schools to do it for them. So… they send their kids who have no idea how to behave in public and expect a teacher with 24-150 other students and are expected to “raise” all of them while educating them and keeping them safe. This is the reason teachers are leaving.

I think by lumping in all parents into one basket and saying they are the problem is very narrow minded as if you personally know why everyone is quitting MCPS.

The only logical point to your post is class size. The higher the number of students in a classroom, the less attention a teacher can give to each student. However, leadership in MCPS provides funding for more administrative staff and special programs but not extra funding where there is the most need - classroom initiatives to lower class sizes.

There would be less burn out and better student outcomes if class sizes were smaller.

While a great idea and likely helpful, however Initiatives to lower class size cost more than most people think.

Let’s do some basic math at the ES level. Assume a school has 4 classes per grade with 22 students. To get to 18 students per class, a school would need to create 1 new class per grade. That’s 6 new classrooms and teachers per school. MCPS has 135 Elementary schools. If we assume say 100 of them fit the initial criteria that means would we need 600 new teachers to cover the new classes.

Assume now that each new teacher made 50k base salary(huge assumption). It would cost about 40-50M to cover salary and benefits for the new just for new teachers.

Not what about the classrooms and supplies? Some schools are going to need portables. Others whole new buildings. Once I add portables what does that do to security?

So shoukd reduction of class sizes be undertaken? Likely.
Is it going to happen to completion quickly? No.

MCPS annual operating cost is about 3 billions (2.93 to be accurate)! 50M is about 1.7% of the budget. If you really want to make an educational difference then reducing student/teacher ratio is a must. But that will not happen because BOE is interested in anything but education.

Like someone already pointed out, even if that set that money aside, there wouldn't be 600 qualified people vying for the jobs. The problem is staffing shortages.

No the problem is administrators. Pay them what teachers make and pay administrators current teacher salary and problem solved. Teacher are most important and should be at the TOP of the pay scale, not bottom.

While they should be closer in range for sure, admin does A LOT to deserve their paycheck. I know outsiders and even some teachers think they do nothing, but you couldn't pay me enough to do what admin has to deal with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an "entitled" parent, I can believe that teachers are getting a hard time from parents at a Title I school, especially since the SRO's are removed and if the sup put the word out that 'restorative justice' is the policy.

MCEA already knows this current sup and board are an issue. My guess is that's why none of the incumbents were endorsed by the Apple Ballot this year.

For the first time ever, I'm taking an interest in the board elections and making sure I don't vote for a single encumbent.

SROs were always at the secondary school level, and there isn't such thing as a Title I high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an "entitled" parent, I can believe that teachers are getting a hard time from parents at a Title I school, especially since the SRO's are removed and if the sup put the word out that 'restorative justice' is the policy.

MCEA already knows this current sup and board are an issue. My guess is that's why none of the incumbents were endorsed by the Apple Ballot this year.

For the first time ever, I'm taking an interest in the board elections and making sure I don't vote for a single encumbent.

We need restorative justice. We need more of it, not less. We need to heal our society members, not punish them. THAT IS NOT WORKING.

Restorative justice can only work with enough time and Human Resources. Schools are so under staffed and therefore restorative justice is not implemented correctly. Nor can it be with the current staffing levels. So you might think it’s what is best, but if it can’t be rolled out with our current reality then it is not helping anyone. We need a system in place that can actually be used daily in the schools!

I agree. But that doesn't mean we should give up on it. We should be committed to making it work -- or find something else that will. The way we are doing things clearly is not. How many shootings do we need to see how badly we are raising our young people? They are in school all day. What a missed opportunity.

Actually kids are at home more than they are at school. You might want to think that schools can fix all issues, but that’s not true. And this belief it is what is driving teachers away in droves. Without family support and better upbringing, kids will keep failing and schools ccan only do so much.

Kids are in school from roughly 9 to 4:30. Most stay at after care. That's a LONG day. They're home for dinner and TV. School plays a huge role. I think school should be half day or 3/4 of the hours it is now, honestly, because they spend so much time around people who cannot possibly "raise" them.

No one is stopping you from home schooling your kids.

You missed the entire point. Parents have gotten lazy and because their kids are at school, don’t lift a finger to do any heavy lifting when it comes to raising them. They expect schools to do it for them. So… they send their kids who have no idea how to behave in public and expect a teacher with 24-150 other students and are expected to “raise” all of them while educating them and keeping them safe. This is the reason teachers are leaving.

I think by lumping in all parents into one basket and saying they are the problem is very narrow minded as if you personally know why everyone is quitting MCPS.

The only logical point to your post is class size. The higher the number of students in a classroom, the less attention a teacher can give to each student. However, leadership in MCPS provides funding for more administrative staff and special programs but not extra funding where there is the most need - classroom initiatives to lower class sizes.

There would be less burn out and better student outcomes if class sizes were smaller.

While a great idea and likely helpful, however Initiatives to lower class size cost more than most people think.

Let’s do some basic math at the ES level. Assume a school has 4 classes per grade with 22 students. To get to 18 students per class, a school would need to create 1 new class per grade. That’s 6 new classrooms and teachers per school. MCPS has 135 Elementary schools. If we assume say 100 of them fit the initial criteria that means would we need 600 new teachers to cover the new classes.

Assume now that each new teacher made 50k base salary(huge assumption). It would cost about 40-50M to cover salary and benefits for the new just for new teachers.

Not what about the classrooms and supplies? Some schools are going to need portables. Others whole new buildings. Once I add portables what does that do to security?

So shoukd reduction of class sizes be undertaken? Likely.
Is it going to happen to completion quickly? No.

MCPS annual operating cost is about 3 billions (2.93 to be accurate)! 50M is about 1.7% of the budget. If you really want to make an educational difference then reducing student/teacher ratio is a must. But that will not happen because BOE is interested in anything but education.

Like someone already pointed out, even if that set that money aside, there wouldn't be 600 qualified people vying for the jobs. The problem is staffing shortages.

Well, they're still very picky about who they hire which means this is being overblown by people here who lack the actual facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an "entitled" parent, I can believe that teachers are getting a hard time from parents at a Title I school, especially since the SRO's are removed and if the sup put the word out that 'restorative justice' is the policy.

MCEA already knows this current sup and board are an issue. My guess is that's why none of the incumbents were endorsed by the Apple Ballot this year.

For the first time ever, I'm taking an interest in the board elections and making sure I don't vote for a single encumbent.

We need restorative justice. We need more of it, not less. We need to heal our society members, not punish them. THAT IS NOT WORKING.

Restorative justice can only work with enough time and Human Resources. Schools are so under staffed and therefore restorative justice is not implemented correctly. Nor can it be with the current staffing levels. So you might think it’s what is best, but if it can’t be rolled out with our current reality then it is not helping anyone. We need a system in place that can actually be used daily in the schools!

I agree. But that doesn't mean we should give up on it. We should be committed to making it work -- or find something else that will. The way we are doing things clearly is not. How many shootings do we need to see how badly we are raising our young people? They are in school all day. What a missed opportunity.

Actually kids are at home more than they are at school. You might want to think that schools can fix all issues, but that’s not true. And this belief it is what is driving teachers away in droves. Without family support and better upbringing, kids will keep failing and schools ccan only do so much.

Kids are in school from roughly 9 to 4:30. Most stay at after care. That's a LONG day. They're home for dinner and TV. School plays a huge role. I think school should be half day or 3/4 of the hours it is now, honestly, because they spend so much time around people who cannot possibly "raise" them.

No one is stopping you from home schooling your kids.

You missed the entire point. Parents have gotten lazy and because their kids are at school, don’t lift a finger to do any heavy lifting when it comes to raising them. They expect schools to do it for them. So… they send their kids who have no idea how to behave in public and expect a teacher with 24-150 other students and are expected to “raise” all of them while educating them and keeping them safe. This is the reason teachers are leaving.

I think by lumping in all parents into one basket and saying they are the problem is very narrow minded as if you personally know why everyone is quitting MCPS.

The only logical point to your post is class size. The higher the number of students in a classroom, the less attention a teacher can give to each student. However, leadership in MCPS provides funding for more administrative staff and special programs but not extra funding where there is the most need - classroom initiatives to lower class sizes.

There would be less burn out and better student outcomes if class sizes were smaller.

While a great idea and likely helpful, however Initiatives to lower class size cost more than most people think.

Let’s do some basic math at the ES level. Assume a school has 4 classes per grade with 22 students. To get to 18 students per class, a school would need to create 1 new class per grade. That’s 6 new classrooms and teachers per school. MCPS has 135 Elementary schools. If we assume say 100 of them fit the initial criteria that means would we need 600 new teachers to cover the new classes.

Assume now that each new teacher made 50k base salary(huge assumption). It would cost about 40-50M to cover salary and benefits for the new just for new teachers.

Not what about the classrooms and supplies? Some schools are going to need portables. Others whole new buildings. Once I add portables what does that do to security?

So shoukd reduction of class sizes be undertaken? Likely.
Is it going to happen to completion quickly? No.

MCPS annual operating cost is about 3 billions (2.93 to be accurate)! 50M is about 1.7% of the budget. If you really want to make an educational difference then reducing student/teacher ratio is a must. But that will not happen because BOE is interested in anything but education.

Like someone already pointed out, even if that set that money aside, there wouldn't be 600 qualified people vying for the jobs. The problem is staffing shortages.

Staffing shortages are definitely part of the as that is 600 new teachers for just that initiative. It doesn’t even address the amount of teachers and paras and principals that already existed in the system that need to be replaced just to maintain status quo. The existing instructional salary cost is 1.2B.

Nor does the 50M address the additional space needs(portables, new buildings) for the new teachers and classes. Nor does it address supplies (desk, chairs, white board, shelves, teacher computers, software licenses, etc.) Not al of these individuals won’t be seasoned professionals so they’ll need additional training that Early Education programs don’t seem to be providing (like phonics and a good understanding of foundational math).

People talk about the MCPS budget without any context to how much anything cost in the real world and as though the school district is suppose to scrimp, beg, and borrow at every turn because it tax payer funds. But let’s look at it a different way. If a private school charges say 32.5K in tuition per student. If MCPS set the per pupil funding at that same number, their budget would be close to 5B. And MCPS would still have to provide Special Education , Transportation, and other services that private school tuition often doesn’t cover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signing bonuses, competitive pay, and generous benefits is how employers fill positions. Do more than your competitors, then you will get the better candidates.

Particularly for hard to fill positions including Special Education jobs, MCPS advertise low wages and no benefit or signing bonuses. This results in positions going unfilled while candidates choose other school districts or private employment opportunities.

Valuing your personnel goes a long way, and it’s not happening most places. Not just In MCPS.

It's not even MCPS. It's the parents of this community and the complete lack of respect teachers get in general. People are sick and tired of being treated this way. You're so privileged bc you have SuMmEr OfF, sToP wHiNiNg....It's disgusting. People who disparaged teachers for two years are running for BOE. No one wants to put up with these types of people anymore.

That must be why over 800 teachers quit this year - because the current BOE supports teachers and respects them a lot?

You just buried yourself honey.

Ew. Who says “honey” in the year 2022? You just dated yourself. Teachers quit because of parents. You didn’t even make a point for “burying”… you’re really bad at this. Must be someone vying for the “slate” of imbeciles.

Since you didn't get it the first time, let's spell it out so it's simple enough that even someone who works in the MCPS CO or is a member of the current MC BOE could understand the point.

Last year over 500 teachers quit and not all of those positions were filled by the beginning of the 21-22 school year. The DCUMS posters last year blamed everything on covid. Most parents bought it, and even though MCPS never filled all the positions, MCPS managed to barely make it to the end of the school year.

This year MCPS doesn't have the covid excuse anymore because rocket scientists like McKnight said everything was fine and the schools had to remain open in-person. MCPS CO can't blame staff shortages on covid because they were so stupidly stubborn, even though 2100 faculty / staff and over 9% of the student body got sick, causing all sorts of disruptions in January to the point someone begged for National Guard troops to drive kids into school and they had to shut down 21 schools for two weeks each anyway and messed up so badly MCPS kept changing the covid dashboard reporting and metrics to hide how bad it was, imho. I think either way the MCPS Central Office and MC BOE looked like fools.

Right now I believe there are over 800 anticipated teacher vacancies MCPS will need to fill by August. Since last year MCPS couldn't fill all 500 positions, what makes anyone think they can realistically fill 800 positions with top-notch teachers this year? Both McKnight and the BOE knew it was an issue, at least according to the published articles where they were interviewed about it, and it was also supposedly the reason why McKnight flew to her alma mater to recruit alumni (while picking up two personal awards while she was there). It might be possible MCPS hires 800 people with a pulse, but we all know there is no way MCPS will find 800 quality, certified teachers by August. Since nothing is ever the fault of the MC BOE or MCPS CO (cough), come August when all of this blows up, I think the MCPS CO will need new scapegoats to blame?

I don't think MCPS can blame covid or a lack of funding. McKnight already requested oodles of covid money for spec ed and teacher incentives (at least that's what the ESSER III funding says - now, is the money really going to spec ed and teachers? who knows). I think last year there was also a property tax increase (with a good chunk for education) that kicked in? There was also the $160M for electric buses, $2M for discrimination training, $2M for Kid Museum. $1M for bocce ball, etc. so if MCPS could pay a million here and there for goodie bags, I don't see a credible way the MCPS CO can claim a "lack of funding" is the issue (unless they're total idiots and admit incompetent budgeting / fiscal planning? If you've got the money for cake, there better be bread on the table).

The posters on this thread are testing the waters claiming "entitled parents" are bullying them so badly that they are driven to quit, yet there are never any specific schools or incidents mentioned. I'm sure there may have been an instance or two that are valid, but I think it pales in comparison to how the MC BOE and MCPS CO treated teachers like cattle this year, imho. I would believe that the BOE or CO are getting an earful from parents, but line teachers? Maybe a safety issue at the Title I / Red Zone schools (ex. no SRO's)? I'd want to see stats from exit interviews or maybe request the Maryland IG investigate any claims like that to determine the real root cause (and hope that's exactly what the new board does when these incumbents are replaced this Fall)?

Is that better at making the point? Are you happy now?

I'm having a bit of trouble following your long post but it seems as though you think Covid IS partly to blame- just not in the way MCPS says. Are you saying teachers are quitting because they wanted to be virtual for at least a portion of the year?

I absolutely think MCPS should be doing exit interviews to find out why staff are quitting but I don't trust them to actually use the data to make changes. Anecdotally, the ES teachers I know gripe more about Benchmark, testing, and behavior more than anything else, with the balance between the 3 varying depending what school they are at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signing bonuses, competitive pay, and generous benefits is how employers fill positions. Do more than your competitors, then you will get the better candidates.

Particularly for hard to fill positions including Special Education jobs, MCPS advertise low wages and no benefit or signing bonuses. This results in positions going unfilled while candidates choose other school districts or private employment opportunities.

Valuing your personnel goes a long way, and it’s not happening most places. Not just In MCPS.

It's not even MCPS. It's the parents of this community and the complete lack of respect teachers get in general. People are sick and tired of being treated this way. You're so privileged bc you have SuMmEr OfF, sToP wHiNiNg....It's disgusting. People who disparaged teachers for two years are running for BOE. No one wants to put up with these types of people anymore.

That must be why over 800 teachers quit this year - because the current BOE supports teachers and respects them a lot?

You just buried yourself honey.

Ew. Who says “honey” in the year 2022? You just dated yourself. Teachers quit because of parents. You didn’t even make a point for “burying”… you’re really bad at this. Must be someone vying for the “slate” of imbeciles.

Since you didn't get it the first time, let's spell it out so it's simple enough that even someone who works in the MCPS CO or is a member of the current MC BOE could understand the point.

Last year over 500 teachers quit and not all of those positions were filled by the beginning of the 21-22 school year. The DCUMS posters last year blamed everything on covid. Most parents bought it, and even though MCPS never filled all the positions, MCPS managed to barely make it to the end of the school year.

This year MCPS doesn't have the covid excuse anymore because rocket scientists like McKnight said everything was fine and the schools had to remain open in-person. MCPS CO can't blame staff shortages on covid because they were so stupidly stubborn, even though 2100 faculty / staff and over 9% of the student body got sick, causing all sorts of disruptions in January to the point someone begged for National Guard troops to drive kids into school and they had to shut down 21 schools for two weeks each anyway and messed up so badly MCPS kept changing the covid dashboard reporting and metrics to hide how bad it was, imho. I think either way the MCPS Central Office and MC BOE looked like fools.

Right now I believe there are over 800 anticipated teacher vacancies MCPS will need to fill by August. Since last year MCPS couldn't fill all 500 positions, what makes anyone think they can realistically fill 800 positions with top-notch teachers this year? Both McKnight and the BOE knew it was an issue, at least according to the published articles where they were interviewed about it, and it was also supposedly the reason why McKnight flew to her alma mater to recruit alumni (while picking up two personal awards while she was there). It might be possible MCPS hires 800 people with a pulse, but we all know there is no way MCPS will find 800 quality, certified teachers by August. Since nothing is ever the fault of the MC BOE or MCPS CO (cough), come August when all of this blows up, I think the MCPS CO will need new scapegoats to blame?

I don't think MCPS can blame covid or a lack of funding. McKnight already requested oodles of covid money for spec ed and teacher incentives (at least that's what the ESSER III funding says - now, is the money really going to spec ed and teachers? who knows). I think last year there was also a property tax increase (with a good chunk for education) that kicked in? There was also the $160M for electric buses, $2M for discrimination training, $2M for Kid Museum. $1M for bocce ball, etc. so if MCPS could pay a million here and there for goodie bags, I don't see a credible way the MCPS CO can claim a "lack of funding" is the issue (unless they're total idiots and admit incompetent budgeting / fiscal planning? If you've got the money for cake, there better be bread on the table).

The posters on this thread are testing the waters claiming "entitled parents" are bullying them so badly that they are driven to quit, yet there are never any specific schools or incidents mentioned. I'm sure there may have been an instance or two that are valid, but I think it pales in comparison to how the MC BOE and MCPS CO treated teachers like cattle this year, imho. I would believe that the BOE or CO are getting an earful from parents, but line teachers? Maybe a safety issue at the Title I / Red Zone schools (ex. no SRO's)? I'd want to see stats from exit interviews or maybe request the Maryland IG investigate any claims like that to determine the real root cause (and hope that's exactly what the new board does when these incumbents are replaced this Fall)?

Is that better at making the point? Are you happy now?

I'm having a bit of trouble following your long post but it seems as though you think Covid IS partly to blame- just not in the way MCPS says. Are you saying teachers are quitting because they wanted to be virtual for at least a portion of the year?

I absolutely think MCPS should be doing exit interviews to find out why staff are quitting but I don't trust them to actually use the data to make changes. Anecdotally, the ES teachers I know gripe more about Benchmark, testing, and behavior more than anything else, with the balance between the 3 varying depending what school they are at.

No. Read the thread carefully - to catch you up, last year there were trolls on DCUMS blaming everything on covid. That doesn't explain this year.

Some poster (probably gets a paycheck from MCPS or MC BOE) is claiming teachers are quitting because of bad parents. I can believe that the CO is fielding a lot of parent complaints, but teachers? Eh. Maybe if the kid was a discipline issue the teacher might have a parent run-in, but most parents don't even know who their kids' teachers names are.

Why are teachers really leaving? Some are leaving because their school is running amok (ex. no SRO's and "restorative justice"), some are retiring because they are just tired of the messed up direction they get and are frustrated, some may want better pay or have a better opportunity - but which one is the "main" reason? I don't think it's "one" reason at all. i think it's just the straw that broke the camel's back. Most teachers want to teach, not deal with politics or potentially unsafe working conditions. Teachers are NOT hazardous pay / adventure duty types, for the most part. If they feel their administration doesn't support them, they leave. That's why I think this board and McKnight have to go. They're just bad news.

[Anonymous]

As of July 7th there are 517 teacher positions open. Keep in though that this includes partial positions as well (.2, .4, .6). Sometimes these get combined together or a teacher has to work at multiple schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As of July 7th there are 517 teacher positions open. Keep in though that this includes partial positions as well (.2, .4, .6). Sometimes these get combined together or a teacher has to work at multiple schools.

So basically, the same as any other year.

[Anonymous]

Teachers in MCPS are underpaid. Plus most teachers are bad or average and we don’t reward the star teachers who burn out.

Save story from decades ago

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As of July 7th there are 517 teacher positions open. Keep in though that this includes partial positions as well (.2, .4, .6). Sometimes these get combined together or a teacher has to work at multiple schools.

But they keep adding on more positions each day. So far today, they have posted 21 teacher positions, and it's not even 1 pm yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signing bonuses, competitive pay, and generous benefits is how employers fill positions. Do more than your competitors, then you will get the better candidates.

Particularly for hard to fill positions including Special Education jobs, MCPS advertise low wages and no benefit or signing bonuses. This results in positions going unfilled while candidates choose other school districts or private employment opportunities.

Valuing your personnel goes a long way, and it’s not happening most places. Not just In MCPS.

It's not even MCPS. It's the parents of this community and the complete lack of respect teachers get in general. People are sick and tired of being treated this way. You're so privileged bc you have SuMmEr OfF, sToP wHiNiNg....It's disgusting. People who disparaged teachers for two years are running for BOE. No one wants to put up with these types of people anymore.

That must be why over 800 teachers quit this year - because the current BOE supports teachers and respects them a lot?

You just buried yourself honey.

Ew. Who says “honey” in the year 2022? You just dated yourself. Teachers quit because of parents. You didn’t even make a point for “burying”… you’re really bad at this. Must be someone vying for the “slate” of imbeciles.

Since you didn't get it the first time, let's spell it out so it's simple enough that even someone who works in the MCPS CO or is a member of the current MC BOE could understand the point.

Last year over 500 teachers quit and not all of those positions were filled by the beginning of the 21-22 school year. The DCUMS posters last year blamed everything on covid. Most parents bought it, and even though MCPS never filled all the positions, MCPS managed to barely make it to the end of the school year.

This year MCPS doesn't have the covid excuse anymore because rocket scientists like McKnight said everything was fine and the schools had to remain open in-person. MCPS CO can't blame staff shortages on covid because they were so stupidly stubborn, even though 2100 faculty / staff and over 9% of the student body got sick, causing all sorts of disruptions in January to the point someone begged for National Guard troops to drive kids into school and they had to shut down 21 schools for two weeks each anyway and messed up so badly MCPS kept changing the covid dashboard reporting and metrics to hide how bad it was, imho. I think either way the MCPS Central Office and MC BOE looked like fools.

Right now I believe there are over 800 anticipated teacher vacancies MCPS will need to fill by August. Since last year MCPS couldn't fill all 500 positions, what makes anyone think they can realistically fill 800 positions with top-notch teachers this year? Both McKnight and the BOE knew it was an issue, at least according to the published articles where they were interviewed about it, and it was also supposedly the reason why McKnight flew to her alma mater to recruit alumni (while picking up two personal awards while she was there). It might be possible MCPS hires 800 people with a pulse, but we all know there is no way MCPS will find 800 quality, certified teachers by August. Since nothing is ever the fault of the MC BOE or MCPS CO (cough), come August when all of this blows up, I think the MCPS CO will need new scapegoats to blame?

I don't think MCPS can blame covid or a lack of funding. McKnight already requested oodles of covid money for spec ed and teacher incentives (at least that's what the ESSER III funding says - now, is the money really going to spec ed and teachers? who knows). I think last year there was also a property tax increase (with a good chunk for education) that kicked in? There was also the $160M for electric buses, $2M for discrimination training, $2M for Kid Museum. $1M for bocce ball, etc. so if MCPS could pay a million here and there for goodie bags, I don't see a credible way the MCPS CO can claim a "lack of funding" is the issue (unless they're total idiots and admit incompetent budgeting / fiscal planning? If you've got the money for cake, there better be bread on the table).

The posters on this thread are testing the waters claiming "entitled parents" are bullying them so badly that they are driven to quit, yet there are never any specific schools or incidents mentioned. I'm sure there may have been an instance or two that are valid, but I think it pales in comparison to how the MC BOE and MCPS CO treated teachers like cattle this year, imho. I would believe that the BOE or CO are getting an earful from parents, but line teachers? Maybe a safety issue at the Title I / Red Zone schools (ex. no SRO's)? I'd want to see stats from exit interviews or maybe request the Maryland IG investigate any claims like that to determine the real root cause (and hope that's exactly what the new board does when these incumbents are replaced this Fall)?

Is that better at making the point? Are you happy now?

I'm having a bit of trouble following your long post but it seems as though you think Covid IS partly to blame- just not in the way MCPS says. Are you saying teachers are quitting because they wanted to be virtual for at least a portion of the year?

I absolutely think MCPS should be doing exit interviews to find out why staff are quitting but I don't trust them to actually use the data to make changes. Anecdotally, the ES teachers I know gripe more about Benchmark, testing, and behavior more than anything else, with the balance between the 3 varying depending what school they are at.

No. Read the thread carefully - to catch you up, last year there were trolls on DCUMS blaming everything on covid. That doesn't explain this year.

Some poster (probably gets a paycheck from MCPS or MC BOE) is claiming teachers are quitting because of bad parents. I can believe that the CO is fielding a lot of parent complaints, but teachers? Eh. Maybe if the kid was a discipline issue the teacher might have a parent run-in, but most parents don't even know who their kids' teachers names are.

Why are teachers really leaving? Some are leaving because their school is running amok (ex. no SRO's and "restorative justice"), some are retiring because they are just tired of the messed up direction they get and are frustrated, some may want better pay or have a better opportunity - but which one is the "main" reason? I don't think it's "one" reason at all. i think it's just the straw that broke the camel's back. Most teachers want to teach, not deal with politics or potentially unsafe working conditions. Teachers are NOT hazardous pay / adventure duty types, for the most part. If they feel their administration doesn't support them, they leave. That's why I think this board and McKnight have to go. They're just bad news.

Most of what you wrote is wrong. The real problem is a lack of parenting and the entitled Karens running amok.

Which is stupid since the people you would like to blame are in the minority in MCPS. Your real problem fantasy makes no sense. Many teachers don't even teach the students you hate.

Your posts don’t make any sense and it’s apparent you have no idea what you’re talking about. Parents are a huge reason that many teachers have had it. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signing bonuses, competitive pay, and generous benefits is how employers fill positions. Do more than your competitors, then you will get the better candidates.

Particularly for hard to fill positions including Special Education jobs, MCPS advertise low wages and no benefit or signing bonuses. This results in positions going unfilled while candidates choose other school districts or private employment opportunities.

Valuing your personnel goes a long way, and it’s not happening most places. Not just In MCPS.

It's not even MCPS. It's the parents of this community and the complete lack of respect teachers get in general. People are sick and tired of being treated this way. You're so privileged bc you have SuMmEr OfF, sToP wHiNiNg....It's disgusting. People who disparaged teachers for two years are running for BOE. No one wants to put up with these types of people anymore.

That must be why over 800 teachers quit this year - because the current BOE supports teachers and respects them a lot?

You just buried yourself honey.

Ew. Who says “honey” in the year 2022? You just dated yourself. Teachers quit because of parents. You didn’t even make a point for “burying”… you’re really bad at this. Must be someone vying for the “slate” of imbeciles.

Since you didn't get it the first time, let's spell it out so it's simple enough that even someone who works in the MCPS CO or is a member of the current MC BOE could understand the point.

Last year over 500 teachers quit and not all of those positions were filled by the beginning of the 21-22 school year. The DCUMS posters last year blamed everything on covid. Most parents bought it, and even though MCPS never filled all the positions, MCPS managed to barely make it to the end of the school year.

This year MCPS doesn't have the covid excuse anymore because rocket scientists like McKnight said everything was fine and the schools had to remain open in-person. MCPS CO can't blame staff shortages on covid because they were so stupidly stubborn, even though 2100 faculty / staff and over 9% of the student body got sick, causing all sorts of disruptions in January to the point someone begged for National Guard troops to drive kids into school and they had to shut down 21 schools for two weeks each anyway and messed up so badly MCPS kept changing the covid dashboard reporting and metrics to hide how bad it was, imho. I think either way the MCPS Central Office and MC BOE looked like fools.

Right now I believe there are over 800 anticipated teacher vacancies MCPS will need to fill by August. Since last year MCPS couldn't fill all 500 positions, what makes anyone think they can realistically fill 800 positions with top-notch teachers this year? Both McKnight and the BOE knew it was an issue, at least according to the published articles where they were interviewed about it, and it was also supposedly the reason why McKnight flew to her alma mater to recruit alumni (while picking up two personal awards while she was there). It might be possible MCPS hires 800 people with a pulse, but we all know there is no way MCPS will find 800 quality, certified teachers by August. Since nothing is ever the fault of the MC BOE or MCPS CO (cough), come August when all of this blows up, I think the MCPS CO will need new scapegoats to blame?

I don't think MCPS can blame covid or a lack of funding. McKnight already requested oodles of covid money for spec ed and teacher incentives (at least that's what the ESSER III funding says - now, is the money really going to spec ed and teachers? who knows). I think last year there was also a property tax increase (with a good chunk for education) that kicked in? There was also the $160M for electric buses, $2M for discrimination training, $2M for Kid Museum. $1M for bocce ball, etc. so if MCPS could pay a million here and there for goodie bags, I don't see a credible way the MCPS CO can claim a "lack of funding" is the issue (unless they're total idiots and admit incompetent budgeting / fiscal planning? If you've got the money for cake, there better be bread on the table).

The posters on this thread are testing the waters claiming "entitled parents" are bullying them so badly that they are driven to quit, yet there are never any specific schools or incidents mentioned. I'm sure there may have been an instance or two that are valid, but I think it pales in comparison to how the MC BOE and MCPS CO treated teachers like cattle this year, imho. I would believe that the BOE or CO are getting an earful from parents, but line teachers? Maybe a safety issue at the Title I / Red Zone schools (ex. no SRO's)? I'd want to see stats from exit interviews or maybe request the Maryland IG investigate any claims like that to determine the real root cause (and hope that's exactly what the new board does when these incumbents are replaced this Fall)?

Is that better at making the point? Are you happy now?

I'm having a bit of trouble following your long post but it seems as though you think Covid IS partly to blame- just not in the way MCPS says. Are you saying teachers are quitting because they wanted to be virtual for at least a portion of the year?

I absolutely think MCPS should be doing exit interviews to find out why staff are quitting but I don't trust them to actually use the data to make changes. Anecdotally, the ES teachers I know gripe more about Benchmark, testing, and behavior more than anything else, with the balance between the 3 varying depending what school they are at.

No. Read the thread carefully - to catch you up, last year there were trolls on DCUMS blaming everything on covid. That doesn't explain this year.

Some poster (probably gets a paycheck from MCPS or MC BOE) is claiming teachers are quitting because of bad parents. I can believe that the CO is fielding a lot of parent complaints, but teachers? Eh. Maybe if the kid was a discipline issue the teacher might have a parent run-in, but most parents don't even know who their kids' teachers names are.

Why are teachers really leaving? Some are leaving because their school is running amok (ex. no SRO's and "restorative justice"), some are retiring because they are just tired of the messed up direction they get and are frustrated, some may want better pay or have a better opportunity - but which one is the "main" reason? I don't think it's "one" reason at all. i think it's just the straw that broke the camel's back. Most teachers want to teach, not deal with politics or potentially unsafe working conditions. Teachers are NOT hazardous pay / adventure duty types, for the most part. If they feel their administration doesn't support them, they leave. That's why I think this board and McKnight have to go. They're just bad news.

Most of what you wrote is wrong. The real problem is a lack of parenting and the entitled Karens running amok.

Which is stupid since the people you would like to blame are in the minority in MCPS. Your real problem fantasy makes no sense. Many teachers don't even teach the students you hate.

DP here. I disagree. There are so many entitled parents that there are at least a handful in every class. And each entitled child whose parent won't parent and lets their little monster do anything and blames everyone else (including the teacher) will impact an entire class of children. And the school district has basically stripped the teachers of any power to control these unmanageable children and forces the teachers to have to deal with children with no consequences. So the brats will continue to act out and bully other kids and demand more time and attention from the teacher leaving the good children holding the short end of the stick.

Personally, I think the schools should allow the teachers to shunt all of the entitled children into one class so that the more mindful children who have parents that will actually work with the teachers can get more productive learning away from these children. They should have to deal with each other and then the parents can reap what they sow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signing bonuses, competitive pay, and generous benefits is how employers fill positions. Do more than your competitors, then you will get the better candidates.

Particularly for hard to fill positions including Special Education jobs, MCPS advertise low wages and no benefit or signing bonuses. This results in positions going unfilled while candidates choose other school districts or private employment opportunities.

Valuing your personnel goes a long way, and it’s not happening most places. Not just In MCPS.

It's not even MCPS. It's the parents of this community and the complete lack of respect teachers get in general. People are sick and tired of being treated this way. You're so privileged bc you have SuMmEr OfF, sToP wHiNiNg....It's disgusting. People who disparaged teachers for two years are running for BOE. No one wants to put up with these types of people anymore.

That must be why over 800 teachers quit this year - because the current BOE supports teachers and respects them a lot?

You just buried yourself honey.

Ew. Who says “honey” in the year 2022? You just dated yourself. Teachers quit because of parents. You didn’t even make a point for “burying”… you’re really bad at this. Must be someone vying for the “slate” of imbeciles.

Since you didn't get it the first time, let's spell it out so it's simple enough that even someone who works in the MCPS CO or is a member of the current MC BOE could understand the point.

Last year over 500 teachers quit and not all of those positions were filled by the beginning of the 21-22 school year. The DCUMS posters last year blamed everything on covid. Most parents bought it, and even though MCPS never filled all the positions, MCPS managed to barely make it to the end of the school year.

This year MCPS doesn't have the covid excuse anymore because rocket scientists like McKnight said everything was fine and the schools had to remain open in-person. MCPS CO can't blame staff shortages on covid because they were so stupidly stubborn, even though 2100 faculty / staff and over 9% of the student body got sick, causing all sorts of disruptions in January to the point someone begged for National Guard troops to drive kids into school and they had to shut down 21 schools for two weeks each anyway and messed up so badly MCPS kept changing the covid dashboard reporting and metrics to hide how bad it was, imho. I think either way the MCPS Central Office and MC BOE looked like fools.

Right now I believe there are over 800 anticipated teacher vacancies MCPS will need to fill by August. Since last year MCPS couldn't fill all 500 positions, what makes anyone think they can realistically fill 800 positions with top-notch teachers this year? Both McKnight and the BOE knew it was an issue, at least according to the published articles where they were interviewed about it, and it was also supposedly the reason why McKnight flew to her alma mater to recruit alumni (while picking up two personal awards while she was there). It might be possible MCPS hires 800 people with a pulse, but we all know there is no way MCPS will find 800 quality, certified teachers by August. Since nothing is ever the fault of the MC BOE or MCPS CO (cough), come August when all of this blows up, I think the MCPS CO will need new scapegoats to blame?

I don't think MCPS can blame covid or a lack of funding. McKnight already requested oodles of covid money for spec ed and teacher incentives (at least that's what the ESSER III funding says - now, is the money really going to spec ed and teachers? who knows). I think last year there was also a property tax increase (with a good chunk for education) that kicked in? There was also the $160M for electric buses, $2M for discrimination training, $2M for Kid Museum. $1M for bocce ball, etc. so if MCPS could pay a million here and there for goodie bags, I don't see a credible way the MCPS CO can claim a "lack of funding" is the issue (unless they're total idiots and admit incompetent budgeting / fiscal planning? If you've got the money for cake, there better be bread on the table).

The posters on this thread are testing the waters claiming "entitled parents" are bullying them so badly that they are driven to quit, yet there are never any specific schools or incidents mentioned. I'm sure there may have been an instance or two that are valid, but I think it pales in comparison to how the MC BOE and MCPS CO treated teachers like cattle this year, imho. I would believe that the BOE or CO are getting an earful from parents, but line teachers? Maybe a safety issue at the Title I / Red Zone schools (ex. no SRO's)? I'd want to see stats from exit interviews or maybe request the Maryland IG investigate any claims like that to determine the real root cause (and hope that's exactly what the new board does when these incumbents are replaced this Fall)?

Is that better at making the point? Are you happy now?

I'm having a bit of trouble following your long post but it seems as though you think Covid IS partly to blame- just not in the way MCPS says. Are you saying teachers are quitting because they wanted to be virtual for at least a portion of the year?

I absolutely think MCPS should be doing exit interviews to find out why staff are quitting but I don't trust them to actually use the data to make changes. Anecdotally, the ES teachers I know gripe more about Benchmark, testing, and behavior more than anything else, with the balance between the 3 varying depending what school they are at.

No. Read the thread carefully - to catch you up, last year there were trolls on DCUMS blaming everything on covid. That doesn't explain this year.

Some poster (probably gets a paycheck from MCPS or MC BOE) is claiming teachers are quitting because of bad parents. I can believe that the CO is fielding a lot of parent complaints, but teachers? Eh. Maybe if the kid was a discipline issue the teacher might have a parent run-in, but most parents don't even know who their kids' teachers names are.

Why are teachers really leaving? Some are leaving because their school is running amok (ex. no SRO's and "restorative justice"), some are retiring because they are just tired of the messed up direction they get and are frustrated, some may want better pay or have a better opportunity - but which one is the "main" reason? I don't think it's "one" reason at all. i think it's just the straw that broke the camel's back. Most teachers want to teach, not deal with politics or potentially unsafe working conditions. Teachers are NOT hazardous pay / adventure duty types, for the most part. If they feel their administration doesn't support them, they leave. That's why I think this board and McKnight have to go. They're just bad news.

It’s more than one poster, and no, I “get a paycheck” from none of those places, but gold star for effort, I guess.

[Anonymous]

I have never taught ES but I have been fortunate to not have to deal with any crazy parents in MS or HS. Often times teachers get a heads up on strategies with certain parents or admin will deal with them directly instead. SpEd, English and math teachers seem to take more of the brunt since test scores come into play so regularly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Signing bonuses, competitive pay, and generous benefits is how employers fill positions. Do more than your competitors, then you will get the better candidates.

Particularly for hard to fill positions including Special Education jobs, MCPS advertise low wages and no benefit or signing bonuses. This results in positions going unfilled while candidates choose other school districts or private employment opportunities.

Valuing your personnel goes a long way, and it’s not happening most places. Not just In MCPS.

It's not even MCPS. It's the parents of this community and the complete lack of respect teachers get in general. People are sick and tired of being treated this way. You're so privileged bc you have SuMmEr OfF, sToP wHiNiNg....It's disgusting. People who disparaged teachers for two years are running for BOE. No one wants to put up with these types of people anymore.

That must be why over 800 teachers quit this year - because the current BOE supports teachers and respects them a lot?

You just buried yourself honey.

Ew. Who says “honey” in the year 2022? You just dated yourself. Teachers quit because of parents. You didn’t even make a point for “burying”… you’re really bad at this. Must be someone vying for the “slate” of imbeciles.

Since you didn't get it the first time, let's spell it out so it's simple enough that even someone who works in the MCPS CO or is a member of the current MC BOE could understand the point.

Last year over 500 teachers quit and not all of those positions were filled by the beginning of the 21-22 school year. The DCUMS posters last year blamed everything on covid. Most parents bought it, and even though MCPS never filled all the positions, MCPS managed to barely make it to the end of the school year.

This year MCPS doesn't have the covid excuse anymore because rocket scientists like McKnight said everything was fine and the schools had to remain open in-person. MCPS CO can't blame staff shortages on covid because they were so stupidly stubborn, even though 2100 faculty / staff and over 9% of the student body got sick, causing all sorts of disruptions in January to the point someone begged for National Guard troops to drive kids into school and they had to shut down 21 schools for two weeks each anyway and messed up so badly MCPS kept changing the covid dashboard reporting and metrics to hide how bad it was, imho. I think either way the MCPS Central Office and MC BOE looked like fools.

Right now I believe there are over 800 anticipated teacher vacancies MCPS will need to fill by August. Since last year MCPS couldn't fill all 500 positions, what makes anyone think they can realistically fill 800 positions with top-notch teachers this year? Both McKnight and the BOE knew it was an issue, at least according to the published articles where they were interviewed about it, and it was also supposedly the reason why McKnight flew to her alma mater to recruit alumni (while picking up two personal awards while she was there). It might be possible MCPS hires 800 people with a pulse, but we all know there is no way MCPS will find 800 quality, certified teachers by August. Since nothing is ever the fault of the MC BOE or MCPS CO (cough), come August when all of this blows up, I think the MCPS CO will need new scapegoats to blame?

I don't think MCPS can blame covid or a lack of funding. McKnight already requested oodles of covid money for spec ed and teacher incentives (at least that's what the ESSER III funding says - now, is the money really going to spec ed and teachers? who knows). I think last year there was also a property tax increase (with a good chunk for education) that kicked in? There was also the $160M for electric buses, $2M for discrimination training, $2M for Kid Museum. $1M for bocce ball, etc. so if MCPS could pay a million here and there for goodie bags, I don't see a credible way the MCPS CO can claim a "lack of funding" is the issue (unless they're total idiots and admit incompetent budgeting / fiscal planning? If you've got the money for cake, there better be bread on the table).

The posters on this thread are testing the waters claiming "entitled parents" are bullying them so badly that they are driven to quit, yet there are never any specific schools or incidents mentioned. I'm sure there may have been an instance or two that are valid, but I think it pales in comparison to how the MC BOE and MCPS CO treated teachers like cattle this year, imho. I would believe that the BOE or CO are getting an earful from parents, but line teachers? Maybe a safety issue at the Title I / Red Zone schools (ex. no SRO's)? I'd want to see stats from exit interviews or maybe request the Maryland IG investigate any claims like that to determine the real root cause (and hope that's exactly what the new board does when these incumbents are replaced this Fall)?

Is that better at making the point? Are you happy now?

I'm having a bit of trouble following your long post but it seems as though you think Covid IS partly to blame- just not in the way MCPS says. Are you saying teachers are quitting because they wanted to be virtual for at least a portion of the year?

I absolutely think MCPS should be doing exit interviews to find out why staff are quitting but I don't trust them to actually use the data to make changes. Anecdotally, the ES teachers I know gripe more about Benchmark, testing, and behavior more than anything else, with the balance between the 3 varying depending what school they are at.

No. Read the thread carefully - to catch you up, last year there were trolls on DCUMS blaming everything on covid. That doesn't explain this year.

Some poster (probably gets a paycheck from MCPS or MC BOE) is claiming teachers are quitting because of bad parents. I can believe that the CO is fielding a lot of parent complaints, but teachers? Eh. Maybe if the kid was a discipline issue the teacher might have a parent run-in, but most parents don't even know who their kids' teachers names are.

Why are teachers really leaving? Some are leaving because their school is running amok (ex. no SRO's and "restorative justice"), some are retiring because they are just tired of the messed up direction they get and are frustrated, some may want better pay or have a better opportunity - but which one is the "main" reason? I don't think it's "one" reason at all. i think it's just the straw that broke the camel's back. Most teachers want to teach, not deal with politics or potentially unsafe working conditions. Teachers are NOT hazardous pay / adventure duty types, for the most part. If they feel their administration doesn't support them, they leave. That's why I think this board and McKnight have to go. They're just bad news.

It’s more than one poster, and no, I “get a paycheck” from none of those places, but gold star for effort, I guess.

Then sign your name if you want a gold star. Otherwise your mcps paycheck funds your posts.