Teacher Relocating to DC Area

[Anonymous]

Hello all. This is my first visit to the site. It appears to be loaded with great information! My wife and I will be relocating to the DC area this summer as a result of me taking a new job. We are in the process of searching for places to live as well as finding a job for her. She is a kindergarten teacher (licensed for K-6), so I thought people here might be able to give good insight that she/we can use in our search(es).

What I'm hoping for in this post (primarily) is to get information on DC-area schools and school systems as well as any advice on getting her foot in the door. Since we'll be moving from out of town, the work and living locations are a joint decision, so I'll give a little description of what we're looking for. I will be working on Capitol Hill. We are looking for places that have good schools in which she could work that would involve about a 30 to 35-minute commute (preferably by Metro) for me. In terms of housing, we're looking to rent for a while before buying, preferably a townhouse.

I hope this post will generate some good advice. We would be very thankful for any information anyone can give, especially regarding which schools and school systems she should target as well as advice on applying for these jobs. We are pretty familiar with the greater-DC area, having spent our childhoods in the Maryland exurbs, although we've not spent all that much time in DC or the inner-suburbs. Please feel free to ask me for more details that may be helpful. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Arlington is a great place to live (and the schools would be a great choice for your wife too). I think a lot depends on what price range you are looking to rent it too.

[Anonymous]

Because of the economy, several school districts are either laying teachers off, or implementing hiring freezes. Because of this fact, you can expect the job market around here to be tighter than in previous years.

In Maryland:

Prince George' County just announced they will lay off 800 employees, not 1,000.

In September 2008, Montgomery County continured its hiring freeze.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/09172008/polinew170235_32503.shtml

The Montgomery County public school system, already besieged by a slumping economy, has frozen hiring for the second straight year, school leaders said Wednesday.

All vacant classroom teacher and counselor positions will be filled by long-term substitutes; lunch-hour aide positions will be filled on a part-time basis; and some staff positions, including paraeducators, will remain frozen, among other things.

The county school system froze hiring and cut spending in November, after County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) asked each agency to find 2 percent in savings in their fiscal 2008 budgets. On Wednesday, Superintendent Jerry D. Weast decided to restrict spending for fiscal 2009, even though Leggett has not asked agencies to cut back.

The VA counties (Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria) do not seem to be talking so much about hiring freezes. So maybe look there or DC first.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend Howard County. The school system is excellent. Although it's not a stone's throw from the Capitol, it's worth the commute.

[Anonymous]

Why not live on Capitol Hill and look for a teaching position there (Capitol Hill Day School is a private PK-8, 2 Rivers is a charter school, there are some good DC public elementary schools). Capitol Hill is a great neighborhood and very walkable, community minded, etc.

[Anonymous]

If she is looking to teach in a private school - she should look at AISGW.org - most area private schools post their job openings there.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses!

I think our rental budget will be about $2,000 - 2,500 per month for a 2br/2ba TH (no children). Also, we are definitely leaning towards DC or VA. It's good to know that VA seems to be ok in terms of not having hiring freezes.

[Anonymous]

I live in the Capitol Hill area, & here are a lists of the schools in Capitol Hill that your wife may want to look into applying to, private, public, & charter....

Capitol Hill Day School
Brent Elementary
Maury Elementary
Capitol Hill Cluster Schools (www.capitolhillclusterschool.org)
Tyler Elementary
Two Rivers Charter School
Center City Charter Schools

Of course, there are many more schools in DC, but if she wants to be in the same general area as you, this is a good start. Also, you should check out the homes on the Hill, too. It's definitely a buyer's market. Lots of shopping, metro accessible. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she is looking to teach in a private school - she should look at AISGW.org - most area private schools post their job openings there.

Thanks! Do you know if the pay for private schools is competitive with DCPS or public schools in NoVa?

[Anonymous]

How about Arlington, on the orange line? A pretty smooth commute to the hill for you. I taught in Arlington Schools a few years back and had a great experience.

http://www.apsva.us/

They should be hiring for summer school now and that would be a great way for your wife to get her foot in the door. Another option is to start as an instructional assistant if there are no teacher jobs available. That's how I started when I arrived in VA in the middle of the academic year, and then was offered a teaching job at the end of the year. 3rd option is subbing: the advantage is she can get a feel for which schools she prefers and make connections across several schools. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about Arlington, on the orange line? A pretty smooth commute to the hill for you. I taught in Arlington Schools a few years back and had a great experience.

http://www.apsva.us/

They should be hiring for summer school now and that would be a great way for your wife to get her foot in the door. Another option is to start as an instructional assistant if there are no teacher jobs available. That's how I started when I arrived in VA in the middle of the academic year, and then was offered a teaching job at the end of the year. 3rd option is subbing: the advantage is she can get a feel for which schools she prefers and make connections across several schools. Good luck!

Yes, Arlington seems like a logical choice, as does the Hill. The summer school suggestion is an interesting option. We hadn't thought of that, although we might not be moving until it's too late (late June or early July). As far as subbing - you're absolutely right about being able to try out different schools and make contacts. That's how she ended up at the school she's currently with.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax County is very large which may provide more opportunities.

Here is a list of their employment/recruiting fairs -- one might be near you.

http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/applicants/recruitevents.htm

June 1st is when positions will be listed for people outside of the county system.

[Anonymous]

Contact DC schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's office. If her proposed contract is approved, DCPS teachers will have a choice of the traditional tenure track and a performance-based pay scale that could double the current salaries for people who accept them.

There is an extremely wide variation in school quality in DC; in some respects, the new system amounts to "combat pay." But at least DC is looking for teachers, since Rhee cleaned house.

Also-- and this is probably lower pay-- the DC charter schools are a growing and vibrant alternative, and they hire directly, school by school. A number of them are excellent.

If one person is going to Union Station, live either in close-in VA, DC, or close-in Montgomery County, such as Silver Spring and Takoma Park, or Hyattsville or Greenbelt in PG. All of those neighborhoods are on the Metro, which is crucial for a reasonable commute.

For $2500, you could get a 2br-2ba in parts of Arlington, and DEFINITELY in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. At that price, you could have your pick of anything you want in Greenbelt or Hyattsville.

Within the district, that's a tough price range if you're looking at luxury buildings, but you can find something on an individual basis, such as rental units on the first floor of private homes, or smaller buildings, or condos whose owners are out of town. What you choose depends on whether you also need a school for your own kids. If so, in DC look at: Tenleytown (Janney School, on red line, easy commute to Union Station), Cleveland Park (more expensive) Hearst and Eaton Schools, also red line); Woodley Park (also redline, Oyster school, very few units in your price range but worth a try), parts of Dupont-- red line, Ross Elementary. There are other good schools in the city but most are not on Metro or don't have much rental housing.

[Anonymous]

With regards to working in DCPS, you might want to take a closer look at how teachers, new and long-time, view Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Some people like her and think she is making good changes and are willing to take a chance with her. Other folks think she can't be trusted to support good long-time teachers. Whatever you think about her, there's sure to be a fair bit of conflict ahead.

I don't know enough to tell you whether it's a good place for new teachers or not. I have talked to one assistant principal who is wondering whether to renew for another year as it's not clear whether the support needed to succeed will be forthcoming from Rhee's administration while at the same time the asst. principal will be held to higher standards. But that's only one person. Do some serious research on it and see what you think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contact DC schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's office. If her proposed contract is approved, DCPS teachers will have a choice of the traditional tenure track and a performance-based pay scale that could double the current salaries for people who accept them.

There is an extremely wide variation in school quality in DC; in some respects, the new system amounts to "combat pay." But at least DC is looking for teachers, since Rhee cleaned house.

Also-- and this is probably lower pay-- the DC charter schools are a growing and vibrant alternative, and they hire directly, school by school. A number of them are excellent.

If one person is going to Union Station, live either in close-in VA, DC, or close-in Montgomery County, such as Silver Spring and Takoma Park, or Hyattsville or Greenbelt in PG. All of those neighborhoods are on the Metro, which is crucial for a reasonable commute.

For $2500, you could get a 2br-2ba in parts of Arlington, and DEFINITELY in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. At that price, you could have your pick of anything you want in Greenbelt or Hyattsville.

Within the district, that's a tough price range if you're looking at luxury buildings, but you can find something on an individual basis, such as rental units on the first floor of private homes, or smaller buildings, or condos whose owners are out of town. What you choose depends on whether you also need a school for your own kids. If so, in DC look at: Tenleytown (Janney School, on red line, easy commute to Union Station), Cleveland Park (more expensive) Hearst and Eaton Schools, also red line); Woodley Park (also redline, Oyster school, very few units in your price range but worth a try), parts of Dupont-- red line, Ross Elementary. There are other good schools in the city but most are not on Metro or don't have much rental housing.

Actually, there are a few charter schools that pay competitively with DCPS.