FCPS Sub shortage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my contract, I can't be asked to cover for another teacher so I think this puts the pressure on admin to get a real substitute. They often use aides to cover classes they can't find subs for.

I don't know what is in our contract but we are asked. Even if it is not in our contract, these coworkers are often are friends. We will help each other out.

[Anonymous]

FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious: are the teachers sick or doing inservice?

DC's teacher is going on maternity leave and they looking for a sub. It hasn't been easy to find one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if the teacher puts the job in and no one takes it?

Then they pull someone else or find a patchwork of staff in the building to cover. Or if a non-classroom teacher has a sub in the building then they'll pull that sub to cover the class with no sub. It sucks when you've arranged a good sub in advance and spent hours writing plans and preparing materials and you get back to school and find out that they pulled your sub because another teacher didn't have their job filled. But that's life. Or, in some cases they might split the kids among the other classes in the same grade.

That's the problem. Some schools have so many non-classroom teachers. I know a lower elementary school of less than 400 students which has 6 full time ELL teachers, 4 SpEd, a Math specialist, r Reading specialist, 2 focus specialists and 1 teacher for exceptional students. There are also 3 others teachers whose title I don't even know ...

The average classroom size is 18 students so I don't understand why the school needs all these extra teachers.

Bc most likely it's a title 1 school so they get all this extra funding for those positions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read with interest that FCPS is having difficulty getting substitute teachers. As a retired FCPS teacher I subbed for six years until it was decided to drop the pay by 35% in 2016. I often subbed in my science discipline and taught the class if plans were left. With 35 years teaching experience, a Masters in engineering plus 70 credits I thought it was insulting to accept pay that I could get working in Starbucks. I truly enjoyed teaching/subbing but FCPS didn't value what I,m as a retired teacher, brought to the classroom. You get what you pay for.

I thought they brought back up the pay this year.

No. Substitutes are paid $14.23 per hour. Retired teachers are paid $15.33 which is still $6 or $7 less than in 2015.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also trying to apply and get through the training is a giant PITA. My sister had been a sub in MonCo and found it impossible to even get her application looked at in FCPS.

I know this is an old quote, but I'm bumping it because it's still true! I was a teacher a long time ago (not FCPS) and am now interested in subbing since my kids are all in school full-time. I got through the training and submitted everything over a month ago, and am STILL waiting for a call back re: my application. I've called the personnel line twice and have been given the runaround. I don't think the pay is the problem...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've read with interest that FCPS is having difficulty getting substitute teachers. As a retired FCPS teacher I subbed for six years until it was decided to drop the pay by 35% in 2016. I often subbed in my science discipline and taught the class if plans were left. With 35 years teaching experience, a Masters in engineering plus 70 credits I thought it was insulting to accept pay that I could get working in Starbucks. I truly enjoyed teaching/subbing but FCPS didn't value what I,m as a retired teacher, brought to the classroom. You get what you pay for.

"It's all for the kids!"

And yet we're paying for costly benefits for your retirement while we can't pay enough young teachers... You get a Cost of Living Adjustment of 3% every year, regardless of actual inflation. This, and other costly benefits, are diverting funds from the payroll for current employees. Too bad Jeanette Hough isn't around to advocate for more money for current teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

In all its wisdom a few years ago, FCPS offered early retirement to lots and lots of great teachers. One of them told me she could not afford NOT to retire. They were able to work almost full times as subs (paid better than they are now) AND collect retirement. Now the piper has come to collect.

Talk about kicking the can down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

For example, healthcare premiums that cost the retiree only $700 a month for an individual? Is that one of your rich benefits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

In all its wisdom a few years ago, FCPS offered early retirement to lots and lots of great teachers. One of them told me she could not afford NOT to retire. They were able to work almost full times as subs (paid better than they are now) AND collect retirement. Now the piper has come to collect.

Talk about kicking the can down the road.

What year was that? It wasn't recently.

[Anonymous]

Was it the year they increased class size and got rid of over 700 teacher positions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

In all its wisdom a few years ago, FCPS offered early retirement to lots and lots of great teachers. One of them told me she could not afford NOT to retire. They were able to work almost full times as subs (paid better than they are now) AND collect retirement. Now the piper has come to collect.

Talk about kicking the can down the road.

What year was that? It wasn't recently.

Ten or fifteen years ago, I think. Lots of them subbed for years after that--until they changed the rules and quit paying so much. I know of one that took a 2/3 job at another school and got paid as a retired long term sub and her retirement. Great teacher! I was sorry when she left after four or five years.
This was offered to them for more than a couple of years, I think. I know another who was an AP and continued to sub in that role--there were lots of lots of retirees working throughout the county. I think that by doing this, the state picked up their retirement and they were able to hire cheaper teachers for a while. There was some short term financial benefit for the county--but the greatest benefit were for those teachers. Many did not quit working--they just collected two incomes. And, now we are paying the piper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

In all its wisdom a few years ago, FCPS offered early retirement to lots and lots of great teachers. One of them told me she could not afford NOT to retire. They were able to work almost full times as subs (paid better than they are now) AND collect retirement. Now the piper has come to collect.

Talk about kicking the can down the road.

What year was that? It wasn't recently.

Ten or fifteen years ago, I think. Lots of them subbed for years after that--until they changed the rules and quit paying so much. I know of one that took a 2/3 job at another school and got paid as a retired long term sub and her retirement. Great teacher! I was sorry when she left after four or five years.
This was offered to them for more than a couple of years, I think. I know another who was an AP and continued to sub in that role--there were lots of lots of retirees working throughout the county. I think that by doing this, the state picked up their retirement and they were able to hire cheaper teachers for a while. There was some short term financial benefit for the county--but the greatest benefit were for those teachers. Many did not quit working--they just collected two incomes. And, now we are paying the piper.

What a disaster. Can Fairfax County do *anything* right, fiscally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS doesn't want to spend its money on personnel.

That's all FCPS spends money on - more than 90%of the Operations Budget goes to compensation. But look at how much money is going to pay rich benefits to the retired teachers. That's why there's nothing left to pay for more younger, active teachers.

For example, healthcare premiums that cost the retiree only $700 a month for an individual? Is that one of your rich benefits?

It's not my rich benefit - it's yours- although I get to pay for it with taxes that have trebled in 15 yrs. Talk to your neighbors who work or someone who owns their own business - your healthcare is a great benefit - and your ERFC is a great benefit and your VRS...