De Staff

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the school board.

This is what happens when school enrollment drops across the board.

What’s frustrating is they would rather have 3 larger classes than 4 smaller ones because of $$$. Even after the loss of learning and the benefit to smaller sizes.

If you can provide some info that people could use to contact the school board to prove this (or if you were willing to go to the local media), I'm sure parents would happily help you push for smaller classes.

The thing is this decision course is not new and not pandemic linked. Perhaps your school was not already in this state, but our Vienna school has four kindergarten classes of 30 children every year. They start the classes at 25 or 26 for the first day of school and by Christmas there’s 30 in every class. The same thing happens every year because we are in a transient area. They could plan toward it and hire one more teacher but they never ever do. They told me the classes wouldn’t be as crowded after kindergarten because the lack of an aid means they can’t put as many students in. And boom, our first grade class was 29…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the school board.

This is what happens when school enrollment drops across the board.

What’s frustrating is they would rather have 3 larger classes than 4 smaller ones because of $$$. Even after the loss of learning and the benefit to smaller sizes.

If you can provide some info that people could use to contact the school board to prove this (or if you were willing to go to the local media), I'm sure parents would happily help you push for smaller classes.

The thing is this decision course is not new and not pandemic linked. Perhaps your school was not already in this state, but our Vienna school has four kindergarten classes of 30 children every year. They start the classes at 25 or 26 for the first day of school and by Christmas there’s 30 in every class. The same thing happens every year because we are in a transient area. They could plan toward it and hire one more teacher but they never ever do. They told me the classes wouldn’t be as crowded after kindergarten because the lack of an aid means they can’t put as many students in. And boom, our first grade class was 29…

FCPS needs to approve that extra FTE and at 25-26, they probably wont. Then by the time the classes are up to 29-30, they're worried that their parents won't want to split the kids (@6 from each class) up to make a new class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the school board.

This is what happens when school enrollment drops across the board.

What’s frustrating is they would rather have 3 larger classes than 4 smaller ones because of $$$. Even after the loss of learning and the benefit to smaller sizes.

If you can provide some info that people could use to contact the school board to prove this (or if you were willing to go to the local media), I'm sure parents would happily help you push for smaller classes.

The thing is this decision course is not new and not pandemic linked. Perhaps your school was not already in this state, but our Vienna school has four kindergarten classes of 30 children every year. They start the classes at 25 or 26 for the first day of school and by Christmas there’s 30 in every class. The same thing happens every year because we are in a transient area. They could plan toward it and hire one more teacher but they never ever do. They told me the classes wouldn’t be as crowded after kindergarten because the lack of an aid means they can’t put as many students in. And boom, our first grade class was 29…

We're transient the other way (military). In early August we have 3 kindergarten classes and then a week before school starts that extra person registers and we suddenly get a 4th kindergarten. Almost every year. I don't know what you teach, OP, but there are tons of openings. Check the website and call a school. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was de staffed officially. Admin basically said we don’t have the position and good luck. Nothing from HR yet I’m supposed to be at great beginnings Monday. WTH?

I am beyond discouraged.

I am so sorry op! That really sucks. Will they be placing you in another school automatically? If not you could start calling around. I thought with destaffing they usually automatically place you somewhere else though. Just be ready for Monday morning! Good luck op.

[Anonymous]

My child's ES has a ton of openings but they are being filled - every week we get an email introducing a new teacher.

[Anonymous]

This would happen to my mother in the late 80s and early 90s in NY. I remember how stressed she would be waiting for the phone call for her placement. Once I was in the kitchen with her and the call came and I could hear her relief, that she got a choice. She’s long retired now and some of her closest friends are those she met through the years in different buildings. It will be okay, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was de staffed officially. Admin basically said we don’t have the position and good luck. Nothing from HR yet I’m supposed to be at great beginnings Monday. WTH?

I am beyond discouraged.

I am so sorry op! That really sucks. Will they be placing you in another school automatically? If not you could start calling around. I thought with destaffing they usually automatically place you somewhere else though. Just be ready for Monday morning! Good luck op.

I guess they are supposed to but I haven’t heard anything from HR. So I’m reaching out to principals on my own.

[Anonymous]

I've been destaffed several times.. if you have a contract, I would think they have to assign you someplace. It will happen. But... I wouldnt put it past HR at all to wait until the day before teachers report to tell you. They will tell you they're looking for the best situation for you... but they really mean they're holding out as long as possible to find the best scenario for their own puzzle.

[Anonymous]

If you join as a new teacher, and the following year(s) other teachers join the department who are new to FCPS but have more experience because they transferred from another system, who has more seniority? The new teacher who's been in FCPS longer or the teacher who joins at a higher step?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you join as a new teacher, and the following year(s) other teachers join the department who are new to FCPS but have more experience because they transferred from another system, who has more seniority? The new teacher who's been in FCPS longer or the teacher who joins at a higher step?

It is based on continuous service in Fairfax County, not the step.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you join as a new teacher, and the following year(s) other teachers join the department who are new to FCPS but have more experience because they transferred from another system, who has more seniority? The new teacher who's been in FCPS longer or the teacher who joins at a higher step?

The destaff list is created by HR based on their years with FCPS. Principals can "save" someone from de-staffing with justification then go to the next one on the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can thank the school board.

This is what happens when school enrollment drops across the board.

What’s frustrating is they would rather have 3 larger classes than 4 smaller ones because of $$$. Even after the loss of learning and the benefit to smaller sizes.

If you can provide some info that people could use to contact the school board to prove this (or if you were willing to go to the local media), I'm sure parents would happily help you push for smaller classes.

There are formulas for determining number of classes based on minimums and maximums. The maximum and minimum size classes have increased in the past 15 or so years. The board sets the formula and the minimums and maximums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you join as a new teacher, and the following year(s) other teachers join the department who are new to FCPS but have more experience because they transferred from another system, who has more seniority? The new teacher who's been in FCPS longer or the teacher who joins at a higher step?

It is based on continuous service in Fairfax County, not the step.

Yep. You can have only 2 years experience but both are in FCPS and you’re ahead of a 15 year veteran who has only done 1 year in FCPS. I’m in LCPS and a teacher at our school did 12 years in FCPS, switched to LCPS, and got destaffed after a year over more novice teachers because she was only a first year employee in LCPS.

[Anonymous]

Add without getting into too much detail, the position description matters as well, which I think is obvious. If you have one music teacher who is new, that teacher does not get bumped because there are fewer 3rd graders than expected and a classroom FTE is destaffed. Sounds obvious, but just throwing it out there. Things can look fishy when they are not. Not saying there are not fishy things that happen, but some people jump to conclusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Add without getting into too much detail, the position description matters as well, which I think is obvious. If you have one music teacher who is new, that teacher does not get bumped because there are fewer 3rd graders than expected and a classroom FTE is destaffed. Sounds obvious, but just throwing it out there. Things can look fishy when they are not. Not saying there are not fishy things that happen, but some people jump to conclusions.

Right. Mine was pretty cut and dry. They projected so many kids and were granted a 4th class and then didn’t have those kids and the class is gone. Lol just frustrating but par for the course. There was just no way to know for sure back when I was hired so I don’t know what else I could have done to be secure in the job.