How is FCPS teacher/staff shortage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think things will be better. There will be too much. To do and not enough time. Admin will continue to expect more and the stress of trying to do it all and being dinged when you can’t will burn us out.

With all of the meetings and requirements before school starts and through September, I’ve been starting off recent school years already behind.

We just received an email listing 11 online trainings that need to be completed by the end of September. Hoo-ray.

2 Teachers

I only have 10 online trainings! Am I being denied some super fun?

I have 10 too, but the stupid kognito one doesn’t even work. I went through the rigamarole of creating a separate account and filling out my profile, only for it to display, “that training is not available”. Lol, of course it’s not.

Maybe because your contract hasn’t started yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think things will be better. There will be too much. To do and not enough time. Admin will continue to expect more and the stress of trying to do it all and being dinged when you can’t will burn us out.

With all of the meetings and requirements before school starts and through September, I’ve been starting off recent school years already behind.

We just received an email listing 11 online trainings that need to be completed by the end of September. Hoo-ray.

2 Teachers

I only have 10 online trainings! Am I being denied some super fun?

1) Understanding The Regulations Governing The Use Of Restraint and Seclusion (De-escalation Level 1) DLRS_Restraint_Seclusion_2022-23 01 Sep 22
2) Anaphylaxis Awareness for All Staff DLRS_Anaphylaxis_Awareness_FCPS_Staff_2022-23 30 Sep 22
3) Essential Practices for ELs: Knowing Our English Language Learners DLRS_Essential_Practices_ELs_2022-23 30 Sep 22
4) FBA/BIP Overview DLRS_FBA_BIP_Overview 30 Sep 22
5) FCPS - Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect DLRS_Reporting_Child_Abuse_Neglect_2022-23 30 Sep 22
6) FCPS Classroom Safety DLRS_ FCPS_Classroom_Safety_2022-26 30 Sep 22
7) FCPS Trust Policy Training DLRS_FCPS_Trust_Policy 30 Sep 22
8) Fostering Safe and Caring Schools Training DLRS_Safe_Caring_Schools_Training 30 Sep 22
9) Introduction to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) DLRS_Intro_FOIA 30 Sep 22
10) MTSS Attendance Updates DLRS_MTSS Attendance_Team_Updates_Admins 30 Sep 22
11) Title IX Reporting Obligations for All PreK - 12 Employees DLRS_Title_IX_Reporting_Obligations_2022-23

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:107 K-6 Homeroom positions listed. Looks like many students will have long term subs starting the year.

It’s only July. A lot of positions will get filled in August.

My school has 1 upper elementary opening listed. We have 6 vacancies. We have 1 sped opening listing. We have 4 vacancies. Teachers report in 1 month. Some of these vacancies are slots they’ve been trying to fill since April. And the IA shortage is just as dire. I honestly don’t know why anyone who would be an effective IA would take the job for the pittance they are paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:107 K-6 Homeroom positions listed. Looks like many students will have long term subs starting the year.

It’s only July. A lot of positions will get filled in August.

My school has 1 upper elementary opening listed. We have 6 vacancies. We have 1 sped opening listing. We have 4 vacancies. Teachers report in 1 month. Some of these vacancies are slots they’ve been trying to fill since April. And the IA shortage is just as dire. I honestly don’t know why anyone who would be an effective IA would take the job for the pittance they are paid.

Can a teacher reach retirement, retire, and then go back as an IA while drawing a pension or does that mess up the pension payments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they should drop the requirement of having a college degree like they did in Arizona. I’m sure that brought in some warm bodies to babysit the kiddos.

I think a college degree should be enough. Allow for on-the-job training and provisional license.

This is what they already do. But where are they going to get the staff for on-the-job training? And you still need to get people who have some experience with children or you are going to have really problematic situations.

+1, and the teachers with “on-the-job training” don’t stay long because they also have to balance work and school to actually get their license. It gets too much to bear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:107 K-6 Homeroom positions listed. Looks like many students will have long term subs starting the year.

It’s only July. A lot of positions will get filled in August.

My school has 1 upper elementary opening listed. We have 6 vacancies. We have 1 sped opening listing. We have 4 vacancies. Teachers report in 1 month. Some of these vacancies are slots they’ve been trying to fill since April. And the IA shortage is just as dire. I honestly don’t know why anyone who would be an effective IA would take the job for the pittance they are paid.

Can a teacher reach retirement, retire, and then go back as an IA while drawing a pension or does that mess up the pension payments?

They can but many don’t want to, they want to enjoy retirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:107 K-6 Homeroom positions listed. Looks like many students will have long term subs starting the year.

It’s only July. A lot of positions will get filled in August.

My school has 1 upper elementary opening listed. We have 6 vacancies. We have 1 sped opening listing. We have 4 vacancies. Teachers report in 1 month. Some of these vacancies are slots they’ve been trying to fill since April. And the IA shortage is just as dire. I honestly don’t know why anyone who would be an effective IA would take the job for the pittance they are paid.

Can a teacher reach retirement, retire, and then go back as an IA while drawing a pension or does that mess up the pension payments?

They can but many don’t want to, they want to enjoy retirement.

+1. Many IA jobs are a lot harder than they used to be. You end up handling some really tough behaviors or “subbing” for weeks at a time because the classroom doesn’t have a regular teacher and there are no subs. If someone is retirement age, they probably don’t want to take that on for the privilege of making $45,000 per year. Yes, that is the top of the IA scale regardless of experience or years of service. You’re much better off tutoring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:107 K-6 Homeroom positions listed. Looks like many students will have long term subs starting the year.

It’s only July. A lot of positions will get filled in August.

My school has 1 upper elementary opening listed. We have 6 vacancies. We have 1 sped opening listing. We have 4 vacancies. Teachers report in 1 month. Some of these vacancies are slots they’ve been trying to fill since April. And the IA shortage is just as dire. I honestly don’t know why anyone who would be an effective IA would take the job for the pittance they are paid.

Can a teacher reach retirement, retire, and then go back as an IA while drawing a pension or does that mess up the pension payments?

They can but many don’t want to, they want to enjoy retirement.

+1. Many IA jobs are a lot harder than they used to be. You end up handling some really tough behaviors or “subbing” for weeks at a time because the classroom doesn’t have a regular teacher and there are no subs. If someone is retirement age, they probably don’t want to take that on for the privilege of making $45,000 per year. Yes, that is the top of the IA scale regardless of experience or years of service. You’re much better off tutoring.

Thanks. I’m an ES teacher approaching 30 years with FCPS and I’ve been debating whether to retire a few years early and then possibly sub. I wasn’t sure if a retiree could work more than as a substitute and still draw retirement.

[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:107 K-6 Homeroom positions listed. Looks like many students will have long term subs starting the year.

If your child has an actual teacher, will the spillover effects of having other kids in the school without a teacher affect them? I think my kid will have a teacher since I do a lot of volunteering, but wondering what else I should do to mitigate the situation for her.

100%

I'm a FCPS teacher. We have four 5th grade classes at my school. Only 2 of those classrooms had teachers this last school year. Only one of those rooms missing a teacher got a permanent sub and that didn't happen until after winter break.

When my kids were at PE, music, library, or art, instead of being able to use that time to return parent emails/calls and plan, I had to go into one of the other classrooms that was missing a teacher and help teach. Basically reinforce topics that students may not have fully understood under the sub. I don't know if this was standard practice at all FCPS classes without a permanent teacher, but the ones in my school without one had several quizzes each week. That's what gave us the guidelines of what the students may not have grasped from the sub.

If your kid doesn't get a permanent teacher this year, I'd fight tooth & nail to get them into a class with one. Kids in classrooms without teachers are being shortchanged. They are being promoted to the next grade wildly unprepared!

Yup. Different teacher. We did sub plans the majority of the year too and graded for a class without a teacher. It was really hard and overwhelming. In my opinion, the county should put all instructional coaches and resource teachers in classrooms so no kid has a sub. That should be the priority.

What is an instructional coach? What is a resource teacher? If a resource teacher is a specials teacher, I don't see how they can just cancel art and music classes.

Instructional Coaches are certified teachers who support instruction and teachers. They often look at data and help teams make decisions. Resource Teachers often pull reading/math groups all day. You are looking at 300 teachers not with kids all day that could help alleviate the issue by going back into the classroom.

Our school's two resource teachers are with kids all day. If you get rid of them, you are going to get sued for not meeting IEP needs

+1 Resource teachers are very hands-on and needed to help with the shortage of special education teachers and lighten the load of the other teachers. Instructional coaches could go back into the classroom but there's not that many of them to make a difference and they do a lot of the data crunching that other teachers often complain about having to do. I think instructional coaches could reasonably go to classes part-time and then do all the data work for their schools and it would work out okay. Or they could be tasked as close mentors/class supports for all the long-term subs who are teaching instead of the other full-time teachers.

There are over 100 instructional coaches in FCPS. The priority should always be the kids. If staffing is an issue, then instructional coaches should be cut. The county needs to prioritize.

I don't know--if there are a lot of underprepared long-term subs as teachers they might need instructional coaches more than ever. An instructional coach who can support the curriculum planning and teaching of 10 long-term subs might be more effective than having them teach 1 class. Maybe they can do a hybrid? I know last year, instructional coaches were often "floaters" teaching classes on an as-needed basis throughout their schools.

Have the other teachers in the grade help them subs.

They do that too and it's a big lift to ask another teacher who likely is already handling more than usual.

They do and this adds to burn out....you are carrying your own class and someone else's

[Anonymous]

https://wtop.com/local/2022/07/breaking-point-dc-area-school-systems-grapple-with-teacher-resignations/

‘Breaking point’ — DC-area school systems grapple with teacher resignations

[Anonymous]

Principal here. It is bad. There are some schools with 10 or more vacancies. You may see one post on the vacancy list, but that could equal 2 or more positions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principal here. It is bad. There are some schools with 10 or more vacancies. You may see one post on the vacancy list, but that could equal 2 or more positions.

I just wish they would process my transfer. It’s been approved, but it’s been 2 months in the works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principal here. It is bad. There are some schools with 10 or more vacancies. You may see one post on the vacancy list, but that could equal 2 or more positions.

Serious question: What happens next if certain positions can’t be filled? This seems like something the School Board and BOS should be addressing immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principal here. It is bad. There are some schools with 10 or more vacancies. You may see one post on the vacancy list, but that could equal 2 or more positions.

Serious question: What happens next if certain positions can’t be filled? This seems like something the School Board and BOS should be addressing immediately.

I agree. What if they can't get teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principal here. It is bad. There are some schools with 10 or more vacancies. You may see one post on the vacancy list, but that could equal 2 or more positions.

Serious question: What happens next if certain positions can’t be filled? This seems like something the School Board and BOS should be addressing immediately.

I agree. What if they can't get teachers?

Would also love to know this!