Why are dozens of principals leaving Fairfax Co. schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who listed several changes Reid did and I totally agree about HR. They are awful! Can’t we outsource HR to get competent people?

I lost an amazing staff member because HR couldn’t give me a date when they would be meeting to place de-staffs. HR knows when the big placement meeting happens every year…yet fails to add a follow-up meeting among hiring specialists to place people. I could give several more examples, but they would be identifying. The whole hiring department process and staff need a re-vamp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

They have done multiple pay increases, including targeted ones for positions with hiring or retention challenges, such as bus drivers, subs and administrators.

They have made leave changes such as allowing sick leave to be taken before accrual and a leave bank.

They draft changed PD to reduce the required time.

They added planning time for ES teachers.

That’s off the top of my mind and I credit Reid, not the board, for those changes.

There have not been any changes to planning time for ES teachers, only discussion without real results. They did add pretests to some trainings, but they did not reduce the number in any way. The pay increases for teachers, at least, have been the expected step increases and cost of living adjustments. I think you are somewhat overstating her accomplishments.

The elementary planning came on the backs of giving specialists a larger workload at the expense of their other duties. She then said that she thought the issue was fixed at one of her listening sessions. Do not credit her with fixing planning time.

HR is a total mess. Giving people leave up front is a step in the right direction, but the gripes listed in the article are very real and are a direct result of an out of touch and unchecked HR department. The hiring process is disorganized and slow. The entire staffing process/meeting schedule remains a mess. Principals have no clearity around destaffs and have long wait times to get positions approved. Given that Reid has said that overstaffs will basically not happen next year, I doubt the hiring issues will be any better next year. More changes and more chaos.

Let me guess: You’re an SBTS. Cry me a river. I dare you to complain about your schedule to a classroom teacher. Even if you’re not an SBTS, I dare you to complain to a classroom teacher about planning time being “on your back” when you don’t have parent conferences, IEP meetings, field trips, and all the communications with parents.

[Anonymous]

I think all of this was borne out of Covid. Teachers and principals did not feel at all supported by FCPS main office during and after Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think all of this was borne out of Covid. Teachers and principals did not feel at all supported by FCPS main office during and after Covid.

Maybe. I think it’s more about the parents whose anxiety is through the roof. Look at the other thread about discipline. I know elementary principals who have every single suspension appealed. Their kid tears apart a classroom and they want to appeal a suspension because it might be on their record and stop them from getting into TJ (yes, this really has been said.) The amount of actual time and mental energy dealing with this on top of no one to hire/lesser quality teachers to support are all so much more to deal with than before COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Reid always seems nice to me in public. Is she not so nice in private, or is it more an issue of issuing directives with no real clue as to what principals would actually have to do to satisfy her demands?

I have witnessed her and her besties disregard the expertise and research of staff, so that she could get her visibility boosted instead. I have witnessed her lying to a school board member at a board meeting when asked if she was planning to do something.

She wants what she wants, and what she wants is credit and to look good, regardless of what other staff recommend, based on facts or research or the best interest of students and teachers. Why else do you think she sends those 10-page Sunday emails to staff blabbering on about nonsense? She plays a good game to seem like she is nice and all about our community and teachers, but don't be fooled.

As far as HR... The seem to put the pressure on recruitment, but really the problem is in the hiring process and everyone knows it. They need a ton more people in that area to get people through the bottleneck. The fact that the 'new' HR chief hasn't fixed this in the year she's been on board makes me think she is clueless. I hope not, but it sure doesn't seem to be getting better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

They have done multiple pay increases, including targeted ones for positions with hiring or retention challenges, such as bus drivers, subs and administrators.

They have made leave changes such as allowing sick leave to be taken before accrual and a leave bank.

They draft changed PD to reduce the required time.

They added planning time for ES teachers.

That’s off the top of my mind and I credit Reid, not the board, for those changes.

There have not been any changes to planning time for ES teachers, only discussion without real results. They did add pretests to some trainings, but they did not reduce the number in any way. The pay increases for teachers, at least, have been the expected step increases and cost of living adjustments. I think you are somewhat overstating her accomplishments.

+1 I don't see her addressing class sizes due to the teacher shortage FCPS is trying to ignore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

Actually they are. Principals at the top end of the scale just got a 5% raise in their October paycheck. That’s Reid’s doing.

That was because Youngkin's budget was late. It should have come earlier except he and his administration messed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Reid always seems nice to me in public. Is she not so nice in private, or is it more an issue of issuing directives with no real clue as to what principals would actually have to do to satisfy her demands?

I have witnessed her and her besties disregard the expertise and research of staff, so that she could get her visibility boosted instead. I have witnessed her lying to a school board member at a board meeting when asked if she was planning to do something.

She wants what she wants, and what she wants is credit and to look good, regardless of what other staff recommend, based on facts or research or the best interest of students and teachers. Why else do you think she sends those 10-page Sunday emails to staff blabbering on about nonsense? She plays a good game to seem like she is nice and all about our community and teachers, but don't be fooled.

As far as HR... The seem to put the pressure on recruitment, but really the problem is in the hiring process and everyone knows it. They need a ton more people in that area to get people through the bottleneck. The fact that the 'new' HR chief hasn't fixed this in the year she's been on board makes me think she is clueless. I hope not, but it sure doesn't seem to be getting better.

Let's address also that instead of working to retain staff FCPS acts like oh well another warm body will come along. No one cares in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

Actually they are. Principals at the top end of the scale just got a 5% raise in their October paycheck. That’s Reid’s doing.

That was because Youngkin's budget was late. It should have come earlier except he and his administration messed up.

Wrong raise. Administrators got a special raise earlier this fall (October?). The raise based on the late state budget is an additional 2% that takes effect in January.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

They have done multiple pay increases, including targeted ones for positions with hiring or retention challenges, such as bus drivers, subs and administrators.

They have made leave changes such as allowing sick leave to be taken before accrual and a leave bank.

They draft changed PD to reduce the required time.

They added planning time for ES teachers.

That’s off the top of my mind and I credit Reid, not the board, for those changes.

There have not been any changes to planning time for ES teachers, only discussion without real results. They did add pretests to some trainings, but they did not reduce the number in any way. The pay increases for teachers, at least, have been the expected step increases and cost of living adjustments. I think you are somewhat overstating her accomplishments.

The elementary planning came on the backs of giving specialists a larger workload at the expense of their other duties. She then said that she thought the issue was fixed at one of her listening sessions. Do not credit her with fixing planning time.

HR is a total mess. Giving people leave up front is a step in the right direction, but the gripes listed in the article are very real and are a direct result of an out of touch and unchecked HR department. The hiring process is disorganized and slow. The entire staffing process/meeting schedule remains a mess. Principals have no clearity around destaffs and have long wait times to get positions approved. Given that Reid has said that overstaffs will basically not happen next year, I doubt the hiring issues will be any better next year. More changes and more chaos.

Let me guess: You’re an SBTS. Cry me a river. I dare you to complain about your schedule to a classroom teacher. Even if you’re not an SBTS, I dare you to complain to a classroom teacher about planning time being “on your back” when you don’t have parent conferences, IEP meetings, field trips, and all the communications with parents.

Not an SBTS. At some schools, people like counselors and AARTs and Librarians were pulled into the master for hours and hours. Those people do indeed have parent communications and IEPs or other school programming they run.
But thanks for the us vs. them mentality. This thread is about principals leaving. Many of the specialists run things that the principal or AP have to have a hand in if the specialists are now spending time covering planning time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

Actually they are. Principals at the top end of the scale just got a 5% raise in their October paycheck. That’s Reid’s doing.

Raising salaries doesn’t solve FCPS problems. You all know that, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

Actually they are. Principals at the top end of the scale just got a 5% raise in their October paycheck. That’s Reid’s doing.

That was because Youngkin's budget was late. It should have come earlier except he and his administration messed up.

No, that’s about the 2% raise that’s coming in January to everyone.

[Anonymous]

And yet, the percentage of teachers and school leaders leaving FCPS is lower than the state and national averages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

They have done multiple pay increases, including targeted ones for positions with hiring or retention challenges, such as bus drivers, subs and administrators.

They have made leave changes such as allowing sick leave to be taken before accrual and a leave bank.

They draft changed PD to reduce the required time.

They added planning time for ES teachers.

That’s off the top of my mind and I credit Reid, not the board, for those changes.

There have not been any changes to planning time for ES teachers, only discussion without real results. They did add pretests to some trainings, but they did not reduce the number in any way. The pay increases for teachers, at least, have been the expected step increases and cost of living adjustments. I think you are somewhat overstating her accomplishments.

The elementary planning came on the backs of giving specialists a larger workload at the expense of their other duties. She then said that she thought the issue was fixed at one of her listening sessions. Do not credit her with fixing planning time.

HR is a total mess. Giving people leave up front is a step in the right direction, but the gripes listed in the article are very real and are a direct result of an out of touch and unchecked HR department. The hiring process is disorganized and slow. The entire staffing process/meeting schedule remains a mess. Principals have no clearity around destaffs and have long wait times to get positions approved. Given that Reid has said that overstaffs will basically not happen next year, I doubt the hiring issues will be any better next year. More changes and more chaos.

Let me guess: You’re an SBTS. Cry me a river. I dare you to complain about your schedule to a classroom teacher. Even if you’re not an SBTS, I dare you to complain to a classroom teacher about planning time being “on your back” when you don’t have parent conferences, IEP meetings, field trips, and all the communications with parents.

Not an SBTS. At some schools, people like counselors and AARTs and Librarians were pulled into the master for hours and hours. Those people do indeed have parent communications and IEPs or other school programming they run.
But thanks for the us vs. them mentality. This thread is about principals leaving. Many of the specialists run things that the principal or AP have to have a hand in if the specialists are now spending time covering planning time.

No, AARTs and librarians have absolutely nothing to do with IEPs. Librarians do not have to email parents or have conferences whatsoever. You’re completely clueless and probably don’t even work in a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the whatever is causing people to leave started well before Dr. Reid started six months ago. Think back to Brabrand - he was a MESS.

YES! FCPS has been a MESS for a long time. Teachers and principals are done. FCPS is a crappy work environment. And Gatehouse is filled with a bunch of tone deaf do nothings. This will get worse because FCPS is doing nothing to make people want to stay.

Yes you are correct. FCPS is full of large, weird, corrupt a$$holes that should not be employed. How these idiots are in charge of small kids is beyond comprehension.