Fairfax County--in the top 10 worst places for a teacher to work

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

I know one teacher who was on maternity leave three times in 4 years. And not over the summer either. During the school year. Appears to have taken the job for the benefits since her husband had a good job.

Prior PP here. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about. I know a teacher who did the same. Yearlong maternity leave, three times in a row. She still has her decently-paying job.

NOT true. FCPS does not allow three years of paid maternity leave. They two allow 2 years of UNPAID childcare leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

Everyone you know is not everyone who works at FCPS. Certainly not the case for those we know at FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

While writing curricula could be considered “training,” it is viewed as being hired for completing work. So, yes, you should be paid. However, a training session in which you attend something, you generally are not compensated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has insanely good benefits and for everyone I know who works there, it's a second salary -- wife works FCPS, husband does something higher-paying but less secure (much like the DC families who have one fed for the stability and one private sector for the cash).

I know one teacher who was on maternity leave three times in 4 years. And not over the summer either. During the school year. Appears to have taken the job for the benefits since her husband had a good job.

Only two weeks of it each time was paid leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

While writing curricula could be considered “training,” it is viewed as being hired for completing work. So, yes, you should be paid. However, a training session in which you attend something, you generally are not compensated.

I didn't mean to imply that writing curricula = training; naturally, it does not. However, there are a variety of professional reasons for which teachers can be paid during the summer months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

While writing curricula could be considered “training,” it is viewed as being hired for completing work. So, yes, you should be paid. However, a training session in which you attend something, you generally are not compensated.

I didn't mean to imply that writing curricula = training; naturally, it does not. However, there are a variety of professional reasons for which teachers can be paid during the summer months.

Yes, and that would be considered employment beyond your contract. Kind of like some teachers get a part time job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

While writing curricula could be considered “training,” it is viewed as being hired for completing work. So, yes, you should be paid. However, a training session in which you attend something, you generally are not compensated.

I didn't mean to imply that writing curricula = training; naturally, it does not. However, there are a variety of professional reasons for which teachers can be paid during the summer months.

Did you have to go to all this training? I have worked in FCPS and I have never gone to training for 2+ weeks over the summer. There are certainly 1-3 day workshops offered by the county that I could attend, and I am sure I could find longer trainings outside of FCPS, but nothing is mandatory. I am wondering which of these schools is requiring their teachers to go to 2+ weeks of unpaid professional development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

While writing curricula could be considered “training,” it is viewed as being hired for completing work. So, yes, you should be paid. However, a training session in which you attend something, you generally are not compensated.

I didn't mean to imply that writing curricula = training; naturally, it does not. However, there are a variety of professional reasons for which teachers can be paid during the summer months.

Did you have to go to all this training? I have worked in FCPS and I have never gone to training for 2+ weeks over the summer. There are certainly 1-3 day workshops offered by the county that I could attend, and I am sure I could find longer trainings outside of FCPS, but nothing is mandatory. I am wondering which of these schools is requiring their teachers to go to 2+ weeks of unpaid professional development.

That should have said, "I have worked in FCPS for 15 years..."

[Anonymous]

How can we as parents help retain good teachers in this case? Fundraising? Donations toward teachers salary, what can we do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can we as parents help retain good teachers in this case? Fundraising? Donations toward teachers salary, what can we do?

Write and call your County Supervisor and insist they fully fund the school budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous



I think summers off is a big enough perk.

Just double-checking...you do understand that it's a furlough system, right? Teachers aren't paid for the entire summer. That is not the same as "summers off." "Summers off" would be paid leave.
Teachers are under contract from Sept-June, then have to give back their work IDs, their keys to buildings and classrooms, etc. until the following fall. They are not paid for any training they go to over the summer (for me, that was two weeks of unpaid training last summer; much more for other teachers I know).

Not true. I have written curricula for our school over the summer and that was a paid thing.

While writing curricula could be considered “training,” it is viewed as being hired for completing work. So, yes, you should be paid. However, a training session in which you attend something, you generally are not compensated.

I didn't mean to imply that writing curricula = training; naturally, it does not. However, there are a variety of professional reasons for which teachers can be paid during the summer months.

Did you have to go to all this training? I have worked in FCPS and I have never gone to training for 2+ weeks over the summer. There are certainly 1-3 day workshops offered by the county that I could attend, and I am sure I could find longer trainings outside of FCPS, but nothing is mandatory. I am wondering which of these schools is requiring their teachers to go to 2+ weeks of unpaid professional development.

Another teacher here (21+ years), and I have never been required to complete training in the summer.

For years I taught summer school, but that was an additional contract. Now I don't do anything work related during the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can we as parents help retain good teachers in this case? Fundraising? Donations toward teachers salary, what can we do?

Write and call your County Supervisor and insist they fully fund the school budget.

PLEASE DO THIS!!! I really need good teachers that can afford to stay here. This past summer, I had several decline offers when they looked at the pay and realized how much it cost to live in this area. It was painful.

--an FCPS administrator

[Anonymous]

I got an email today from the superintendent's office. The study was adjusted and FCPS is now up to 98th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got an email today from the superintendent's office. The study was adjusted and FCPS is now up to 98th.

Yes, after the adjustment, out of 125 school districts, it ranks 98th. A little better, but not much.