When a large number of teachers leave a school in one year

[Anonymous]

Anyone know if the policy regarding admin transfers will change? Also wondering if there will be more training for principals....

[Anonymous]

I guess no one knows? New super has his work cut out for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess no one knows? New super has his work cut out for him.

How would anyone who is not in central office or an administrator know if there are plans to change the transfer process among admins?

[Anonymous]

There used to be someone in central who would post in this forum. I think it was the pubkic information officer? maybe someone else monitors these boards. I do know that At one middle school, something like 15 percent of the staff is leaving this year. That's strange,even factoring in retirements and moves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There used to be someone in central who would post in this forum. I think it was the pubkic information officer? maybe someone else monitors these boards. I do know that At one middle school, something like 15 percent of the staff is leaving this year. That's strange,even factoring in retirements and moves.

Dana Tofig responded in a handful of threads, but he's not listed in the MCPS directory, so it seems he moved along too.

[Anonymous]

That's funny. Very apropos given the theme of this thread. There is no one left to post!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay. So everyone agrees unhappy teachers do not make for a good school experience for the kids. We know that, no one here is being naive about that, so whoever suggested it needs to readjust their glasses and re-read the thread.

Our ES has had a bunch of teachers leave this year. Two are great teachers and we're sad to see them go. One is a miserable old harridan who shouts constantly - she is retiring and we're glad to see her go. Another one or two have had babies and are relocating to new jobs, to be nearer family.

Should I suspect there is something adrift at school because of these exists? No, of course not.

Parents get bent out of shape because they think that keeping the same teachers all the way through gives continuity of teaching, curriculum, culture. When in fact it does not. They are having a knee jerk reaction because they bought their house in the W cluster (as did we, I should add) and think because they "bought into"that neighborhood that it should always be as "good" as when the money was laid down.

But teachers moving around doesn't make the school any less. Sometimes the new teachers are the great ones, with relevant experience and things to prove.

Jesus wept.

I believe that parents get upset when teachers leave because they are resistant to change. Also, many parents in the Whitman cluster have built relationships with many of the teachers who have taught long term in their elementary school. So in a way, the culture does change when the old guard leaves. In my experience, some of the newly hired teachers have been the best teachers my kids have had. At first I have felt unsettled that tried and true teachers have left, but as long as the new teachers are great, I am happy and relieved. I think it's natural to feel upset about large numbers of teachers leaving a school. I also believe it is reasonable for everyone to have high expectations for their kids' schools W schools or not.

[Anonymous]

Agree but if you could somehow stop the exodus of good teachers wouldn't you want to, whether it's Pyle, a W elementary feeder, or any other school? I think it's a sign that a school needs more support in some area--the specific need would be different in every situation of course. I am talking about any school in the county, not just the ones my kids attend, which isn't even a W school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, I saw this happen twice, and each time was a situation in which a newly appointed head/principal was inept. In one case, a newly appointed head bullied teachers and seemed genuinely mentally ill, and in the other case, the head was nice enough, just really incapable of asserting herself or making/sticking to any kind of decision or disciplinary support.

I'm pretty sure at least two full grades of teachers are leaving Jackson Road ES, in Silver Spring. Will MCPS notice/care? No idea.

I don't understand how the principal hasn't been fired yet! This is unacceptable!

[Anonymous]

It also happened at Burnt Mills ES years ago, when the entire Spanish Immersion group left not once but twice. The former principal also got rid of excellent teachers (music, media) by telling them that their allocations had gone down, put them on involuntary transfer, had them go elsewhere and then get the allocations up just prior to the start of the new school to fill the position with people of her choice, mostly new to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It also happened at Burnt Mills ES years ago, when the entire Spanish Immersion group left not once but twice. The former principal also got rid of excellent teachers (music, media) by telling them that their allocations had gone down, put them on involuntary transfer, had them go elsewhere and then get the allocations up just prior to the start of the new school to fill the position with people of her choice, mostly new to MCPS.

Okay, but the change in allocation happens frequently. They probably did go down and putting them on involuntary transfer gave them the best options for finding new jobs. Allocations are re-evaluated before the new year starts. We lost a K class, and the teacher changed schools. Now, two months later, we've been re-allocated an additional K class because of late enrollments. That K teacher is long gone, so the only available teachers are those new to MCPS. The principal in that case sounds like she did nothing other than standard procedure. She didn't know the allocations would go back up.

[Anonymous]

pp, when a non-classroom (art, music, PE, media) full time allocation goes down to 0.8 in a particular school, HR finds an additional 0.2 allocation elsewhere for that teacher, Instead the teachers were put on involuntary transfer and were forced out of their location.

[Anonymous]

this is from earlier in the thread, but what's happening at Pyle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:pp, when a non-classroom (art, music, PE, media) full time allocation goes down to 0.8 in a particular school, HR finds an additional 0.2 allocation elsewhere for that teacher, Instead the teachers were put on involuntary transfer and were forced out of their location.

How close are you to the situation? I know the process quite well, and many, many teachers would choose involuntary transfer as a 1.0 than deal with having two different schools. Especially if, as you say, the BMES principal was difficult to deal with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this is from earlier in the thread, but what's happening at Pyle?

I'd like to know if this is a real thing. How many teachers? Parents should have access to these numbers instead of having to figure it out through the community rumor mill.