Reply to Feedback on Bridges PCS?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

There is probably less pay, benefits and job security compared to a DCPS position. Not a knock on Bridges but that is an issue at most, if not all, charter schools.

But no one seems to know, or at least hasn't said, where these teachers wound up. [/quote]

I am a former teacher. 
Bridges was good to me, so I won't drag the school through the mud. Charter schools generally pay several thousand less than DCPS. Bridges pays on the low end of average. Job security is the same as any place else. Annual contracts are sent out around spring. No one will ever say that the benefits are a selling point. They can't get the same rates that a larger charter system can. People stayed because of the commitment to the kids. At some point last year it stopped feeling like home. The warm and fuzzy feeling was gone. When it was a small school there was more teacher autonomy. Now that the school is growing into a fully fledged elementary school they want things to be more streamlined. In a lot of ways it reminds me of companies that revamp their brand and go in a different direction. That new direction didn't sit well with a lot of people so a lot of teachers left. The ones that I keep in contact with ended up at different charters. There may be a handful who went to DCPS. When people were talking about leaving last year, the big deterrent for DCPS was the hiring process. You don't need a license to teach at a charter, so some people weren't looking forward to taking the Praxis exams. There's also an essay, phone interview, demo lesson, and other hoops you have to go through to get into DCPS.

I still keep in touch with some of the teachers who stayed. The school doesn't sound any better or worse than it was last year. I'd probably still recommend it to my friends or relatives. [/quote]

This is spot-on.

[/quote]

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