Reply to MCPS faces Teacher shortage next year

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We need to know why we have a shortage before we can even begin to fix the problem.

Is there legit data?

Blaming retirement and typical turnover isn’t a good answer; that’s something that happens each year and schools should be able to plan to increase the pipeline years in advance.

Are neighboring districts more attractive? Better pay/benefits? Better cost of living? More desirable for other reasons? Are shifting demographics and behavior issues playing a role? Poor leadership at the school? Frustrating curriculum?

I’m not a teacher, but I have a few kids in mcps (plus a fairly recent mcps grad). I’m also essentially a lifelong MoCo resident. Full disclosure: I attended private schools. My day job entails policy work and I am intimately familiar with the County’s budget woes which have been dramatically impacted by shifting demographics—primarily the affluent tax base retiring, dying, or opting for VA while our immigrant and 1st Gen population grows. MoCo doesn’t have money to boost teacher pay, and mcps simply isn’t the most desirable employer in the region the way it was 20+ years ago.

I hope the county realizes this and takes action.

Fun fact: the perception of bad schools impacts housing.[/quote]
[b]
The county has plenty of  money for their pet projects.  I'm sure if someone did a real audit they could cut out a lot of wasteful spending and find the money for teacher pay raises and school repairs.[/b]  [/quote]

So, SO true.  The money is there.  MCPS just spends the money on useless initiatives and random other expenses that don’t directly benefit students.  No oversight, despite the ginormous budget, so MCPS can spend taxpayer money any way it wants without any accountability.  [/quote]

I left county long ago but gave 30 years of money to them as a resident.  The issue that is central is an inspector general specifically for MCPS.  Until that happens you are simply going to continue seeing hookups.[/quote]

[b]+1 Central Office employees make top dollar and even received an extra week of vacation last year. Very little vacancies there.[/b]

Teacher and support staff wages aren’t even keeping up with inflation and the cost of living in Montgomery County. It’s simple economics why school staff positions are not being filled. The salary doesn’t attract college students to these fields and those college students that choose education are attracted to areas where they can work and live. [/quote]

MCPS school-based staff here - I often think of the movie poster for Sandra Bullock's Bird Box with her in a blindfold every time I think about some staff members at central office.  The constant attempt to just throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks without actually getting in the trenches at schools is mind-blowing to me.  I'm not naive, I know that they have heard that schools are a train wreck right now but you rarely ever see them step foot in a school building.  You need to be visiting classrooms constantly to create effective plans for school improvement and curriculum implementation.  Our teachers are drowning right now with low morale, lack of subs, crappy Benchmark and kids in so much crisis.[/quote]

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