Do labor unions have other objectives regarding the work and the people who carry it out?

Which of those functions actually apply to public schools? It’s not like APS or ACPS have any real financial driver for “the bottom line.” We’re not building cars here, APS isn’t trying to squeeze their teachers in the name of higher profits. When teachers and staff started leaving the district, the APS brass finally got their collective thumbs out of their asses and realized they needed to, you know, compete. It didn’t take a union. Every time there’s a budget shortfall, they just boo-hoo to the county for another bond or more money, and they get it! Efficiency isn’t even remotely in the vocabulary of NoVA school systems.

APS management are, with few exceptions, an insular group of ineffective and rudderless dunces who petered their way to the top. When I look at people like Ingrid Grant, it’s really just more of that, and it makes my job harder because I’m actually trying to do it while being surrounded by people who are there to collect a paycheck and go home. The AEA website isn’t even working right now.

Don’t even get me started on Hutchings, who is so above the problems plaguing his own district that he sends his kids to private school. But sure, let’s collectively bargain so more of these idiots can coast their way to “leadership.”

Due to my kids’ rec basketball and ASA futsal I am frequently inside ACPS schools (and in some of the attached rec centers) from lower schools all the way to the high school several times a week. This weekend I was at GW and Jeff Houston, last weekend Hammond, JH and MCVS, before that Leonard Chick, GW (you get the idea). I am usually only in the gyms and adjacent areas, like the bathroom. My kids do not attend ACPS so I don’t know what occurs during a school day.

9 times out of 10 the girls bathrooms are disgusting, especially at Hammond and GW. GW had several stalls with just a hole where the toilet used to be, no soap, no paper towels and the trash was overflowing. The floor in the main gym STILL has a section that is broken, almost like a hole in the floor and I am so anxious some kid is going to break their ankle in it.

Hammond, bathroom full of trash, a sink missing, no soap, no hot water.

JH seems the nicest probably because it’s the newest and the bathroom is very small by the gym and it’s next to several admin offices so no funny kid business probably goes on in there.

It’s painful to see the environment these kids are in for their school. My tax dollars should be going to make a better environment for them. It really is shameful that Alexandria government can get laser focused on the most minute and mundane issue but allow their public school system to treat the kids this way. It was as serious reason why we went private.

Anonymous wrote:I think the grounds are particularly bad. Must not be a priority for janitorial staff, or maybe there is no staff to do that? I’ve been inside several ACPS elementary schools and they are well maintained. Not new, but pride and care has been taken. Even if the outside looks bad.

You might want to look a little closer at those ES.

Pre-covid, our ES PTA (George Mason) was taken into the basement by the then principal to see the electrical panel in standing water and the sewage tank that regularly overflowed. They showed the pictures at a couple of meetings.

No one seemed to get upset by it though. Parents around here just generally accept the poor condition of the schools (both physical and academic).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

Ignorant comment. Arlington pays as much as or more than anyone else in the DC area. They're not union yet, but once they are you can count on quality improving compared to schools in the area that are not unionized. Unions attract better employees. Your last sentence is the only one that might make some sense.

When we say "ACPS" it is usually referring to Alexandria, not Arlington. But anyway, I am an APS (Arlington) staff member, have no desire at all to join a union, and don't think an additional bureaucratic machine that protects low-performing employees is what APS needs right now.

Is this the function of a labor union?

Well, yes, in some cases.

Do labor unions have other objectives regarding the work and the people who carry it out?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

Ignorant comment. Arlington pays as much as or more than anyone else in the DC area. They're not union yet, but once they are you can count on quality improving compared to schools in the area that are not unionized. Unions attract better employees. Your last sentence is the only one that might make some sense.

When we say "ACPS" it is usually referring to Alexandria, not Arlington. But anyway, I am an APS (Arlington) staff member, have no desire at all to join a union, and don't think an additional bureaucratic machine that protects low-performing employees is what APS needs right now.

Is this the function of a labor union?

Well, yes, in some cases.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

Eww I doubt it’s that bad - you are definitely exaggerating.

Actually, it is. My daughter is now in 10th grade and still remembers all the rats at GW. The principal gave me some lame answer when I questioned him about it. She never used the bathrooms there unless absolutely necessary.

But we have lots of consultants being well paid for ridiculous "surveys" and a superintendent who is well...

ACPS is poorly managed (for years and years) and Superintendent dr. Hutchings makes every decision and the school board bows to him. For eg, the decision to create a 2 campus, 5000 kid single high school that will be at capacity on day one. So many funds are going to this bad idea while our other schools are dilapidated. The building study on MVCS when it had mold showed that ACPS had failed at even very basic maintenance. We moved our kids to JH because it is the one place you can escape at least some of the ACPS problems—it has small class sizes and is a clean and new building. Compared to GW it’s insanely great—there are 50 kids in 7th grade this year!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

GWMS twitchers are most certainly NOT disposing of dead or poisoned rats. There are so many apocryphal stories circulating about this school.

Make that teachers... Daylight savings, not enough coffee, and an overactive autocorrect.

Anonymous wrote:Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

GWMS twitchers are most certainly NOT disposing of dead or poisoned rats. There are so many apocryphal stories circulating about this school.

Anonymous wrote:

No ACPS teacher I know would ever remove a dead rat and more than once so that’s the part I’m calling BS on - bathrooms yes I can see that but got to really manage the custodial staff.


If class is about to start, there’s a dead rat on the floor, and limited custodial staff, you don’t think some teachers might remove the rat for their students?!

No. My son and his buddy had to move a dead mouse (they picked it up using pencils and a piece of paper) because their history teacher was freaking out.

I believe this. I’ve seen mice at every school I’ve worked in, except my current one. It’s very new so I’m sure they’ll find their way in eventually.

I think the grounds are particularly bad. Must not be a priority for janitorial staff, or maybe there is no staff to do that? I’ve been inside several ACPS elementary schools and they are well maintained. Not new, but pride and care has been taken. Even if the outside looks bad.

Answer to original question: years of neglect and underfunding of schools. Alexandria has an insane number of private schools for a city of 150,000 people. Why? Historically rich white parents didn’t enroll their kids in public. They were truly neglected for decades. Now the district is trying to catch up, but it’s backlogged.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

Ignorant comment. Arlington pays as much as or more than anyone else in the DC area. They're not union yet, but once they are you can count on quality improving compared to schools in the area that are not unionized. Unions attract better employees. Your last sentence is the only one that might make some sense.

When we say "ACPS" it is usually referring to Alexandria, not Arlington. But anyway, I am an APS (Arlington) staff member, have no desire at all to join a union, and don't think an additional bureaucratic machine that protects low-performing employees is what APS needs right now.

Is this the function of a labor union?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

Ignorant comment. Arlington pays as much as or more than anyone else in the DC area. They're not union yet, but once they are you can count on quality improving compared to schools in the area that are not unionized. Unions attract better employees. Your last sentence is the only one that might make some sense.

When we say "ACPS" it is usually referring to Alexandria, not Arlington. But anyway, I am an APS (Arlington) staff member, have no desire at all to join a union, and don't think an additional bureaucratic machine that protects low-performing employees is what APS needs right now.

No ACPS teacher I know would ever remove a dead rat and more than once so that’s the part I’m calling BS on - bathrooms yes I can see that but got to really manage the custodial staff.


If class is about to start, there’s a dead rat on the floor, and limited custodial staff, you don’t think some teachers might remove the rat for their students?!

No. My son and his buddy had to move a dead mouse (they picked it up using pencils and a piece of paper) because their history teacher was freaking out.