PP 15:48 here. Here's another one:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/27/the-good-teachers-are-starting-to-leave/

Good teachers leave due to PARCC tests, so also makes sense if you are seeing the best leave.

Please read:

http://neatoday.org/2014/11/02/nea-survey-nearly-half-of-teachers-consider-leaving-profession-due-to-standardized-testing-2/

Very insightful explanation if you are at *any* school and your teacher is leaving. It's also upsetting.

Almost HALF of teachers leave due to PARCC test. CMI does PARCC test (standarized test). That explains the 50% that you are seeing.

Is CMI an "expanding charter"? My kid actually goes to the school and I feel like it is well-established, but I don't pay much attention to the ins and outs.

I do know that my kid's particular teachers are leaving, but they are staying in DC and are currently job hunting. I did not ask why, because it's not my place. I do think someone happened, because these teachers had been there since it was started 3 years ago. They knew the pay and the admin for 3 years, and knew the school was moving. They had told me at the beginning of the year that they planned on staying at the school the next year, so something changed.

I did not know about the music teacher or other grades. There was no general notice and I found about my kid's teacher leaving a week after she already left, which was surprising. The music teacher was brand-new (the last music teacher left last year) and was a positive addition to the school. Every parent, student, and staff member liked her. She was a wonderful fit. I am just learning about this, but if anyone knows if she gives private lessons, please let me know.

As a current parent, I would be worried if I saw this again next year, but as long as it's a one year thing, I'm okay in not knowing what happened. I do think the waitlist doesn't match the quality of the school. It is a wonderful school, but so is Sela PCS (the Hebrew school), AppleTree (the preschool only option), and Shining Stars (the Montessori School), and they have no waitlists -- they are also some of the best of the new charter schools and all just as establised.

As a result, the expectations for CMI are a bit unfair. People compare it to a private school, but it is DC public charter school.

OP -- Try it for one year and then you can always switch next year.

i think that this is endemic in charters more public school, given that charter teachers have no tenure. my DS was in a charter school and he lost 2 head teachers and 2 assistant teachers within the first two months of school. it was NOT a good situation at all, affected him greatly (he was in prek3) and given that, apparently my family "can't handle" charters as we opted out.

OP, you should go private. You don't sound like you could handle an expanding/moving charter.

Anonymous wrote:Lots of discussion but no answer. I need to decide whether to hold out for CMI or pay large nonrefundable deposit to private. Otherwise will be stuck without space in private and not liking only real public possibility, either.

I've met admin and seems great. Does anyone know if something actually happened new with admin or is this a wild guess? Was it pay?

I find it troubling that current parents are not told about leavings - one parent (PP) is told it is only PreK but I know the upper grades parents and that is not true. It is systemic but if there is a rational explanation, fine. Are parents not informed there? I'd expect there would have been a school-wide announcement with almost 10 teachers/staff/etc leaving, moving, promoting, etc.

Any actual insight is helpful to me and other parents in this boat.

Not at CMI but honestly do not think this is something to worry about. Certainly not something to pay thousands did private for. By large, families are very happy. PK3 is such an easy year and CMI does it right.

We are a new family who will start at CMI this fall, and this is the first I've heard of this. I do feel a little worried.

And it is DC, people move away, do different things, return to school, etc. all the time. I don't think you are going to get any definitive answers so if you need that, maybe it isn't the school for you? Not saying that in a snarky way, but I just don't think you will get the definitive reassurance to make you feel confident in your decision.

1416 here, and I should add I am not sure that would concern me much.

I think there is a lot of turn over in DC at any charter school. Particularly a newer school where things are still being ironed out.

Lots of discussion but no answer. I need to decide whether to hold out for CMI or pay large nonrefundable deposit to private. Otherwise will be stuck without space in private and not liking only real public possibility, either.

I've met admin and seems great. Does anyone know if something actually happened new with admin or is this a wild guess? Was it pay?

I find it troubling that current parents are not told about leavings - one parent (PP) is told it is only PreK but I know the upper grades parents and that is not true. It is systemic but if there is a rational explanation, fine. Are parents not informed there? I'd expect there would have been a school-wide announcement with almost 10 teachers/staff/etc leaving, moving, promoting, etc.

Any actual insight is helpful to me and other parents in this boat.

Anonymous wrote:Not saying OP is doing this necessarily, but it would be very strategic to spread this rumor if you're kid is on the waitlist.

I can confirm it is not a rumor. OP has now made their chance at getting into other schools smaller (now that others may accept those spots over CMI) so looks like OP was very selfless.

Anonymous wrote:Yet, when you look at 2 classes per grade level, small number of grades, you are still revamping a significant portion of your core teaching team.

There is only one class for grades 2, 3, and 4. There are only 2 classes for preK, K and 1.

I can confirm 1st grade teacher in first-floor classroom (AP) and 3rd grade teacher (LM) and at least one 4th grade teacher are all leaving. I can also confirm that it was not for a better offer (all are job hunting). I also don't know why PP said that music teacher is not a good fit. This is the first I am hearing about music teacher leaving but she was a great fit for the school for many reasons and was recruited by Golnar herself.

Yet, when you look at 2 classes per grade level, small number of grades, you are still revamping a significant portion of your core teaching team.