Find a way to correct the issue with behavior problems and that will go a long way towards retaining staff. During my last few years teaching it was negative student behavior that was my biggest stressor and consumer of time. I had 30 years in an ES and I’d otherwise probably still be there.

Anonymous wrote:We are losing our entire fourth grade team at my school. The title one elementary schools are running through staff like crazy.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

I have seen schools with 3-4 SPED positions....that's like half a team.

Yep. It has a domino effect because the SPED teachers who were planning to stay know darn well those positions won’t get filled, meaning huge caseloads and reassignments to teach classes they don’t necessarily want to teach.

Our school too...people are running like their hair is on fire from SPED dept. A weak admin team doesn't help in this situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What on earth are they doing differently in PW to get the pay higher than Fairfax?

I wonder if they have fewer administrators and central office staff.

Is it because they (PW) don't have that second pension? That $ has to be funded somehow.

That said, the gap between the highest earnings in the 2 counties is really surprising.

It’s because the kids are more difficult.

It has nothing to do with that.
Many of the schools particularly on the western end are almost exclusively UMC.

Prince William County has a stronger teachers union than Fairfax County.

Neither has a true union. Fairfax may soon but no NOVA district has anything but a teachers association right now.

Also I love the implication that UMC kids can’t be difficult.

Fairfax may soon, but PWC already has collective bargaining. The PP was probably referring to the fact the PWCS has a collectively bargained contract that covers the next three years. FCPS is not yet to that point.

Prince William doesn’t have it until July 1st.

Doesn't have what? They have collective bargaining. They bargained a new 3 year contract. Perhaps that contract begins July 1, but it's set.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

I have seen schools with 3-4 SPED positions....that's like half a team.

Yep. It has a domino effect because the SPED teachers who were planning to stay know darn well those positions won’t get filled, meaning huge caseloads and reassignments to teach classes they don’t necessarily want to teach.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love to see the teachers who love teaching—and are good at it—but hate the nonsense throw in together and start up alternatives.
Something like Fairfax Collegiate but offered September-mid June.
No unnecessary administration or paperwork, steady schedules that make sense, no expectation or need to tolerate disrespect.

It’s the future of effective education.

You just want charters. I see you.

Teacher here. Will charters and privates allow teachers to genuinely teach without the burnout-causing administrative tasks, unnecessary and harmful overtesting of students, and never-ending rotation of poorly developed county initiatives?

The answer seems to be yes. I’d love to see statistics on how many public school teachers are fleeing to these charter/private placements. I know several.

They’ll do none of that, and for less money than you’d make at a private school, never mind public.

I teach private. I make almost as much as I did in the public system.

I love my job. I still work hard, but I have an appreciative administration that supports my efforts. When I was swamped with grading recently, I was given a sub so I could get papers done. (Don’t worry: I had planned a great group work activity for students that reinforced the prior lesson. No learning loss. I thought of that.) When our department had an upcoming deadline, two meetings were canceled to give us time to work. And I’m thanked regularly. It’s… amazing.

I openly tell teacher friends to look outside public schools now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

I have seen schools with 3-4 SPED positions....that's like half a team.

My old ES is losing the entire Cat B/preschool autism team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love to see the teachers who love teaching—and are good at it—but hate the nonsense throw in together and start up alternatives.
Something like Fairfax Collegiate but offered September-mid June.
No unnecessary administration or paperwork, steady schedules that make sense, no expectation or need to tolerate disrespect.

It’s the future of effective education.

You just want charters. I see you.

Teacher here. Will charters and privates allow teachers to genuinely teach without the burnout-causing administrative tasks, unnecessary and harmful overtesting of students, and never-ending rotation of poorly developed county initiatives?

The answer seems to be yes. I’d love to see statistics on how many public school teachers are fleeing to these charter/private placements. I know several.

They’ll do none of that, and for less money than you’d make at a private school, never mind public.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What on earth are they doing differently in PW to get the pay higher than Fairfax?

I wonder if they have fewer administrators and central office staff.

Is it because they (PW) don't have that second pension? That $ has to be funded somehow.

That said, the gap between the highest earnings in the 2 counties is really surprising.

It’s because the kids are more difficult.

It has nothing to do with that.
Many of the schools particularly on the western end are almost exclusively UMC.

Prince William County has a stronger teachers union than Fairfax County.

Neither has a true union. Fairfax may soon but no NOVA district has anything but a teachers association right now.

Also I love the implication that UMC kids can’t be difficult.

Fairfax may soon, but PWC already has collective bargaining. The PP was probably referring to the fact the PWCS has a collectively bargained contract that covers the next three years. FCPS is not yet to that point.

Prince William doesn’t have it until July 1st.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

I have seen schools with 3-4 SPED positions....that's like half a team.

The scary part is that there are a lot of job postings that represent one posting. My school has three 3rd grade vacancies but only one post online. There are a lot more vacancies than it looks like. Also they need to start putting stipends on these hard to fill positions.

Yes- this is true! Some schools post several vacancies under 1 posting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

I have seen schools with 3-4 SPED positions....that's like half a team.

The scary part is that there are a lot of job postings that represent one posting. My school has three 3rd grade vacancies but only one post online. There are a lot more vacancies than it looks like. Also they need to start putting stipends on these hard to fill positions.

We are losing our entire fourth grade team at my school. The title one elementary schools are running through staff like crazy.

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

I have seen schools with 3-4 SPED positions....that's like half a team.

Anonymous wrote:Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.

Might be, and I know it’s tough to find immersion teachers of other languages. Our school has language immersion and it seems turnover has increased the past few years.

Our whole first grade team is leaving except one teacher. There was a mid-year issue with the admin that has been since resolved by the principal's removal to a central office job but I am guessing they all applied when the outcome was uncertain. Our school has Spanish immersion so it will be very interesting to see how they fill that spot - I imagine those teachers are hard to come by.