Anonymous wrote:16:54, I'm not sure I understand your post. Could you elaborate? What effort and responsibility are you putting in?

I see a lot of these responses by people like you. No, I'm not 16:54, but I live in Alexandria City also. The shame we bear here regarding ACPS is substantial, albeit many deny it. My kid went there so I know what I'm talking about and we put in constant effort to ACPS both paying for books for class rooms ourselves as well as helping out in sports (paying for food, uniforms, and transporting fellow team mates.. ACPS is a substandard Virginia public school system with a load of hurt in a wealthy City just now paying attention.

Meanwhile, taxes in Alexandria City are on par with localities in VA and MD that have superb school systems.

Perhaps you are new pp. ACPS has suffered for decades but it isn't from lack of parental or taxpayer support by individuals who were not on the ACPS school board or City Council (or the VDOE).

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please explain how an increase in pay equal to a step, but just not moving up a step - is negative? If anything, this gives someone more steps before they max out. Obviously the push for ACPS being that our steps now look more lucrative. What is the negative?

Some ACPS licensed staff believe that raises equal to a step-rate, in combination with adding steps to the end of the scale, basically delays indefinitely and therefore denies everyone the ability to reach a maximum pay level in which the defined benefit portion of the pension is based. Remember that, no matter how many steps ACPS adds on, almost no one is paid above step 12. No raises to steps above 12 are budgeted or even planned (special ed gets an extra step to 13).

Can someone please explain how an increase in pay equal to a step, but just not moving up a step - is negative? If anything, this gives someone more steps before they max out. Obviously the push for ACPS being that our steps now look more lucrative. What is the negative?

Anonymous wrote:NP. FYI that most teachers have 1, if not 2, Master's degrees. And there are 197 contract days for which each teacher is paid only 7.25 hours per day even though the work load is substantially more than 7.25 hours per day.

I apologize for posting that Alexandria Gazette Packet post, suggesting ACPS teachers were 4th in salary per hour (~$28). Reading this thread, it's obvious no way does that include "off hour prep and other". I'm surprised the Alexandria Gazette Packet didn't research/look into and talk w ACPS teachers themselves. I'm sorry for buying the party line, teachers, as in general I want our teachers' salaries to reinforce their work ethic.

NP. FYI that most teachers have 1, if not 2, Master's degrees. And there are 197 contract days for which each teacher is paid only 7.25 hours per day even though the work load is substantially more than 7.25 hours per day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:54, I'm not sure I understand your post. Could you elaborate? What effort and responsibility are you putting in?

So everybody else in a BA-required position is on a 365 work-day sschedule? Umm, 52x5 = 260.

-less average 28 days vacation/personal/emergency/sick
-less average 13 holidays and adjacent days

So at most you get 219. So a teacher, at minimum, has basically 92%+ of the work days that other BA-required employees have.

Just stop it. They're not overpaid.

Well most of us work 8hours a day pp (not including breaks). And 2 weeks vacation.

Typical Paid federal holidays are 7:
New Year's Day,
Easter,
Memorial Day,
Independence Day (4th of July),
Labor Day,
Thanksgiving Day,
Friday after Thanksgiving, and.
Christmas Day.

During the school year, teaching is materially over 8 hours per day. There are 12 Federal holidays. Positions involving degree requirements seldom provide nothing more than 2 weeks of total paid time off.

Anonymous wrote:16:54, I'm not sure I understand your post. Could you elaborate? What effort and responsibility are you putting in?

So everybody else in a BA-required position is on a 365 work-day sschedule? Umm, 52x5 = 260.

-less average 28 days vacation/personal/emergency/sick
-less average 13 holidays and adjacent days

So at most you get 219. So a teacher, at minimum, has basically 92%+ of the work days that other BA-required employees have.

Just stop it. They're not overpaid.

Well most of us work 8hours a day pp (not including breaks). And 2 weeks vacation.

Typical Paid federal holidays are 7:
New Year's Day,
Easter,
Memorial Day,
Independence Day (4th of July),
Labor Day,
Thanksgiving Day,
Friday after Thanksgiving, and.
Christmas Day.

16:54, I'm not sure I understand your post. Could you elaborate? What effort and responsibility are you putting in?

Goodness! The amount of effort put into ACPS as an ACPS community member is substantial. I did not fathem the responsibility here and would never have purchased a home in Alexandria knowing this disconnect and what I pay in taxes.

That's the real truth! Say what ever you want ACPS and Alexandria City. This is messed up!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:196/365= 0.53698
207/365=0.5671

A hella a lot of us work close to 364-14 days (sick/vacation).

Well, if ACPS and Alexandria City doesn't fix this, I say it's on us anyway. It's been a burning issue for decades. Almost sick of talking about it.

So everybody else in a BA-required position is on a 365 work-day sschedule? Umm, 52x5 = 260.

-less average 28 days vacation/personal/emergency/sick
-less average 13 holidays and adjacent days

So at most you get 219. So a teacher, at minimum, has basically 92%+ of the work days that other BA-required employees have.

Just stop it. They're not overpaid.

Why the hostility pp? And secondly I have no idea what your are talking about wrt your numbers above. Please break it down for my ( must be dumb or something). Thank you.

Anonymous wrote:196/365= 0.53698
207/365=0.5671

A hella a lot of us work close to 364-14 days (sick/vacation).

Well, if ACPS and Alexandria City doesn't fix this, I say it's on us anyway. It's been a burning issue for decades. Almost sick of talking about it.

So everybody else in a BA-required position is on a 365 work-day sschedule? Umm, 52x5 = 260.

-less average 28 days vacation/personal/emergency/sick
-less average 13 holidays and adjacent days

So at most you get 219. So a teacher, at minimum, has basically 92%+ of the work days that other BA-required employees have.

Just stop it. They're not overpaid.

196/365= 0.53698
207/365=0.5671

A hella a lot of us work close to 364-14 days (sick/vacation).

Well, if ACPS and Alexandria City doesn't fix this, I say it's on us anyway. It's been a burning issue for decades. Almost sick of talking about it.

Anonymous wrote:ACPS starting salary per HOUR, ~$28. Not bad. Don't give up yet Alexandria City residents.

‘Getting a Job Is Not Enough’ July 19, 2018
http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2018/071818/Alexandria.pdf
Sorry, I can't find alternative to pdf. One would think this would be widely available without pdf format.

Sigh. That is an aggregate statistic measuring hypothetical scale points. It overstates the equivalent hourly salary.

It doesn't actually state the low-step points that apply to teaching (and counseling and school nurse) positions. The aggregate figure also assumes the mid-point of the number of days per year, not the actual 196 or 207 days-per-year schedules that apply 90%++ of ACPS teachers. The article's bar chart on page 3 also assumes 40 hours of pay over 52 weeks - it extrapolates. If you look at the actual numbers at https://www.acps.k12.va.us/cms/lib/VA01918616/Centricity/Domain/804/compensation/salary-licensed-2018-19-revised.pdf - what you'll see using the same long division, over a FT year-equivalent, is:

Average 196/207, teacher with BA/BS at Step 1: 50,889.84/52/40 = $24.46 per hour
Average 196/207, teacher with MA/MS at Step 1: 57,378.66/52/40 = $27.59 per hour
Average 196/207, teacher with MA/MS PLUS 30 ACPS-approved post-grad credits at Step 1: 59,684.30/52/40 = $28.69 per hour

Somebody at the paper aggregated the figures wrong. The actual average starting salary is Step 1, in between the BA/BS and MA/MS level.

And, no matter what the pay charts say about steps going up to 24, look at p. 4 of the ACPS table. --NO-- steps beyond 12 are regularly scheduled. The overwhelming majority of ACPS teachers will not see anything beyond Step 12.

People, get over this. I am a frequent critic of the school board and the CO. Those issues have little to do with teacher and professional staff (and AP and Principal) salaries, which are simply not excessive - there is no reasonable argument that they are overpaid. They aren't. Stop it.

ACPS starting salary per HOUR, ~$28. Not bad. Don't give up yet Alexandria City residents.

‘Getting a Job Is Not Enough’ July 19, 2018
http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2018/071818/Alexandria.pdf
Sorry, I can't find alternative to pdf. One would think this would be widely available without pdf format.

Anonymous wrote:We are at a turning point for ACPS and it looks like our turn is not for the better. The recent move to not allow teachers to earn their steps has caused an incredible amount of dissatisfaction that is compounded by lower increases and higher copays for health benefits. Effectively it is a deterrent for teachers to stay with the system and increases the churn in teacher staffing. With the teacher shortage now beginning to impact our area, the route taken by the current administrators and school board seems foolhardy and purposefully obstructive to improving school outcomes. The number of vacant core teaching slots is astounding for being in the middle of July. Regardless of our history we need to start looking at the future because it is looking grim unless there are some significant changes to make our schools someplace where teachers want to come and teach. We need to be able to offer an appealing package of pay, benefits and treatment! If we don't improve how we treat our teachers we will be stuck with all the teachers who don't go to FCPS, APS or LCPS. Is that what we want?

Hey Alexandria City residents, wake up! The above is speaking Truth to Power!