Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do instructional coaches do?

They literally make more work for teachers. That's their entire job. Some of them are nice people and well-liked, but few of us would miss those positions if they were all cut.

I disagree, at least at our school. With all the new teachers, they really help out with their planning and coaching. These teachers have mentors, but they can’t do it all, especially when they’re teaching their own classes.

Also with the amount of teacher trainees and novice teachers there is an absolute need for coaching support. I’ve seen first hand that teacher skillset in the county is not what it was 15 years ago.

I was a young, naive teacher once. Do you know who I learned from? My colleagues at the same grade level. This is one reasons some of this training needs to be examined much more carefully.

I admit that I worked with colleagues that, for the most part, got along well. I worked in three different school systems and always learned more from my team. And, while we did have team meetings from time to time, we also gathered informally after school frequently as friends sharing ideas and suggestions.

And I’ve listened to MANY of those veteran colleagues state that they are exhausted with having to do this and that new teachers today need so much more support. This isn’t a criticism but instead an acknowledgment that more support is necessary.

I’m one of those veteran teachers.

I’d rather help the new members in the department myself. Coaches are out of the classroom and therefore are no longer using the skills, dealing with the stress, etc. And as circumstances change year after year, coaches actually lose the expertise they are supposed to have. Their knowledge becomes outdated.

I’d rather the coaches go back into classrooms. Take the weight off the rest of us. We’ll continue to support our new teachers the way we always have.

Anonymous wrote:Operational employees don’t need a 5% raise. No one is giving these types of employees a 5% raise now. The county only gave 2% raises. Also gatehouse has way too many EAA positions- many who make upper 90s or low 100s. This is secretarial work that can easily be automated. Let’s use our resources to hep school based employees who directly help students.

Anonymous wrote:I hope everyone who is writing here with their thoughts in Reid’s proposal also writes the school board, the union (if they are a member) and signs up to speak at the May 13 budget hearing. https://www.fcps.edu/school-board/community-participation

Reid, the school board and the union seem extremely out of touch with what most teachers and parents want.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I would rather get a smaller raise than have any of the cuts happen. These cuts will make my job harder and is not in the best interest of students. If the cuts were instructional coaches, there would be less pushback as they do not work with students and make teacher’s jobs easier. IMO, those positions should be the first to go.

Agreed but the big culprit where cuts need to happen is Gatehouse and most of those people absolutely do nothing but make teachers lives horrible.

Gatehouse employee here: Most of the people at “Gatehouse” are operational employees that are in the same collective bargaining unit as the teachers, and we aren’t making the fancy paychecks people think are. Everything we do is to support schools, and without us, people wouldn’t get hired, get their paychecks, get benefits support, supplies, building maintenance, tech support, security upgrades, etc. BUT there are a lot of “senior leadership” and chief positions at Gatehouse that have been created by Dr. Reid and we don’t need them. I really wish people would stop lumping all of Gatehouse together, because there are a lot of us that really care about teachers. A pay raise isn’t a victory if it comes at the cost of other employees, and I would happily take a lower pay raise to save jobs. Heck, give me back my telework and I’ll forfeit my entire raise!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do instructional coaches do?

They literally make more work for teachers. That's their entire job. Some of them are nice people and well-liked, but few of us would miss those positions if they were all cut.

I disagree, at least at our school. With all the new teachers, they really help out with their planning and coaching. These teachers have mentors, but they can’t do it all, especially when they’re teaching their own classes.

Also with the amount of teacher trainees and novice teachers there is an absolute need for coaching support. I’ve seen first hand that teacher skillset in the county is not what it was 15 years ago.

I was a young, naive teacher once. Do you know who I learned from? My colleagues at the same grade level. This is one reasons some of this training needs to be examined much more carefully.

I admit that I worked with colleagues that, for the most part, got along well. I worked in three different school systems and always learned more from my team. And, while we did have team meetings from time to time, we also gathered informally after school frequently as friends sharing ideas and suggestions.

And I’ve listened to MANY of those veteran colleagues state that they are exhausted with having to do this and that new teachers today need so much more support. This isn’t a criticism but instead an acknowledgment that more support is necessary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. I would rather get a smaller raise than have any of the cuts happen. These cuts will make my job harder and is not in the best interest of students. If the cuts were instructional coaches, there would be less pushback as they do not work with students and make teacher’s jobs easier. IMO, those positions should be the first to go.

Principal here: Also happy to reduce the raise. I’m already working 65-70 hour work weeks. Cutting the sped dept chair and AART to halftime means more work for me and for teachers.

My understanding is that if teachers went to 5% and everyone else went to 4%, we wouldn’t be making any of these cuts. All of these cuts are on the back of elementary schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do instructional coaches do?

They literally make more work for teachers. That's their entire job. Some of them are nice people and well-liked, but few of us would miss those positions if they were all cut.

I disagree, at least at our school. With all the new teachers, they really help out with their planning and coaching. These teachers have mentors, but they can’t do it all, especially when they’re teaching their own classes.

Also with the amount of teacher trainees and novice teachers there is an absolute need for coaching support. I’ve seen first hand that teacher skillset in the county is not what it was 15 years ago.

I was a young, naive teacher once. Do you know who I learned from? My colleagues at the same grade level. This is one reasons some of this training needs to be examined much more carefully.

I admit that I worked with colleagues that, for the most part, got along well. I worked in three different school systems and always learned more from my team. And, while we did have team meetings from time to time, we also gathered informally after school frequently as friends sharing ideas and suggestions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do instructional coaches do?

They literally make more work for teachers. That's their entire job. Some of them are nice people and well-liked, but few of us would miss those positions if they were all cut.

Can you give an example of “more work?”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are any students or staff benefitting from renaming the schools, changing all the bathrooms in the middle schools and high schools?

Pretty sure both of those things cost money and were all major talking points of the current school board that people elected and reelected.

BTW, how are all those electric buses coming along? I thought we were supposed to be all electric.

Changing the bathrooms how? My DW works in a MS and says she has seen no changes.

Money for electric buses was cut from the budget.

S/o real quick to note: At MS start time in-person community meetings FCPS reps said the ONLY way would change MS start times was if could support by all new electric buses and the transportation rep said “which we don’t have.” So much $ paid (more than 2 years) to consultants for something never happening.

They added 42 electric buses last year.
https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/fairfax-county-schools-local-elected-officials-celebrate-roll-out-of-42-new-electric-buses/article_d0dcca9a-fd9f-11ee-9589-fb211ac0edfb.html

42x$400,000=$16,800,000.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are any students or staff benefitting from renaming the schools, changing all the bathrooms in the middle schools and high schools?

Pretty sure both of those things cost money and were all major talking points of the current school board that people elected and reelected.

BTW, how are all those electric buses coming along? I thought we were supposed to be all electric.

Changing the bathrooms how? My DW works in a MS and says she has seen no changes.

Money for electric buses was cut from the budget.

S/o real quick to note: At MS start time in-person community meetings FCPS reps said the ONLY way would change MS start times was if could support by all new electric buses and the transportation rep said “which we don’t have.” So much $ paid (more than 2 years) to consultants for something never happening.

They added 42 electric buses last year.
https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/fairfax-county-schools-local-elected-officials-celebrate-roll-out-of-42-new-electric-buses/article_d0dcca9a-fd9f-11ee-9589-fb211ac0edfb.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do instructional coaches do?

They literally make more work for teachers. That's their entire job. Some of them are nice people and well-liked, but few of us would miss those positions if they were all cut.

I disagree, at least at our school. With all the new teachers, they really help out with their planning and coaching. These teachers have mentors, but they can’t do it all, especially when they’re teaching their own classes.

Also with the amount of teacher trainees and novice teachers there is an absolute need for coaching support. I’ve seen first hand that teacher skillset in the county is not what it was 15 years ago.

I was a young, naive teacher once. Do you know who I learned from? My colleagues at the same grade level. This is one reasons some of this training needs to be examined much more carefully.

I admit that I worked with colleagues that, for the most part, got along well. I worked in three different school systems and always learned more from my team. And, while we did have team meetings from time to time, we also gathered informally after school frequently as friends sharing ideas and suggestions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are any students or staff benefitting from renaming the schools, changing all the bathrooms in the middle schools and high schools?

Pretty sure both of those things cost money and were all major talking points of the current school board that people elected and reelected.

BTW, how are all those electric buses coming along? I thought we were supposed to be all electric.

Changing the bathrooms how? My DW works in a MS and says she has seen no changes.

Money for electric buses was cut from the budget.

S/o real quick to note: At MS start time in-person community meetings FCPS reps said the ONLY way would change MS start times was if could support by all new electric buses and the transportation rep said “which we don’t have.” So much $ paid (more than 2 years) to consultants for something never happening.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do instructional coaches do?

They literally make more work for teachers. That's their entire job. Some of them are nice people and well-liked, but few of us would miss those positions if they were all cut.

I disagree, at least at our school. With all the new teachers, they really help out with their planning and coaching. These teachers have mentors, but they can’t do it all, especially when they’re teaching their own classes.

Also with the amount of teacher trainees and novice teachers there is an absolute need for coaching support. I’ve seen first hand that teacher skillset in the county is not what it was 15 years ago.