Principals getting staffing and learn how many positions are cut or added, not who/where to cut. They can decide how to allocate. The teachers' union advocated to have allotments published so that principals could not just cut any teacher or program for whatever they want, but it didn't work out. So principals can cut programs and add others. Some principals are clear and transparent, others do what they please.

Anonymous wrote:Westland MS just posted a part time job for a coteacher for 2 classes. Class sizes (and student safety) seem to be dictated by the principals. Again, I ask, where are the parents when these kinds of decisions are made? Don’t people in Olney pay the same taxes as Bethesda?

Staffing is allocated by MCPS, not the principal, based on enrollment.

Westland MS just posted a part time job for a coteacher for 2 classes. Class sizes (and student safety) seem to be dictated by the principals. Again, I ask, where are the parents when these kinds of decisions are made? Don’t people in Olney pay the same taxes as Bethesda?

Wow, I can’t believe Virginia is ahead of Maryland on this issue. They don’t even have a teacher’s union, but there is still a limit to the number of students per teacher. 200 for Music and PE. This not per class, this is total. So 3 classes of 70 kids would go over this limit!

This article goes in more detail and shows how electives teacher often get screwed but in this case they filed grievances and got back pay for the extra classes and additional students. Plus, they got the school to make schedule changes and hire more staff

https://dailyprogress.com/news/local/education/albemarle-county-schools-to-pay-thousands-in-back-pay-to-teachers/article_470e8382-cdc5-11ec-b050-2bdf02d16cba.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not MCPS but they combined three kindergarten classes into one with two teachers in my MD school.

How many students were involved?

Appr. 70 students

Goodness, 70 kindergartners in one class?!

Yep. Thankfully they are rarely all in the room at one time. There are teachers pulling students all day for small groups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend told me that some of the class sizes at Farquhar MS are 60-70 students without a co-teacher! She works part-time at another school but subs on the other days of the week. Is this true? How do parents feel about this?

Farquhar is on the cutting edge. This helps free up teachers for more essential services. If only Monifa would follow their example!

It doesn’t free up teachers to do anything else. Their allotment gets cut to part time. So they are either at home or move to another full time position at a different school instead of providing “more essential services”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not MCPS but they combined three kindergarten classes into one with two teachers in my MD school.

How many students were involved?

Appr. 70 students

Goodness, 70 kindergartners in one class?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not MCPS but they combined three kindergarten classes into one with two teachers in my MD school.

How many students were involved?

Appr. 70 students

Anonymous wrote:A friend told me that some of the class sizes at Farquhar MS are 60-70 students without a co-teacher! She works part-time at another school but subs on the other days of the week. Is this true? How do parents feel about this?

Farquhar is on the cutting edge. This helps free up teachers for more essential services. If only Monifa would follow their example!

Anonymous wrote:Not MCPS but they combined three kindergarten classes into one with two teachers in my MD school.

How many students were involved?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have seen choruses class over 70 at Julius West Middle.

Similar numbers at Pyle precovid.

Did the students actually fit in the room? Was there a co-teacher? Pyle is also one of the largest middle schools in the county. Farquhar is not.

For music classes its normal but for regular classes, that is not except if they are still virtual.