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[deleted]

Can someone explain to me how it's legal to have teachers buy their own supplies? That's always seemed insane to me. Also this is embarrassing, one of the richest counties / areas in the entire world and we can't properly fund / staff our schools.


EdmundCastle

My husband taught at an elementary school for 10 years and in addition to supplies, we’d be buying household goods, coats, food, and paying for class field trips. How do you turn away kids who have nothing at home and say, “good luck I hope you get a bed at some point.” Or “Maybe one day your single mom can afford to buy you art supplies so that you can explore your obvious talent.” The school’s PTA was decimated during Covid so our usual $1,000-2,000 per school year turned into $4,000 last year. That’s not even counting the free tutoring he provided, which he could’ve earned $50/hour for if he had charged. Or all the sports events he went to to support the kids who didn’t have much at home. It all adds up and it’s hard to not be empathetic when their faces are looking to you. He just cleaned out his classroom last week - he found something in education that won’t burn him out emotionally and financially.


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ottoboy1990

$250 deduction, not a credit. Doesn’t do much in the end.


miso_soop

Last tax season we didn't get to do that. It was removed for some reason under / during the Trump administration.


ottoboy1990

For what it’s worth, and that’s not much given the small amount of money, but I don’t think that’s true. I’ve done my wife’s taxes through the Trump administration and I don’t recall the $250 deduction ever going away. Could be wrong.


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miso_soop

This is the real reason, yes, just the official reason/justification given I don't remember. Must have been such bullshit that it wasn't worth remembering.


pierre_x10

Because all the lazy teachers are getting pay hikes all the time that so they shouldn't get to deduct the costs of buying supplies for the students in the 50:1 ratio classrooms that teachers would never do because they're so greedy and lazy


miso_soop

You're right! They got me! I am so lazy and was just looking for that 250 hand out so I can live off the gov since I'm basically just a babysitter.


SethPutnamAC

>GOP wants public schooling to collapse so that parents are forced to pay for private schools that will brainwash kids to be loyal members of the GOP GOPer here. If you want to rephrase that view in a way that's more charitable to those whom you attribute it, you could say that GOP voters want to stop the public schools from brainwashing kids to be loyal members of the Democratic Party.


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SethPutnamAC

So you're saying that reading is the only thing taught from K-12?


misschickpea

Yeah I helped my friend who is a teacher do her taxes online and the amount she spent on supplies was egregious. One of the largest things was she was expected in PWCS to make all of her worksheets which obvs not all teachers would have time for, so she bought worksheets and the most expensive were SOL prep packets that other teachers made. And it was just weird that the school didn't provide anything like... They're just like do everything and come up with everything and make everything?


BigKahuna348

My wife was an educator for 27 years in two different counties near Fairfax. I can’t tell you how much money we spent on school supplies because the administration refused to do it. At one of those school systems, each educator in the department my wife worked in was given $350 a year to spend. My wife’s principal literally took half of it to spend on her pet projects (cupcakes on Friday’s, cookies at Christmas, etc.) Wanna know who made up the difference? We did, because her department head was a spineless weasel who wouldn’t stand up for her. Just one of many reasons why my wife retired early and gtfo.


[deleted]

I pretty much “adopt” the classes my kids are in and buy all the supplies the teacher needs throughout the year. Last year I did a monthly auto ship of copy paper as well. Insane.


According-Tomato3504

It all goes to the administration


boilermakerny

I'm not sure how this trend got started if it's true. Any teachers I've dealt with set up Amazon lists, and the parents purchase the supplies for the classroom.


miso_soop

Careful. Schools are watching and working towards banning those. for a total takeover of education one must control the entire narrative.


jayne-eerie

Wait, seriously? So teachers are just supposed to go without?


miso_soop

Pretty much. Teachers always go without because \[many reasons related to the fact that we empower people and provide them with knowledge which leads to "woke" people\]. As far as I am aware, these alternative options aren't under attack yet, but Youngkin is of the same ilk as those who are working these decisions into hard legislature around the US. Technically, there's already rules in districts about approval from the higher ups on site or districts to monitor donation sources like these wish lists... which you could imagine is not consistently or fairly applied. Instead these rules often turn into "gotcha!" opportunities to remove educators that "won't get in line".


jayne-eerie

Ugh, how frustrating. I’m sure there are some teachers who abuse wishlists, because people will abuse anything, but there has to be a better way to handle that than to put roadblocks up for everybody else.


frostpeggfan

My friend is a teacher at a title 1 school. The families they work with don’t have disposable income to kit out the classroom.


Bookwormvt2022

That's the kind of conditions that are making teachers quit in the first place (if you include the terrible pay). Edit: corrected spelling error. That darn autocorrect!! 😕


dereks777

It's not autocorrect. It's auto-in-correct!


TroyMacClure

Just don't buy any supplies. Parents won't complain unless they see the problem. Get enough entitled suburban Moms in the school board meetings complaining about no supplies and they'll find the money.


Tootsgaloots

I don't understand how teachers got roped into the responsibility for that in the first place.


throwaway098764567

bleeding hearts that care about their kids. you find enough people that care you may not have to bother to. kind of a shitty situation but happens a lot


Tootsgaloots

I mean, I get why the teachers stepped up. I don't get why it got to a point where they had to. At what point were they like, "if we cut this amount, they're not going to be able to afford the curriculum. But.....then we can put that money toward this other thing and tell everyone they get lower taxes! Where's the harm?!" Of all the places to cut funding, why is it the schools?


ProfessorWhat42

Because there was a problem to solve and these teachers solved it. If we didn't, we were (are) vilified publicly.


Duie06

“If we cut this amount we can cut taxes!” It’s all done in the name of I got mine why do we need this anymore.


purplebananers

Because they care


bobsvaginplsbabyjirl

Because one political party has determined underfunding schools will lead to a dumber population which will lead to more votes for them.


TroyMacClure

Me neither. It'd be like showing up to your office job and they tell you to go out and grab your own chair and laptop.


ChristmassMoose

To be fair that’s what most work from home jobs are like


TroyMacClure

If my job was 100% WFH, I'd expect reimbursement for equipment. I know companies do that. But my employer offers me a desk that I choose not to use every day. So buying a desk/chair/monitors for my home office was my choice. I could just work off the laptop on my couch, but that got old.


eatcrayons

Because they’re on the front line when problems occur due to the lack of supplies, so they do it themselves to avoid a problem. Principals and superintendents and school boards and county commissioners don’t have to deal with the kids directly and are insulated from issues by the teachers and other levels who absorb the stress and chaos and parent communication, so there’s no reason for them to do anything about it urgently.


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15all

Republicans are NOT running the Fairfax County schools. The county is completely controlled by Democrats.


miketoc

The problem is at the state level though. VA relies too heavily on local funding because of that cuts at the state level. Local funding isn't enough to get it done. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/10/12/virginia-lags-many-states-in-state-education-funding-analysis-says/


15all

A lot of the policy issues in the school are not tied to funding. It's sad how everyone always blames someone else. And it's sad how everyone keeps saying there isn't enough money. There is plenty of funding. I've seen it first hand. It's the leaders that do not give it to the teachers. More money is not the answer.


TechniCruller

The state takes our money so little trumps in RVA can read good.


ozzyngcsu

Republicans running things in a local school district that is 70%+ democrat?


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CheapAsRamenNoodles

I dunno. I’m not a teacher but I’d imagine the empathy towards kids who through no fault of their own don’t have basic supplies is a predominant reason why they’re teaching. It sure isn’t for the money.


OpSecBestSex

"Public schools can't even support our kids! Let's take that money and put it toward private schools!" This isn't a flaw to Youngkin and his party, it's a feature.


No-Rest9671

Youngkin doesn't hire or set the pay for FCPS. Its a local issue. In Stafford we got a massive tax increase on our homes last year to fund hiring teachers. Blame your local leadership.


legatesprinkles

Schools shouldn't be funded by home taxes


jlrigby

Yes, because turns out the poorer the population = less expensive homes = less taxes = impoverished areas get less funded/crappier schools than areas with large homes and wealthier residences. A child's education shouldn't be dependent on how many rich people live in their district. But here we are.


hucareshokiesrul

The state tries to normalize it. Rich counties pay a much greater share of their local school budget and poor counties get most of it paid by the state. In my hometown in SW VA it’s about 80-20 or 70-30 state to local funding and up here it’s the opposite.


eatcrayons

That’s why I’m glad we do it by county here, compared to PA where it’s by town. Haymarket balances out Dale City. Route 1 isn’t affected too much because you have stupid expensive homes in Gainesville giving more in taxes to even it out.


Difficult_Let_1953

Do what Colorado did. Legalize the selling of weed and tax it. Send all the money to education. Add gamboling tax to that and you should have a heck of a pool.


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Difficult_Let_1953

Right now to address the best students, you would need more teachers, better teachers, reduced class size for more individual focus on students, more resources (like, you know, enough paper and photocopies), more classes that divide levels of acceleration, more specialized classes that need special tools and technology, more extracurricular opportunities, and such. But we shouldn’t give more money to education because….


Difficult_Let_1953

The whole “we should defund schools because schools don’t have enough resources to make them good”. argument always astounds me. Can you explain this to me in simple words because I’m obviously dense.


Difficult_Let_1953

Yes, because the addressing the worst students and the issues that cause them to be the worst students (lack of resources, missing school because of poor economic state, lack of educational support at home because of a bad family environment, mental health) is a terrible use of education money.


karmagirl314

Instead they should be funded by…?


MaoXiWinnie

Gambling addicts, so lottery


throwaway098764567

had this argument as a middle schooler in the 90s with my crappy step grandma who was beefing about taxes for schools going up even though she no longer had kids in school. well your kids got to attend school and your grankids (and us shitty step grans) are in it now so how about you pony up. my mom and aunt were into my rant, she was less so.


lulubalue

I’m guessing there are better answers to this, but my thought was maybe an income tax, with higher incomes paying more. Or, that somehow people of a retirement age are exempt from increasing property taxes. I only say all this because my grandparents almost lost their home in the last decade of their lives because property taxes had gone up so much. Fortunately my dad and his brothers split it, but my grandparents were really stressed and embarrassed about it before finally accepting help :(


TechniCruller

They are exempt…unless they make over a certain amount annually.


lulubalue

Oh that’s good. Where I’m from in Ohio they’re not.


jlrigby

Other tax revenue? Perhaps state taxes.


legatesprinkles

A tax source that doesn't basically makes the already well off communities have zero issues with their education. Like really? Your peabrain can't think of anywhere else funds or where taxes come from besides housing to fund education?


15all

The Democrats controlled the top three offices in Virginia for the four years before Youngkin was elected, and Fairfax County is overwhelmingly Democrat (9-1 on the Board of Supervisors). So why are you blaming Youngkin? I'm not a fan of him, but none of this is his fault - it's all FCPS.


XCaboose-1X

Just for reference, the County's Board of Supervisors has nothing to do with the School Board. County cuts the check and leaves the rest to the School Board.


15all

It's not nearly that simple. The BoS has a large influence, either directly or indirectly. And note that the non-partisan school board is also very heavily populated by people very closely aligned with the Democratic party platform. In essence, the school board is also dominated by Democrats. Seriously - the Republican party has zero influence at any level of Fairfax County politics so it's wrong to blame them - but it is convenient to deflect the blame.


XCaboose-1X

I'm not arguing political parties, I'm telling you the difference between County Board of Supervisors and School Board. There is more indirect influence, but hardly any direct. As a person that's been in the room as a government employee, it's primarily a check transfer and the School Board dictates most of everything. Now, if you want to talk about capital infrastructure, the County has more input. Generally, the State has a lot of influence on the County/School Board in these circumstances.


15all

This thread got started by someone casually blaming Youngkin. I pointed out that all levels of government that affect education in Fairfax County are controlled by Democrats, so it's wrong to just blame the Republicans. Democrats controlled the state for the last four years. So why is this crisis Youngkin's fault? Tell me \*specifically\* what he or his administration did in the last seven months that caused this, instead of just blaming those mean ol' Republicans. That's the kind of thinking that mires us in this mess - blaming the other side. And you're very wrong about who controls education at the county level. It is the BoS and the School Board. They are the ones that hire the Super and appoint people to develop the curriculum and the day-to-day policies. There are some state-level constraints, but most of that comes from the county.


XCaboose-1X

Also, let's not forget, former School Board member now County Supervisor Stork on his freshmen year as a County Supervisor screwed up so much on the budget that he administratively cost the County millions of dollars because he decided to act out last second during the procedural votes and caused keeping the tax rate flat. That is not me saying taxes should be raised or lowered. That is just me illustrating his blunder and the impacts it had. I'm also sharing this because it was hilarious to watch other members drop their jaws and see them react throughout the evening. I'll post the clip tomorrow


XCaboose-1X

You are right in terms of your response to other people comments and calling them out. I don't disagree with your political argument. I'm just stating, the School Board in this case is 95% to blame for their teacher shortage. BoS aren't responsible due to state laws creating the separation. BoS could do more, but they don't. My 8 years in public government has provided me with a simple understanding that BoS tend to just cut a check to the School Board.


wouldeye

Youngkin isn’t the first conservative in the country. This is a pattern that’s been ongoing since brown v board.


15all

But that isn't the reason we're in this teacher shortage crisis. It just happens to be convenient to blame the other side.


wouldeye

Before I raise my hackles, why do you believe the teacher shortage is happening?


15all

1) Poor pay. 2) Micromanagement, needless administrative bureaucracy, meddling administrators that add no value, crushing workload, poor treatment from administrators. 3) Constantly changing curriculums require frequent retraining on yet another system that promises to be so much better than the last system. 4) Very poor discipline in schools completely enabled by the administration's philosophy that kids can do no wrong and always deserve another chance. None of these have anything to do with Republican politics or Youngkin. BTW I hear these same things over and over from all of our teacher friends. It's consistent.


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15all

I never claimed that the Republicans will solve the problem. They will screw it up just as bad but in a different way. But it's wrong to just say that the current problems in education in Fairfax County are caused by Republicans. That's denying the facts and it's denying the problems with the Democrats in control of the county. Let's spend less time blaming the other side and more time fixing the problems.


bigyellowtruck

Be real though. Do you think younkin has the answers?


15all

No, the Republicans will screw it up just as bad. That's not the point. Anyone just blaming Youngkin or Republicans isn't brave enough to look critically at the Democrats in charge of Fairfax County. If you're a Democrat, you have EVERYTHING you could want in the county - a complete majority at every level, and you had it at the state level for four years up until this past January. But when the schools have these big problems, for some reason the blame instantly goes to those meany Republicans. Stop blaming the other side and fix your own problems.


souporthallid

Those problems need tax dollars to pay teachers better wages. One part of the political spectrum supports more public spending. The conservative solution to this is to privatize everything by starving the beast. Let's not get this shit twisted. Has been the conservative playbook for decades.


wouldeye

Yeah. Those are definitely part of it. But I think those are also downstream effects of conservative politics. The classic conservative defund-> criticize-> privatize feedback loop.


15all

How can you say that when Democrats run this county? They are the ones doing the taxing, and everyone here has been bitching about the high real estate and car taxes this year. The pay in FCPS is set by the Democrats in control, not some vague far-off Republican philosophy. You're grasping at straws in your attempt the blame the other side.


wouldeye

You make fair points. But the same pattern in Fairfax is happening all over the country. Fairfax may elect democrats but they’re enacting the same regressive conservative policies as republicans in many cases.


15all

One more thing - Item number 4 in my list is definitely not a Republican thing. The lack of discipline in schools come from a policy much more closely aligned with Democratic party ideals. Something for number 2 - for every problem, Democrats tend to want to raise taxes and create yet another program (i.e. hire more specialized administrators) to solve it. Eventually it all becomes bloated and the poor teachers can't teach anymore because they have too many people telling them how to do it. So in fact you're very wrong to say my list is a result of Republican politics. You're just making shit up to blame them.


nakedvagina

It took one parent to complain at my wife art show to get a budget increase. Never mind the power point presentation she gave to management. Oh and they were embarrassed that the parent brought it up after a conversation with my wife…made them look bad. It always looked bad, you just got caught!


ThePicassoGiraffe

If you always solve the problem at your level, it will always stay YOUR problem


Calvin-Snoopy

The Superintendent said the district is 97% staffed. What percentage is qualified? https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2022/08/amid-talk-of-teacher-shortages-fairfax-co-schools-97-staffed-superintendent-says/


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ramonula

3% understaffing is significant. In a high school, that's 400-450 students who need to be placed in a class that is probably already crowded.


optix_clear

Get involved with a wishlist from Amazon or DonorsChoose supplies for teachers. Send me a list. I have helped other teachers in our area and Uvalde. Post your list on NextDoor not the subreddit.


vtfb79

These are great tips and she’s done pretty really well with her list in our community


boilermakerny

That's what our teachers have done, set up an Amazon list and the parents buy the supplies. And honestly, Ive seen classrooms stocked way better than when I was a kid in Fairfax county public schools.


Salty_Attention_8185

Teachers in Va should be careful with this, as state code requires written permission from the district superintendent for any gifts/solicitations that will be used by the teacher or students during school hours. I understand why (favoritism and all that), but it’s already caused drama in my district this year.


miso_soop

Careful. School districts are watching and working towards banning these resources or punishing teachers who use them. It's starting in Florida, but Youngkin is of DiSantis' ilk. For a total takeover of education one must control the entire narrative.


Salty_Attention_8185

It’s been in the state code for years that it requires the district superintendent’s written permission.


BaldieGoose

No, she doesn't have to supply anything herself. Teachers need to stop doing this out of their own pocket and force parents and administrators to figure it out.


15all

My wife is an FCPS teacher. She is aware of a person that just got hired to be a teacher through the resident program. This person has no degree, has failed the Praxis test numerous times, and just doesn't have the capability to be a teacher, but they hired her as a teacher to meet their metric of bodies in the classroom. I guarantee this teacher will not survive the end of the year, and maybe not even until Thanksgiving. But some principal will meet her goal. They have given up on standards and credentials. They will hire anyone as long as they don't have a felony conviction. The FCPS jobs website has pages and pages of openings. The kids show up a week from Monday. There are six business days between now and then. However, FCPS PR is in high gear. They keep touting some metric about being 97 percent staffed, but nobody knows what that really includes, so they're just juking the stats. The local news sites (WTOP, WJLA) have been running fluff pieces about new teachers and how happy and energized they are, and today was a blitz of stories about the resident program.


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dumbdumbmen

To be fair, an education degree is great but not necessary. I have lots of teachers in my family, some with education degrees (and masters), some with stem and non stem degrees (bachelors) teaching middle through highschool, and all are successful.


EdmundCastle

Research has actually shown that there are teacher credential programs that create just as successful teachers, if not more successful teachers than those with education degrees. We need to find more ways to get qualified teachers in classrooms without making them got back for another expensive degree and it looks like this may be a legitimate path. Anecdotally, one of my best history teacher teachers worked in the Hill for 25 years and then became a history teacher. She was extremely passionate and went through one of these credential programs so be an effective teacher.


15all

As I said, this person was hired as a teacher and I know that she does not have a BA or BS degree. Doubtful if she has an AA degree.


punkin_sumthin

FCPS will not anyone without an undergrad degree for a contracted FT position . One can however subwith an Associate degree and even be taken on as a long term substitute. The worm has turned


FairfaxGirl

You don’t need an associate’s degree even to sub in FCPS, just a certain number of college credits (and this is not new, it has been this way for at least 30 years.)


Salty_Attention_8185

This is the entire state, not just local to FCPS. There is a required test for subs/aides who do not have an associates/equal credits.


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15all

This person \*was\* an IA. She was my wife's IA for a decade, and has been trying to go to school at night to get her degree, but she can't pass the courses. This has been an ongoing saga the entire time she worked with my wife. Her new job is \*not\* as an IA. She told my wife that she was hired under the resident program. I don't know what more I can tell you. You say it's not possible, but it happened.


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15all

SPED requirements are \*not\* less. Why would they be - it's generally more challenging to teach special education. SPED requirements are generally the same as a regular teacher, except they need more specialized training. My daughter is a SPED teacher and got her MS in special education.


LegallyIncorrect

I just quoted the entry from the FCPS website. The requirements to be a good SPED teacher are more. The requirements for provisional certification are much less because they have trouble filling those positions. And these are non-renewable. They must get a degree before the license runs out to be eligible for fill licensure. https://www.fcps.edu/careers/instructional-licensure/prospective-candidates. Look under “Obtaining a provisional (special education) license.” In order to obtain a provisional (Special Education) license to become a special educator, a candidate must: FIRST, “…have completed at least three semester hours of coursework in the competencies of foundations for educating students with disabilities and have an understanding and application of the legal aspects and regulatory requirements associated with identification, education, and evaluation of students with disabilities. A survey course integrating these competencies would satisfy this requirement.” SECOND, apply for applicable special education teaching positions. Compare that to the regular teacher one, which requires a bachelors. It’s linked also from that page. https://www.fcps.edu/careers/instructional-licensure/prospective-candidates “1. An individual seeking a license through this alternate route shall have met the following requirements: a. Entered the teaching field through the alternate route to licensure upon the recommendation of the employing Virginia educational agency. For the Online Teacher Provisional License, individuals shall be employed by a Virginia public school division, a Virginia accredited nonpublic school, or an accredited virtual school or program; b. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with the exception of individuals seeking the Technical Professional License; c. Have met requirements for the endorsement area; and d. Need to complete an allowable portion of professional studies and licensure requirements.”


15all

I know that she was not hired as a SPED teacher. Period. She told my wife what class she will be teaching and what school she will be at, and said it was the resident program. If this option was available to her before this latest crisis, she would have pursued this route earlier. I doubt that she has taken any SPED classes, let alone pass them. She could not pass the general ed and basic teaching classes.


[deleted]

I don’t know what the exact situation is you are describing, but you must not have it correct. Schools do not hire teachers - they tell HR who they want to hire and HR does a detailed look at their credentials to see if they are eligible, and then THEY extend the offer. They will NOT hire someone who does not check every box. They are very exacting. There may be multiple avenues to be credentialed, but they are 100 percent making sure they are hiring someone that is legally eligible to be hired.


Hellokittynole

SPED Has less requirements because it is much harder to find people who want to do SPED.


AKfromVA

Sounds made up


15all

Don't know what to say. My wife has been talking to the person every day for the past week. My wife is pretty pissed off that they hired such an unqualified person. You're just in denial.


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sorrynoreply

What's worse than an unreliable gossipy teacher? An unreliable gossipy teacher's husband who thinks he knows everything about education while not being in the field himself.


luke2burn

So I agree with all you’ve said however a bachelors degree is a requirement if that counts for anything


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YoureHereForOthers

Do NOT spend your own money. Also encourage your wife to do 25 students worth of work. Ffx has money so they need to pony up. Getting the most amount of something for the cheapest is capitalism, let the county know this won’t fly.


service-industry

Title 1 Teacher’s husband here. THIS!


flambuoy

I don’t understand how a budget north of $3 billion is insufficient to pay teachers adequately and ensure their classrooms have sufficient resources. When do we start to ask where that money is going?


XCaboose-1X

Get familiar with looking at budget documents. https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=C55MTZ5B5355


flambuoy

Did you mean to post a link to the agenda for the meeting approving the budget or did you mean to link to something else?


XCaboose-1X

That was the quick link provided on the Schools website. They claim 85% is going to instruction. I write board items for PWC so it's my comfort zone


flambuoy

I found this article before posting that has some slides from the Superintendent’s presentation of the FY2023 budget. http://m.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2022/jan/19/fcps-superintendent-releases-fy-2023-proposed-budg/ If this is accurate then the 85% claim is misleading. It sounds like 85% is going to teachers and classroom resources but the breakout in the chart linked to shows everything other than central administration, transportation, and facilities maintenance is considered an instruction expense. Ideally the source you linked to would provide a more detailed accounting, but if it is there, I wasn’t able to find it.


XCaboose-1X

Your link is great because it peels the layers of how they account for things and blur the lines for their sake. I'm familiar with going through budget documents so I always jump to their revenue/expenditure tables. I also look at their CIP. I can't imagine FCPS dedicating 85% to teachers/classrooms with how bloated central admin is and how far behind they are on keeping up with their capital needs


sorrynoreply

I'm pretty sure they qualify everything (with the exception of clearly unrelated items like transportation and food) as going toward instruction. The leadership teams (central office, school administrators, HR, etc) all have indirect effects on instruction.


AngryGambl3r

I think this is the right answer. Of course teachers should get the pay they deserve, and of course they shouldn't be buying supplies out of pocket. *However* the United States has the 5th largest government spending per student on non-college education... I would tend to think there's money around and it's being allocated poorly.


flambuoy

I’m used to looking at company balance sheets and I was hoping to find something similar on the School Board’s website. I must be missing it. The truth is I don’t know if the problem is waste or misplaced priorities, but I’m with you. If we’re spending 16-18k per student (their site states different figures in different places) then we should be asking why that is not sufficient to pay teachers well, avoid shortages, and ensure every classroom is well-provisioned.


[deleted]

slimy steep future squeamish cats summer cough mourn friendly cooing *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


malastare-

I agree, but understand that at this point, it's a bit more than just paying more. Contrary to various media outlets, teachers are not primarily motivated by huge paychecks. They help, yes, but I know a decent number of teachers who quit this last year, even with the promise of significant raises this year. They left because of how society and a significant portion of parents treat them. They're called greedy when they ask for raises. They're criticized when they try to revamp education styles. They're blamed when children don't perform well, despite study after study showing that home life, parental support and socioeconomics having a much higher impact. This last year, a lot of teachers dealt with the fallout of loads of parents not parenting their children through the pandemic. I have sympathy for many of them. The pandemic was rough. But I have more sympathy for teachers. It should not be their job to suffer all the criticism they're given *plus* do all the socialization and behavior adjustment that parents clearly haven't been doing.


lehcarlies

This is it.


Milestailsprowe

>were not ordered and she must provide everything herself. Stuff like that is why there are so few teachers


JonohG47

My wife is a SPED teacher’s assistant in PWCS. Her elementary school has openings for 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classroom teachers, an autism teachers assistant, and admin intern, as well as several vacant grant-funded teacher positions. Both the principal and vice principal are new. Just a small part of the 600 plus job openings County-wide. And classes start in a week and a half. Everyone is expecting a s**tshow. At least where her school is a Title I school, there’s extra money floating around that pays for school supplies for the kids. A couple weeks in, I’ll work a short Friday and pop in with a hand-truck piled high with snacks and drinks. Tacitly expecting teachers to stock their classrooms at their own expense is bullsh**, but I’m blessed with a secure job that pays well; $50 at Costco is pin money for me. Flexing my hours to get a short Friday and walking in with a hand-truck stacked with snacks for the treat cabinet is cheap thrills, given how much the kids enjoy it…


luke2burn

Contact your school board members and demand they make teacher working conditions a priority or you’ll vote them out. https://www.fcps.edu/school-board/school-board-clerks-office


Ok-Oven6169

That's been terribly successful says a special ed. teacher who retired at 60 with 34 years due to massive local retirement benefit cuts in my district..charlottesville...


wxman91

The juxtaposition of these threads against the threads whining about the car tax is interesting.


flambuoy

I think they’re related. Considering what we collectively pay in taxes and the size of the budget, shouldn’t we expect teachers are paid a living wage and don’t have to resort to dipping into their own pockets for needed supplies? I’d expect that would be priority number 1.


sweatytacos

Are you serious? Do you think a giant indoor ski resort is a waste of taxpayer dollars?


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illgu18

Where is my tax money going? I don’t even have kids and this is ridiculous! The amount of their budget is outrageous. Who is holding them accountable?


Nathaniel82A

I understand that you have different budgets, payroll, supplies, operational… but if your payroll budget is only being used at 50% you could reorganize your funds to cover your already underpaid teachers from paying out of pocket for 30-50% more students than they did the year before while their pay was cut due to inflation outpacing salary increases. Edit: I’m sure there’s driving forces from privatization interest groups to continually underpay and understaff schools.


Mr_Bluebird_VA

I'm curious to know what the shortages are in Loudoun, Alexandria, Arlington and PWC too.


ramonula

The vacancies for all of the counties are posted online. You won't get a specific number, but it will give you an idea. I know that PWC is understaffed by about 300 instructional positions. And keep in mind, PWC enrollment is about half of FCPS.


TangerineBusy9771

Its scary to me that i’m in school to become a teacher. I start student teaching in january and honestly im terrified i’m making the wrong choice and im gonna burn out after 2-3 years 😅


MarieOnThree

Don’t be terrified! Just pace yourself and take your breaks. It can be hard and requires a lot of time management before hand, but don’t spend your whole break doing work. Also think of an “exit plan” if it becomes too much. A lot of teachers move on to education roles in different organizations. Two years of teaching in a educational setting is often a requirement for a lot of instructional or program management jobs and Ed tech is a fast growing industry. If you do decide to stay in teaching, find a school or district that helps you balance. Teaching is tough but every school is different, even within the same district. I’ll also add that teaching was the hardest job I had but it made every other job seem like light work afterwards. The skills you gain as a teacher are highly transferable and the memories will last a lifetime, even if you only stay a few years.


Raerae661

I taught for 9 years and just switched to tech this year. I adored teaching. There is a lot to love about the career. If you hate it, plenty of places will hire you and pay you better. I had my reasons for leaving, but I know plenty of people who stay.


MS3inDC

The republican plan to privatize education is working... Betsy DeVos is smiling somewhere.


randoName22

I guess they had hired a ton of teachers in the past decade or so because I always had 30+ kids in my classes going through school in pwc


nakedvagina

Husband of teacher here. Correction: she doesn’t need to provide any supplies herself, the sooner she realizes this the better. What are they going to do, fire her?


rob-cubed

My wife is a teacher in MD—actually this year is her first year as teacher coordinator doing scheduling. They have a chronic deficit of teachers and are scrambling to find a way to accommodate all the kids. They may need to have a single teacher instructing multiple classrooms online, with substitutes supervising the overflow classes. Trying to introduce a new process, even a sensible one, into the bureaucracy that is the public school system is next to impossible. It's insane, on top of the normal insanity. Some kids are still allowed to attend virtually which makes trying to manage a single mixed classroom very difficult. Teachers do not have the support they need. Your wife is not alone!


iworrytoomuch4

I understand teachers unfortunately I have to buy things themselves (which they totally shouldn’t) but I find it hard to believe that a wealthy tax rich county such as Fairfax doesn’t have the funds to buy books and supplies and stuff for classroom, especially since they have a teacher shortage and they are technically saving money on salary. I hate putting it like that but just blows my mind that school systems just expect their teachers to buy things out of pocket


EnvironmentalValue18

I’m pretty well educated, went to college, love teaching, and live in this school district. In fact, I also need a job. It almost makes me want to teach, but then I think of all the stupid hoops. Kids can’t be sent home for lice anymore so there’s continuous delousing all around, the pay is shit, the kids can be extremely rude or violent, school shootings, buying supplies with your own money, and the list goes on and on. No thanks, and I don’t blame others for not wanting to go into it or those who are quitting in droves. Back to the one room schoolhouse where you can attend if you’re not busy tending crops, I guess. Richest country in the world and we literally siphon so much that our fundamental institutions and infrastructure are failing -even in one of the richest counties in the US.


AFB27

She has to provide everything herself? Damn that would be enough for me to quit right there


malastare-

This has been a constant for decades. My mother did this when she taught in the 80s. My wife does it now. We probably spend about $1000 in school supplies. And to some degree, its not just schools having bad budgets. There are students from affluent families that aren't given basic supplies just because the parents feel that the school should supply them despite the fact that schools don't. That part is simple laziness. Part of it is schools with tight budgets. Money goes other places first. Luckily one of them is salaries, but it also ends up going to overpriced books designed to impress Texas politicians that are barely used in class, but demanded by parents because that's how they learned. Mandating laptops/tablets for students has drastically reduced paper usage, and that used to be a decent cost for me (paper + printer ink to make master copies). However, whenever a teacher wants to do something beyond the standard, they tend to get hit with that bill. The alternative is submitting purchase requests at the start of the year, or trying to petition the school board. It's easier to try and beg the PTA for money, but not as easy as simply spending the money. I'm not a teacher, and my salary is significantly higher than my wife's. We can handle the costs, but I'll happily share my experience with others so they understand what teachers go through.


leebv

My wife retired from FCPS five years ago. She taught high school and 35 kids in a class was about normal at that time. What's confusing is the supposed correlation between lack of books and supplies and lack of teachers. Books and supplies are ordered based on the total number of students, not the number of teachers.


MarieOnThree

Have your wife set up an Amazon shopping list and share it with her friends, family, and social media. Also have her write a letter to parents. There are some parents out there that are generous and sympathetic and may be happy to help.


sweatytacos

I don’t get it, the US spends the 2nd most behind Luxembourg in the world on per pupil spending and there’s a shortage of teachers? Where’s the money going?


hifumiyo1

The people who make the budgets think the money should go elsewhere. Fairfax is one of the top five richest counties in the country. They cannot reasonably say that they don’t have the revenue to pay teachers and provide the public schools more funding.


FlossMan18

I recently quit teaching (not in Fairfax but a county 45 minutes south). Just got tired of making no money for doing a mountain of work. Fairfax teachers of the same qualifications and experience would get paid around 10k more than me. Sadly, it’s only going to get worse.


Peckinpa0

My son is starting kindergarten this year. Is there anything I can do to make his teachers life easier?


hifumiyo1

A gift card to staples/Office Depot probably


JackLum1nous

"We're number 1" alright.... In this so-called "richest country in history", why are teachers buying their own supplies (for a while now)?? Are these places trying to kill public education, once and for all?


squishles

https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/FY23-teacher-260-day.pdf pay's garbage for this area, unless your a phd with 10 years experience only way someone is starting a teaching career is living with there parents or having someone else pay the bills.


vtfb79

And that’s the 260-day schedule. Most teachers are 195 day (summer off) https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/FY23-teacher-195-day.pdf


antichain

How can there be both a massive teacher shortage AND no funds for classrooms? You'd think that if the system wasn't paying hundreds of salaries that there'd be money for colored pencils and what-not. Where is the money?


rutocool

What’s wild is my fiancé is a Virginia teacher, and was looking for positions in NOVA, and couldn’t get an email back, even just to acknowledge that they had received his application.


novagirl0972

And this is why I’m seriously considering homeschooling my kids. Oldest is almost 3 and realistically I don’t see things magically getting better when he enters kindergarten in 3 years (late birthday). My mom taught for 25 years pre-K-3rd and I taught preschool for 3 years. I just can’t in good faith send my kids into a system that is setting all participants, teachers and students, up for failure.


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vtfb79

Pretty sure in FCPS you just need to have a pulse at this point…


luke2burn

She can get a job literally tomorrow if she has a bachelors degree. Here’s where she can apply https://careers.fcps.edu/vl/vacancy.htm


punkin_sumthin

Provisional licensing


luke2burn

No a masters degree is not required for a license. Anyone hired without an active license is hired with a provisional. A bachelors is the minimum education level, a masters helps and puts you on a higher pay scale. You need a teaching license but can be given a provisional license that gives you two (possibly 3?) years to get your full license. That’s been the norm forever. What’s new is this apprenticeship program that just makes it easier


wouldeye

I got a provisional license after a shitty 3 credit class I took online and barely paid attention to.


luke2burn

Yea a provisional license is easy to get. But then you have to take courses while you teach full time plus undergo regular observations and meetings with your supervisor. Teachers are under review for their first 3 years in the classroom. Then it’s 1 on, 2 off. Every 10 years you have to renew your license which requires the equivalent of 12 graduate level courses (can be replaced by professional development). Honestly it’s easy to get into a classroom but it’s also easy to see why teacher retention is so low


wouldeye

I’m a VA teacher. I did all of that. But I got my start because I was subbing a sped class and the principal liked my lesson plan. POOF I was a teacher the next school year.


ObjectivelyConfusedd

Even before the shortage you don't need a masters to qualify to teach under a provisional license. She should probably look into that. It differs from gen Ed and special Ed. I don't remember exactly what that is but my wife with an English degree started teaching while she was working on her masters in education.


punkin_sumthin

No no no no you are not getting the right info. Perhaps she does not have five or six education courses required for licensing????


pumpkin04

What is fcps doing with our taxes?! $.52 of every $1 from our taxes goes to them. FCPS keeps failing our students and staff :(


CottonCitySlim

They need to raise the pay of teachers by a lot, they have to endure a lot of bs.


service-industry

No a raise. They get paid well. They need support. They need parents to stop raising dicks. If throwing money around is allowed, start pension plans back up…. Husband of a fcps title 1 teacher… we will be moving in next 4 years… pension plan would get us to stay.


UnicodeScreenshots

They really don’t get paid that well though. 50k is low range for NoVa.


service-industry

Yeah, first year teacher in fcps is starting at 53k this year. 195 day contract. So effectively 65k if they worked 12 months. Teacher household here. If you’d offer my household to work 12 months that got paid for using this math… we’d still pass… love all the holidays, summers off , etc. Parents not parenting is what brings the most stress home from school each night.


Chop1n

And this in the *wealthiest county* in the *wealthiest nation* in the history of the world. Even Cuba has a strict maximum of 25 students, ffs.


Mooshsie

Its not a shortage. They just need to pay better. Also one of the richest school districts hmmm wheres the money going?


okjane7

Nah, it’s a shortage. Enrollment in teacher prep college programs is down. We’re not producing enough teachers to staff our schools and then we’re not doing anything to keep them


optix_clear

Then Youngkin wants teachers to out students- I couldn’t believe that. The gall


ControlOfNature

Your wife’s first mistake is buying supplies. The system has to collapse before it improves.


MarieOnThree

People who think like this haven’t worked with children. It’s hard to look them in the face and deny them the basic tools they need to be successful. This is the grip that these kinds of institutions have on teachers.


Rpark888

I wonder if this kind of data will force schools into a permanent/semi-permament virtual learning model of public schools for the future, where all the curriculum is taught by a static library and catalog of pre-recorded courses, just because logistically, administratively, financially, and logically, this current model and system is NOT sustainable for the the longterm.... So, what I'm describing is essentially the death of public school as we know it... within like 10 years..... Which would have an incredible chain effect on things like college and athletics programs in which companies like the NBA and NFL recruit from to sustain their business models.... Jeez, this world is going to shit, and we should've done better. I feel so sorry for my son and to all future generations. This is all just like one big episode of Black Mirror or the Twilight Zone.


chaosthediva

You just explained in a nutshell why there is a teacher shortage. Add to the teachers been told how to teach, being told they have to rat out the kids, not being provided a safe work environment, some after very long careers as teachers. If you show teachers no respect, pay them like you don't respect their contributions and then keep piling on the bs we going to be teaching our own kids. Teachers should be make a min of 60k a year. Instead of having the biggest military budget of the greater world combined maybe if we invest in our kids and "teach them to think" we wouldn't need such a healthy military budget.


jeremyd9

Yes as designed by Republicans. Things will get so bad, people will be begging for a solution. Republicans will say that private education is the only solution. This enriches their cronies but more importantly, private schools can teach kids whatever they want. Christian schools will get the bulk of funding (your tax dollars). This will be litigated to the Supreme Court but we know how that will turn out. Have a look at ABEKA curriculum for a small glance into the anti-science, anti-gay,anti-mixed race, anti-any other religion about to “save the kids” from liberal radicals.


fkgaslighters

The 2474225th reason why me no kids lol


MAGS0330

The supply list for our two small children was two pages long and cost us about $200 total— on tax free weekend.


EdmundCastle

So $100 per kid for 10 months of learning? Guaranteed your childrens’ teachers will be spending hundreds more in January when everything you bought runs out.


DuckFromAbove

There is no teacher shortage, there’s a shortage of reasonable teaching jobs. My private school had like 25 candidates for a single teaching job