Superintendent Greene says there is no help coming from her

 So a few weeks back, the district started posting videos from teachers about why they were leaving or the trials and tribulations they endured. They put out the videos to rally support for the millage increase, something I wholeheartedly support and hope you do so too. The thing is, most of the videos were about how poor teacher working conditions are and how much they have to work and sacrifice, with very little tod o about income. I felt this was a mistake. So I wrote the district pointing out that where the millage increase and income were important, it was just half the problem, a problem their own videos exposed. 

https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2022/06/dcps-is-terrible-place-to-work-and-dont.html

 Greene wrote me back, and her letter is below.

In the letter, she offered nothing in the way of what she would do to reduce stress and workload because, I guess, those things aren't an issue to her. The 700 district openings, however, tell me they are a huge problem.

In my 22-year career, I have known teachers who have left for more lucrative paying jobs, but I have known far more who left because of the lack of support, unrealistic expectations, tremendous workload, and stress, and these are things the millage increase won't help but Greene sure could if she wanted too. 

If she wanted to.

Mr. Guerrieri,

Thank you for your email. The point of the post was to inform our stakeholders that recruiting and retaining teachers is a challenge in part because corporations are now actively targeting teachers to switch careers. 

Regarding support for teachers and other staff struggling to cope with stress, we strongly encourage team members to take advantage of the free Employee Assistance Program. EAP services include confidential support 24/7 from a licensed professional counselor including six visits per issue. This support is available in-person and through telephone, text, video, and chat. EAP provides short-term assistance with stress and with other personal issues such as depression, anger, grief, family problems, substance abuse and more. Referrals are provided for additional treatment or special care. Additionally, EAP can assist an employee with work and life support for financial concerns, legal assistance, time-management, childcare, and eldercare.

In addition to EAP, employees have free access to the Headspace application which offers guided mindfulness activities connected to meditation, sleep, focus, and movement. At the Educator Wellness Conference in April, educators had an opportunity to engage in five breakout sessions focused on self-care and supporting youth. The Mental Health Matters monthly newsletter provides information about all these services along with resources and strategies for supporting self and students.

We also have technical support in place to assist teachers managing classroom situations that might lead to increasing levels of stress. These supports include:

•                  Providing training on CHAMPS as well as Guidelines for Success, classroom behavior support systems, to incorporate throughout daily rituals and routines to maintain instructional momentum.

•                  Assistance through professional learning communities to implement classroom structural supports to reduce classroom disruptions and attendance concerns based on data.

•                   Providing Foundations modules to assist with schoolwide movements to create an orderly and safe environment.

•                   Assisting teachers and school faculty and staff with utilizing Florida PBIS model critical elements schoolwide on way to achieving for schoolwide and classroom-based use.

Thank you for your inquiry, and I hope this gives you the background you are seeking both in the referendum education campaign and services available to you and your colleagues for managing stress and other personal issues. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Dr. Diana Greene