Miami Dade Public Schools Reviews in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL Area

Pros

Stability and predictibility considering what there is available out there for teachers

Cons

The System is not improving with all the $$$$cuts

Pros

Benefits
You have a job
You get a paycheck
You get vacation time

Cons

You get paid very little for what you do
No respect
Rude students
Incompetent administrators
Gossip galore
extremely stressful
unrealistic expectations

Advice to Senior Management

Treat teachers like professionals and maybe they will behave like they are professionals

Pros

The opportunity to work with children in the education field is the only reason to stay working as a teacher provide you can afford to live on the minimal salary.

Cons

After a Master's degree and 9years of teaching experience, salary is minimal and job is not secure.

Advice to Senior Management

Staff morale and job security is a must. Once that is lost, I believe it has been, the ability to remain positive is slim.

Pros

The benefits package is great, especially if you need a low deductible plan, and it is nearly impossible to beat the vacation time.

Cons

Please understand that this is from the standpoint of an inner-city school. The district has done a very poor job of creating accountability in the schools and ensuring there are effective consequences for students and parents, or that students with extreme issues are relocated to alternative schools better suited to their needs. This issue leads to an extremely challenging atmosphere.

Advice to Senior Management

The district needs to increase its capacity to address students with serious issues and needs, and needs to create an effective means of keeping teachers, parents and students accountable for academic success and acceptable behavior.

Pros

If you are able to obtain a postion as an Administrator, job security and pay are more secured than any other position. You may continue your FRS (retirement) from your existing goverment employer. Ability to help youth in your community.

Cons

Growth opportunities are few. Cuts in hours, pay and benefits have occured in the past three years. Likelyhood of additioanl cuts are very high. Contractual raises have not occured in the past three years. Job security which was once a Pro is no longer certain for non-instructional employees.

Pros

Plenty of time off. Work only 9 1/2 months out of the year. Great job for a mother of young children.

Cons

No room for advancement. Little to no money for compensation.

Advice to Senior Management

Allow for a higher starting compensation with bigger raises in the entry level and decrease the bigger raises for longer timed employees.

Pros

It's the largest employer in the county, especially for teaching and business-related skills. While the current recession has forced reductions in force, these have been handled within the seniority provisions of the district's labor contracts. Hopefully,the worst of these days is behind us now.

Cons

As with all public sector agencies, there is limited opportunity for rapid advancement, and labor provisions fail to take personal skill sets into proper context in awarding salaries. There are virtually no bonuses, and tremendous bureaucratic resistance to individual ambitions and skills.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue to seek improved public support for local, state and federal funding. Search for a workable "merit pay" model for teachers, and improved professionalism for school/district administration.

Pros

Dade Schools offers a place where people are encouraged to learn more and deeper into their areas of study. I taught AP Computer Science as well as Programming 1 - 3 for a number of years before returning to Science.

Several times a year they offered time and space for a number of us to meet and work on various aspects of a course.

Cons

There were times when the administration and I were at odds over how the courses were to be taught. The county sent a pacing guide that left little room for students to explore the various techniques and procedures if they did not have access to computers at home.

Advice to Senior Management

Allow the teacher more time to have the students work hands on and study more in depth the finer points of the course.

Pros

reasonable health benefits for employee only

Cons

too huge a school district

Advice to Senior Management

Look at your ineffective school board

Pros

Work is very slow paced and relaxing (assuming that's the kind of job you want--I didn't like it myself). Regular staff people are friendly. Good work schedule.

Cons

Some Administrators were bullies and completely incompetent. Promotions were based entirely on who you knew, instead of what what you knew or how good of a job you did. They assume that employees are liars and can't be trusted, and many staff members are actively discouraged from going out of their way to help anyone who is not in their own department.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of the incompetent Administrators who think that doing their job entails engaging in abusive behavior with subordinates. Hire and promote staff based on superior job performance, not on who they happen to be friends with.