Palm Beach County School District Reviews in Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL Area

Pros

Great teachers
1st two years great working environment
supportive
met my wife

Cons

too much testing
too much micromanaging
last year was way too stressful
horrible administration
having the title doesn't make you successful administrator

Advice to Senior Management

don't think they would listen to any advice

Pros

summer time away from administrators, teaching, youthful energy from students, new buildings

Cons

incompetent administrators, organization too big for a government agency, too much autonomy of principals with site based management,

Advice to Senior Management

Place value you on your biggest commodity, the teachers. Constant change is not change at all it is only chaos. Deal directly with problem teachers; not all of them are problems. If the teacher is a problem where did that problem trickle down from....appreciation and support go a long way in work environment.

Pros

WONDERFUL TEACHERS!!! They are very dedicated and passionate about their students. Staff as well as faculty are hard-working, and are very supportive of one another.
 I have learned so much from my colleagues. Amazing generosity (Giving time and money) and compassion for students and their colleagues as well.

Cons

-All AYP/FCAT and the schools grade.
-VERY out of compliance with Special Education and ELL guidelines and procedures.
-Principals hold way to much power...They can fire, hire and move teachers from classrooms and grade levels in the middle of the school year!!!
-NO MONEY FOR TEACHERS/NO LEVELS OR RAISES/TERRIBLE BENEFITS!
-The union has very little power in the district
-Too much transition!!! The state and districts are constantly switching the curriculum materials, assessment tools and and computer programs for data input.
 it's very difficult for teachers to keep up with new initiatives, because they are constantly having to learn all new programs and implementation.

Advice to Senior Management

PAY YOUR TEACHERS! WE ARE VERY PASSIONATE AND WORK ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR CALL OF DUTY!
Support us and have some compassion!

Pros

Most of the teachers and support staff are extremely dedicated, hard working people.
Palm Beach county is a beautiful place to live.

Cons

The hiring process was exhausting and expensive (finger printing was $99.00)
There was no money for supplies.
The administration (at least in my school)
1. was micromanaging and condescending on every level.
2. did not hide the fact that selected faculty were "favorites"
3. never responded to e-mails however important
4. conducted "business" in unethical ways
The district did not support me in finding a new position despite the vacancies listed on the website

Advice to Senior Management

If you want to hire and retain the best, reward them with
1. money
2.respect

Pros

Fantastic community of teachers willing to go the extra mile for students. Dedicated professionals who are able to work with difficult communities of special needs groups with a smile on their face.

Cons

Administration that is disconnected from the classroom and an unwillingness to stand up to the district for the benefit of the students.

Pros

1. Good Salary.
2. Lots of resources to use in teaching.
3. Lots of cultural diversity.
4. The kids are great.
5. You live in paradise after you step out of school

Cons

1. Micromanaging to the power of 12! You are told what to teach, how to teach it, what to say, what color marker to use on the board. . . and in the school that I worked at if you were caught not following the lesson to a T you would get called to the office and literally yelled at by the principal. I have been cursed at, and humiliated in front of co-workers.
2. Following in with number 1, No Professionalism from Principal!!!
3. No system of checks and balances to ensure that school management is accountable (see 1 & 2)
4. The union doesn't do anything

Advice to Senior Management

Make sure you are holding your principals accountable for their actions. . . the union wont.

Pros

Pay for your retirement FRS.

Cons

Doesn't matter how hard and best you work. No recogniton. Red tape and politics will slap your face. Unfair practises. It is about who you know rather than what you know and what you can do.
Usually favorite people get rewarded.
Make sure you practice kissing the back if you want to stay here.

Advice to Senior Management

Damage is done. Read the federal laws against discrimination. Just wait for the lawsuits. One after the other.

Pros

Excellent professional growth, reasonable salary but not equal to cost of living in Palm Beach County, friendly co-workers, good retirement plan, depending on school good administration, decent health care package.

Cons

Salary not commiserate with cost of living in county, hard to get promoted to resource or upper level position even when qualified, possibly because so many applying with experience. Not enough time to cover curriculum in the day/month/year, not to mention the paperwork we have to complete. We get paid a salary for a 40 hour work week but the actual hours are more like 50 or 60 if you want to do it right. Hard to move from Coastal(Title 1) Schools to schools in more suburban neighborhoods or closer to home areas. County tends to hire those they know not necessarily the best qualified candidate.

Advice to Senior Management

Promote objectively not subjectively. Consider cost of living raises for all employees. Find a responsible discipline plan that works and is consistent with all schools. Less paperwork please. More hours in our day but with pay so we can complete the tasks assigned and do right by the students we are there to inspire and guide.

Pros

The position is very non-demanding and management is very easy to get along with. Good retirement plan. Good non-intervening management

Cons

No opportunity to excel and little to no appreciation for good talent. All employees in this division receive a review that is the same middle-of-the-road performance regardless of ability and performance. Very click oriented management and promotional opportunity. Health care benefits modest

Advice to Senior Management

Reduce the budget for waste. Implement a task team to identify waste, ie wasted resources, materials, labor capacity, and other areas. Promote according to skills and abilities. Learn more about the talents working there and place/promote accordingly.

Pros

This is a very large school district. There is a huge range of schools, so you can find a good fit for your personality/ teaching style. This school district does pay a bit better than some others in the state of Florida.

Cons

As a large school district, it is difficult to make things fair at all schools. Everyone is paid the same, treated the same, etc. Currently, we are getting a 2% raise. This is about $30 a paycheck for me.

Advice to Senior Management

The school board needs to work on the budget in order to pay the teachers better. Every year, many teachers leave the district because they cannot afford to keep their jobs. Stop painting the schools so often. Stretch the textbook adoptions to 6 or 7 years. Be creative!