Oregon Department of Education Reviews

Pros

Some of the people are great Good pay and benefits

Cons

Guilty until proven innocent mindset regarding time sheets, travel, etc. Allow caustic management to flourish Peer bullying Lack of trust in management to support employees confidential issue(s)

Pros

Benefits; people; agency cause; fair, proactive HR, but their hands are tied.

Cons

The top person at the agency is pretty awful, however, he'll transition soon. The morale is very low, the culture is one where people don't say what they think or what they feel for fear of retribution. And retribution happens pretty consistently to those with a counter opinion. No one is holding the head person accountable, although there have been many complaints lodged to a variety of executive reps throughout the state.

Pros

There are great benefits and the pay is good. Most employees are able to flex their schedules and many may have opportunities to work from home. Great food in the little deli!

Cons

The morale is low. There is little upward mobility. There is a lack of professional development and internal training. Managers are not held accountable to be equitable to staff when there are opportunities for professional development or advancement. Bully bosses are not held accountable. Whistle blowers are quietly abused and the Eval process is misused. Behind in acquisition and use of technology. Unskilled managers. Unskilled HR. Unfair hiring practices. Emotionally unhealthy place to be. Bureaucratic!

Pros

Opportunity to support schools and districts in Oregon and provide them with professional development in not only your subject area(s), but also work on educational policy. Great co-workers for the most part to work with who are passionate about improving outcomes for Oregon's students! Lots of opportunity for professional development and furthering your education if desired. Strong union that supports the employees when needed!

Cons

Most management positions (managers, directors and above) are external candidates and there isn't much room for growth at the department. Always lots of diverse work to do and often you may work over your scheduled 40 hours a week during busy seasons because there isn't enough FTE to get it all done. Cliques and who you are friends with can help you land a position and or projects to be involved with at the department. There is an equity lens at the department yet some staff with less experience and skills are getting paid or started on higher pay steps than employees who have worked there for a longer period of time and have also even covered two positions at once. Some employees at the same level are given a lot more work to complete than others, while some employees are able to keep low on the radar and not end up helping with the heavy lifting. HR needs to be reviewed for their unethical hiring practices and also needs to help train and or educate managers on appropriate management strategies and procedures. An equity lens goes beyond the color of ones skin..... Fat-shaming, sexual orientation, Social economical status, religion, disability, including mental health needs to stop.

Pros

Vital mission, smart/energetic team, virtual work possible (but I didn't), evolving collaborative environment, close proximity to the state capitol and other "corridors of power."

Cons

Bureaucracy, occasional analysis paralysis, staff churn, slow to fill positions, occasional pointless meetings (no, really…), parking can be a drag.

Pros

Having a steady Union job, good place to start to gain experience, nice people

Cons

Ancient technology with no upgrade in the near future, very little work to do and no learning of new technologies

Pros

There was a very quick interview process. However, if something seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Cons

The essential functions of the office of childcare has more to do with the DHS than the Department if Education. This office changed departments several years ago. So, those with a background in education would need to be retrained even if they were making a transition internally. The combination of the manager not being there half of the week, and the staff's unwillingness to train is the perfect storm. To put it politely, BOLI would have a field day with some of the discussions that went on in this office. And at least two employees were gone in less than two weeks ( fired or quit, I don't know).