Va. school’s teachers dress down for better pay
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-schools-teachers-dress-down-for-better-pay/2014/02/09/58d85664-91de-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html

FAIRFAX, Va. — Teachers at Woodson High School in Fairfax County are dressing in jeans and T-shirts as part of a demonstration for better pay.

The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/1gcI2SG ) reports about half of the faculty have been dressing down as part of the campaign. Teachers say they’re frustrated that the average salary in Fairfax lags behind other school systems in the region. According to the 2014 Washington Area Boards of Education guide the average Fairfax teacher could earn about $7,500 more per year by working in Arlington and nearly $7,000 more in Montgomery County.

English teachers at Woodson came up with the idea of dressing down. One teacher said maintaining a professional wardrobe is an expense.

The county’s new school superintendent, Karen Garza, says teacher compensation is one of her top priorities.

Asking for pay to go up, Fairfax teachers dress down
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/asking-for-pay-to-go-up-fairfax-teachers-dress-down/2014/02/09/d4414486-903b-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html

Walking the hallways at Woodson High School, it might be difficult to pick out some of the teachers from the swarms of students dressed in hoodies and sweat pants.

Instead of oxford shirts paired with neckties or blouses on top of dress slacks, about half of the Woodson faculty have been “dressing down” as part of a demonstration for better pay. The campaign, which members of the Fairfax County school’s English department helped organize, is gaining momentum as teachers at other schools are taking notice.

Drew Marvin, 41, has been sporting T-shirts in his English classes since last Monday. Katherine Sebunia, 34, now wears jeans and comfortable sneakers as she instructs her Woodson students.

“We want to help Fairfax understand what makes Fairfax such a great place to live, because it’s not mountain vistas or beachfront access. It’s world-class schools,” Marvin said. “And while the county Board of Supervisors says it’s world-class, our own teachers have to struggle to pay mortgages.”

Karen Garza, the county’s new school superintendent, has said that teacher compensation is one of her top priorities, and her proposed budget for next year includes $41 million in salary increases. But it is unclear if the county board will approve Garza’s budget or if the raises are realistic as Fairfax faces a budget crunch.

“This campaign has been initiated by teachers and is not formally endorsed by FCPS,” schools spokesman John Torre said. “With that said, increasing compensation is a priority and the FY 2015 advertised budget includes a step increase for employees.”

The dress-down campaign is one of several tactics Fairfax teachers have adopted in their quest for raises after years of stagnant compensation. An online petition sponsored by Fairfax teacher groups and the county council of PTAs has more than 1,700 signatures. The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers has been placing advertisements in newspapers calling on county supervisors to increase school funding.

During the economic recession, Fairfax County made significant cuts to the schools budget and teachers saw pay freezes.

Teachers say their frustration stems from the fact that Fairfax, regarded as one of the nation’s premier school systems, now lags in average salary behind other school divisions in the Washington region. The average Fairfax teacher could earn about $7,500 more per year working over the county line in Arlington and about $6,900 more over the Potomac in Montgomery County, according to the 2014 Washington Area Boards of Education guide.

Seeking to highlight the pay disparity, a group of teachers in the Woodson English department began brainstorming ideas, Sebunia said. One teacher mentioned that maintaining a second wardrobe of professional attire to wear to school was becoming a hefty expense.

The group decided this month to begin wearing casual clothes to work as a protest. The county schools’ regulations have one line applying to teacher attire: “Employees shall dress and conduct themselves in a professional manner.”

“The idea was that we’re not going to spend money on professional clothes, we’re going to spend it on groceries,” said Sebunia.

Marvin said that Woodson faculty have the enthusiastic support of the principal, Jeff Yost.

“We have excellent teachers, and their dressing down in no way affects their teaching or student learning,” said Yost, whose wife is a teacher. “They arrive before the students and they stay after school for hours helping students and collaborating with their colleagues. Additionally, they spend hours outside of school grading work and planning class lessons. The 40-hour workweek is a joke when it comes to the work FCPS’s teachers, counselors and administrators do each week.”

Pay freezes have affected many teachers significantly. Sebunia said that she and her husband, who works in the Fairfax schools’ human resources department, both took second jobs in recent years to make ends meet.

Because of mandated retirement contribution increases, Sebunia said she and her husband actually saw their take-home pay decrease, despite small salary raises in recent years. As a result, Sebunia said, she can no longer afford day care for her 5-year-old daughter.

“As a teacher, you work very hard to help other people’s children be successful and get into good schools and colleges,” Sebunia said. “But as we do that, realistically our own children’s chances of going there get smaller and smaller. It’s demoralizing to realize all your efforts aren’t helping your own child.”

Marvin said that working in a classroom is a high-stress job and that the school system experiences significant turnover each year as teachers burn out. It also hurts, he said, to see teachers in neighboring school districts earning more.

“It saps our morale,” Marvin said. The dressing-down campaign, “is a way for teachers to stand up for themselves.”
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I subbed off an don over the past 6 years, trying to decide if I wanted to make a carrer switch from business to teaching. I decided that I loved teaching kids, (high school), but there was no way I could deal with putting up with parents and administrators and bringing home papers and tests to grade every night and weekend. Plus the fact that few people give you any respect, like at a gathering and somebody asks you what you do and you reply "I'm a teacher", they move on to the next person or make some stupid remark like, "must be nice to have your summers off".

You can't pay teachers enough, in my opinion. Meanwhile, some idiot that can't spell but can catch a football makes millions.

Um, so who's watching her 5 year old if she can no longer afford daycare?

KC4VW Wrote:
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> Meanwhile, some idiot that can't spell but can
> catch a football makes millions.

Pot - meet kettle. Please update us on your 'carrer' switch.

I asked my kids last night when I saw this story what the teachers usually wear - they said jeans and t-shirts.

KC4VW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I subbed off an don over the past 6 years, trying
> to decide if I wanted to make a carrer switch from
> business to teaching. I decided that I loved
> teaching kids, (high school), but there was no way
> I could deal with putting up with parents and
> administrators and bringing home papers and tests
> to grade every night and weekend. Plus the fact
> that few people give you any respect, like at a
> gathering and somebody asks you what you do and
> you reply "I'm a teacher", they move on to the
> next person or make some stupid remark like, "must
> be nice to have your summers off".
>
> You can't pay teachers enough, in my opinion.
> Meanwhile, some idiot that can't spell but can
> catch a football makes millions.

What your implying is that teaching is not hard job by itself. However what makes teaching difficult is all the bullshit that comes with teaching such as parents, administrators and grading papers.

Some teachers in some school systems are underpaid however many teachers in many school systems are paid just enough.

Most people in any profession from bust boy to Fortune 500 CEO probably think they are underpaid.

Teachers at FCPS are paid just plenty and most jobs do not get yearly pay raises.

Dressing down to protest low pay and acting like one of the adolescents you teach is not an acceptable way to get their point across. A teacher who does that should be reprimanded.

Sit & Learn Wrote:
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>
> “We have excellent teachers, and their dressing
> down in no way affects their teaching or student
> learning,” said Yost, whose wife is a teacher.
> “They arrive before the students and they stay
> after school for hours helping students and
> collaborating with their colleagues. Additionally,
> they spend hours outside of school grading work
> and planning class lessons. The 40-hour workweek
> is a joke when it comes to the work FCPS’s
> teachers, counselors and administrators do each
> week.”

Lies, lies, lies. Keep saying it enough, and you are hoping people believe you. For 90% of the teachers, the ass rockets go off as soon as the last bell rings. Sure there are the dedicated few that really put in an extra effort, but for most they are punching a clock.

Oh, and dressing down to get paid more - could you have come up with a more juvenile approach?

amazing.. Wrote:
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> Sit & Learn Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > “We have excellent teachers, and their
> dressing
> > down in no way affects their teaching or
> student
> > learning,” said Yost, whose wife is a
> teacher.
> > “They arrive before the students and they
> stay
> > after school for hours helping students and
> > collaborating with their colleagues.
> Additionally,
> > they spend hours outside of school grading work
> > and planning class lessons. The 40-hour
> workweek
> > is a joke when it comes to the work FCPS’s
> > teachers, counselors and administrators do each
> > week.”
>
> Lies, lies, lies. Keep saying it enough, and you
> are hoping people believe you. For 90% of the
> teachers, the ass rockets go off as soon as the
> last bell rings. Sure there are the dedicated few
> that really put in an extra effort, but for most
> they are punching a clock.
>
> Oh, and dressing down to get paid more - could you
> have come up with a more juvenile approach?


In high schools, they dont wait for the last bell, if they dont teach a last period, they are already gone. Also check out the nearest local pubs at happy hour. You might see a few familiar faces there before their contract time is supposed to end....

I am not against paying teachers more, but their argument is pretty dumb.

What if I went to my Landlord in Arlington and said "You need to lower my rent!" "In neighboring counties such as Prince William the rent is 50% cheaper!"

Location, Location, Location.


If they want to make as much as Arlington County or Montgomery county then move there, or make the commute there. If they want to live there with the extra pay, be prepared for the extra hike in housing expenses.

school hasn't been in full session since mid November because of all the holidays and snow days. this is not a good time to dress like a slob and complain that you don't make enough. the people who were not paid for all those missed days of work and the single mothers who had to scramble for child care do not feel sorry for you. people who were layed off will take a new job for far less than what they were making. they would love to take your teaching job and they will dress up for it.

Teachers in FCPS have been dressing in jeans in t-shirts and sneakers or flip flops for at least the last 15 years. How much more dressed down are they planning on taking it?

That's it! I'm not going to wear either of my two ties!

Really? Wrote:
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> Teachers in FCPS have been dressing in jeans in
> t-shirts and sneakers or flip flops for at least
> the last 15 years. How much more dressed down are
> they planning on taking it?

Interesting. Do you work in the schools? Where have you witnessed this? I have taught in FCPS for the past 15 years and I only wear jeans on "casual Friday" unless I have a meeting that day in which case I forgo the jeans and wear typical dress clothes.

And in my 15 years in the county I have gone from one of the worst schools to one of the best and there was no difference in the way the teachers dressed. The ONLY people in casual clothes on a regular basis were the gym teachers.

That being said, I agree that this dress down protest is pretty useless. I don't even understand the argument. Increase our pay b/c we can't afford to buy work clothes? I haven't bought new work clothes in years and I manage just fine to dress professionally every day. Between the clothes and gift cards I get for Christmas/birthday from family, I can manage to update my wardrobe with a few new pieces in the Fall and be done with it.

What would have been FAR more interesting and much more disruptive (and, therefore, make a better point) would be for the woman who couldn't afford daycare to bring her kids to work. LOL! Now THAT would be awesome. If all teachers with kids dragged them to work with them for a week saying they couldn't afford daycare so had no other choice than to bring their kids with them.

Long time classroom (parent) volunteer here. The teachers at my kids' elementary schools are typically in jeans and tee shirts and dress decidedly unprofessionally.

Want to be treated like a professional? Dress like one.

Teachers can't get much more casually dressed. Perhaps robes and slippers would have been more effective.

The obvious answer is go teach in Montgomery County or Arlington then.

...
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I graduated from an FCPS school in Alexandria about 20 years ago. Teachers didn't wear jeans unless you were going on a field trip or there was a charity event. They would pay $5 to be able to wear jeans money went to booster club or something similar. I have 3 kids at each level in FCPS schools now and I visit the schools weekly. The elementary teachers actually still dress as if they are going to work. Occasionally you see someone in jeans but for the most part they are wearing professional clothes. The middle school is 50/50. Administrators dress professionally as well as older teachers. The younger ones need to be given a lesson in appropriate work clothing. At the high school level it's an absolute joke. You might see a male teacher break out their khakis every once in awhile but it's usually jeans. Polo shirts or a t-shirt over a long sleeve like the teacher pictured above. Female teachers are casual most days and the days they're not you have to remind some of them what they're wearing isn't appropriate in front of young men. In actuality the only ones dressing professional at the high school level are the office staff. Not administrators the secretaries. As far as teachers not getting paid what they think they deserve the answer is simple do something else or marry someone who can support your teaching habit.

Let's just worry about whether or not they are teaching our children and less about their attire. That's what truly matters. I've seen many teachers dressed "professionally" yet it still looks super sloppy. I've also seen many teachers in jeans and they know how to do so professionally. Might I add, they also look better than the teachers wearing dress pants that aren't even ironed. Priorities of a teacher are to worry about educating, not what they are wearing.

Why don't they just go naked? Now that will make a statement.

They should just go there naked. That'll save them more money on clothing those fuckin socialist unionizing motherfuckers.

Don't like your pay? Move to a school district that pays better....

Teachers are doing the job no one else wants to do: dealing with your bratty kids.

All this whining on here yet no seems to want to step up to the plate. Keeping crying about our teachers and see where it gets us.

I say good luck to them. My wife works three times as hard and makes half. And some of the parents are either uninvolved or nuts. Most of you wouldn't last a week.

I will have sympathy once the Woodson and FCPS requires "teacher" like head basketball coach Doug Craig to teach more than ONE class! What a joke!

My wife and I both teach for FCPS and think dressing down is a dumb idea. The superintendent has included a raise in her budget proposal and the school board supports it. If we want to have the public on "our side" with the County Board of Supervisors, then dressing down is not the way to do it.

Keep in mind this was not county-wide (I think it was only at a few schools) and was not planned by any teachers' organization.

tgb Wrote:
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> My wife and I both teach for FCPS and think
> dressing down is a dumb idea. The superintendent
> has included a raise in her budget proposal and
> the school board supports it. If we want to have
> the public on "our side" with the County Board of
> Supervisors, then dressing down is not the way to
> do it.

Personally the whole dressing thing is over rated as long as the arent dressed like the students and wear something appropriate.

That said youre absolutely right that this just turns people against them as it appears childish.