With an already full plate, a concern in our building is the amount of new things that occur every year. These new policies and initiatives just keep adding more and more to our plates, and the purposes aren’t always clear, or the follow up is missing. How can the County help staff balance the work we already do with new initiatives?
I am grateful for this question and the courage it takes to put it on the table. No truer words have been spoken about the life of an educator, specifically a teacher, in the 21st century. I truly appreciate your candid and thoughtful question about the ever-increasing workload and the challenges that come with new policies and initiatives. Your concerns are valid, and I understand that managing your responsibilities as an educator can become overwhelming, especially when faced with constant changes.
It is essential for us as a school system to support our dedicated educators in maintaining a healthy work-life balance and ensuring that new initiatives and policies have clear objectives. Here are some ways in which we can and do work together to address this issue:
- Transparency and Communication: We will continue to make a concerted effort to ensure that the purpose and origin behind each initiative is clearly communicated. This includes sharing the goals, expected outcomes, and how they align with the overall mission for ACPS.
- Professional Learning: We recognize that additional responsibilities can be burdensome without proper skills development. We are investing in comprehensive training programs to equip our teachers with the skills and knowledge required to implement initiatives effectively. Whether a change is locally developed or state mandated, we take responsibility for preparing you.
- Feedback Mechanisms: Your feedback is invaluable in shaping policies and initiatives. We must establish a feedback system and invite opportunities that allow teachers to voice their concerns and suggest improvements. This feedback will be taken into account in decision-making processes.
- Prioritization: It's crucial to strike a balance between existing duties and new ones. We will continue to work to prioritize initiatives that are most impactful toward our mission and three overarching strategic goals and feasible, taking into consideration the capacity of our staff.
- Support Resources: We provide additional support, such as hiring more staff or allocating resources to ease the workload, particularly low class-sizes, where new initiatives have a substantial impact.
- Evaluation and Follow-Up: While we are not perfect in this regard, we have established clear evaluation criteria and follow-up procedures to measure the success of initiatives and make necessary adjustments. To view more about this process, review Section A of our current budget, which lays out the Board-budgeted initiatives for this current fiscal year.
Where we need to be more disciplined is in ongoing evaluation of initiatives to determine their impact on students’ academic performance as well as their impact in meeting the physical and social emotional needs of our students.
Please know that your dedication and commitment to our students do not go unnoticed. We are here to work collaboratively with you, making sure that your voices are heard, and your needs are met. Together, we can find solutions to the challenges you face and create a more manageable and supportive environment for educators. Thank you for your valuable input, and please feel free to reach out if you have any more suggestions or concerns.
Answer provided by Dr. Matthew Haas, Superintendent of Schools