https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:08:16 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2463816 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 21:04:04 +0000 808love 2463816@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not reading all the comments but in response to your original question...I've taught at a year round school ever since I've become a teacher, over 15 years and I've even attended a year-round conference which looked at issues related to this type of schedule.<br /> It allows for a nice break after a quarter-long chunk of curriculum (9weeks or about 40-45 days here). Our breaks are anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks if you round up. :) We love it because we can regroup, rest, and strategize. As a teacher, we get a much needed rest as well. Like with sabbatical, you come back with new eyes, experiences, learning (yes, we use our free time for institutes, symposiums, reading, and lesson planning-have you seen Pinterest lately?- websites for teachers). We also know students and parents love the breaks. I think the time lost (two hours as things wind down before going on break 3 times a year --summer break doesn't count bc everyone gets that) is actually worthwhile. Kids can even do enrichment camps, tutoring or add fun things to their schedule throughout the school year. Hmmm what don't I like? Summers are short. But that's ok! I think the long summers are when learning is lost a bit, boredom and trouble sets in....it makes it that much harder to start back in. Having a year round school schedule makes the transition to a new grade, pretty seamless and less jarring, since the breaks are of 'normal' year round length.</p> <p>ETA: We used to have intersession classes, some schools still do this, where kids could take multi-age or topic specific enrichment or remedial classes during the break for added opportunity to learning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2463588 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 17:35:31 +0000 Anagram 2463588@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I'm just catching up on this thread. Maybe it's different in your state, or your school district, but in MY school district, our pensions are funded by us, with paycheck deductions. There is supposed to be money thrown in by the state government, but it's been national news that our state. NJ, has not been putting in their part of the pension, for years.</p> <p>Unlike my husband, who gets a 401k match, we get nothing except the money we contribute and that the state is supposed to contribute but hasn't.</p> <p>And in many states, teachers aren't allowed to withdraw social security, even if they paid into it for say, 20 years and then switched into teaching after a career change for an additional 25 years. If they want to draw their pension, they can't draw their own SS or their deceased spouses SS. Total bullshit, if you ask me.<br /> . </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462712 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:37:44 +0000 Alba4 2462712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: @regbetadaisy:: </p> <p>Teachers just outside NYC are paid that well because the cost of living is so high (especially home prices) and because a Master's degree is required by NY and NJ. The schools are also some of the highest performing in the country, so it's a competitive market for teachers.</p> <p>Yes, I'm a well-paid teacher, but most of my friends work in the private sector, don't have a masters degree, and make at least50%-100% more in salary. Having a pension makes me feel more secure about my family's future.</p> <p>I love my job, take great pride in it, and am proud to have a union too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462693 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:25:22 +0000 farawayyama 2462693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: We have staggered arrival and departures so depending on when they arrive/depart, they are in school for between 7 hours and 7 hours 45 minutes. All but 30 minutes of that is instructional time. We do have a lot more specials, e.g. art/yoga/PE etc, but it is still a really long day for the kids. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462683 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:16:19 +0000 cat620 2462683@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I found this article which is helpful: <a href="http://ed100.org/teachers/pensions/" rel="nofollow">http://ed100.org/teachers/pensions/</a></p> <p>It looks like there are incentives to teach longer, and for teachers that do, the pension increases beyond just matching. </p> <p>An example: California teachers pay into their STRS system through an 8.15% withholding on gross wages (a rate higher than Social Security’s 6.2% but less than STRS rates in other states; in Louisiana the withholding rate exceeds 20%). In return, in an average retirement lifetime of thirty years, CalSTRS has historically paid back about five or six times what teachers have put in, adjusted for inflation. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462674 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:09:05 +0000 looch 2462674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: I can't find a doc for teachers, but according to the firefighters pension plan doc, it's 7% per year to be contributed by the employee and that gets matched by the employer. But I am no expert on this at all, I'd love to ask a teacher how it really works and what their take home pay is versus what the stated rate is. That's where the rubber meets the road, and would go a long way in easing the concerns of homeowners and increased tax burdens. Everyone feels they're paying more and getting less services.</p> <p>There are also (as I understand it) options on how you want to be paid out. My dad is a retired municpal worker and he elected to lower his annual payout so that in the event he dies, the payments continue to my mother. You also have the option not to do that, so you get a higher payout, but when you die, the payments stop. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462673 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:08:01 +0000 regberadaisy 2462673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@farawayyama: how long is the day? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462672 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:07:02 +0000 farawayyama 2462672@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: One thing to consider is that recently there have been a lot of salary freezes and restructuring of compensation plans in specific districts and charters that leave a sizeable chunk of US teachers (myself included) in the upper 20s - min 30s range. </p> <p>As far as year round school goes, I've taught in Japan, the US and New Zealand. I like NZ's structure of 10/2/10/2/10/2/10/6 the best. There is still a sizeable summer and there are very regular breaks throughout the school year. </p> <p>My current school trades longer school days for more breaks (we have 15 less days and about an extra hour a day). We get a good number of breaks in the school year, but I'd happily trade a few weeks of summer for shorter school days - the children are exhausted by the end of the day and the last hour is like pulling teeth. Plus I get very limited time with DD when school is in session.</p> <p>I'd happily swap my pension for a 401k and the ability to cointribute to social security. So long as my money itself isn't wiped - I pay 13% in. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462667 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:02:44 +0000 cat620 2462667@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: So I'm trying to understand how pensions work, and it looks like it can vary by state. Is it that a small percentage gets taken out of the teacher's salary, and the school matches it, and then that turns into the pension? Also, it looks like teachers don't pay social security tax like the private sector would? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462663 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:55:51 +0000 looch 2462663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: surprising, isn't it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462662 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:54:02 +0000 regberadaisy 2462662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@aprild: color me surprised. My (public) districts median pay range for teachers is almost 80K. We do NOT have a high cost is living. That is WAY more than what I make. WAY more! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462661 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:52:23 +0000 looch 2462661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: Of course they're different and can't really be compared. I think it's important when you're making a decision that you have all the information and in my area, the issue of the moment is the ballooing cost of the pensions and how we have to constantly cap the current operating budget. It's eye opening (I joined a facebook group for parents of the school system in my town and it's been a great source for information).</p> <p>Oh, and I believe in fair wages for everyone, with the ability to save for things like retirement, college, etc. It's not that I think we pay teachers too much, it's that people should be given the tools to save on their own. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462657 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:50:33 +0000 cat620 2462657@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is a couple years old, but this article has a map that shows the average annual salary for teachers by state. It's higher that I thought it would be<br /> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/15/how-much-teachers-get-paid-state-by-state/" rel="nofollow">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/15/how-much-teachers-get-paid-state-by-state/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462652 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:46:50 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2462652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: the NYC area (and honestly, union areas) must be different. Where I live teacher salaries are not comparable to other professional saleries.</p> <p>ETA: I would much prefer we phase out pensions as I agree with you. The problem is these teachers spent their lives expecting it and don't have other savings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462651 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:44:01 +0000 looch 2462651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: It's cost of living. it's expensive to live where I do, so if you don't pay people, they can't live here and we don't have teachers, fire fighters, etc. Trust me, it's not that much when you look at it over all expenses. But the point is not the figure. It's that the salary is comparable to other private sector jobs.</p> <p>That is also not the starting salary, it's the range that most teachers top out at when they're ready to retire, so that's the amount that has to be paid out year over year via the pension. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/3#post-2462648 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:41:31 +0000 regberadaisy 2462648@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch:<br /> that a teacher at a public school makes that much. Not that I think they don't deserve it. But the most common complaint of teachers in the public sector is how overworked and underpaid they are. But I'm guessing this pay range is not the norm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462644 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:38:46 +0000 looch 2462644@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: which part? that it's public information? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462643 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:38:14 +0000 regberadaisy 2462643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: 😮 Mind blown. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462641 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:36:45 +0000 looch 2462641@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: It's public information. You can look it up for your town too. I can see what every police officer, fire fighter, public school teacher and municipal worker makes every year. I was surprised when I looked at it too, because I always thought it was not competitive with the private sector (at least in my area). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462640 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:35:58 +0000 regberadaisy 2462640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I'm guessing this is a private school where the tuition is more than my pay? :P </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462639 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:35:19 +0000 regberadaisy 2462639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: haha I was going to ask the same! Holy shit! I thought teachers always said they get paid peanuts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462638 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:34:36 +0000 looch 2462638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: I don't want to give the exact location for security, but it's outside the NYC area.</p> <p>Don't get too excited though, COL is quite high, which makes up for the differences. But the point is, if a teachers salary is the same as what it is in the private sector where there are no pensions and you have to save for it all on your own, does the pension for teachers make sense any more? But, not the point of this thread. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462634 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:27:04 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2462634@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: 90-120 per year??? Where is this? I top out at like 40 if I teach in NC my entire carreer. And I am forced to contribute 6% of that directly into the pension. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462627 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 07:19:24 +0000 looch 2462627@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I agree, but I think the issue (at least where I live) is more funding the pension plan, than it is the current operating costs. If the pension were to be eliminated, we could absoultely fund an increased school year and make necessary upgrades to the buildings to support it. We say we want to invest in the kids, but in the end, we don't.</p> <p>I know this is a hot topic, but when teachers are making between 90-120 per year, just as people are in the private sector with no pension, it's hard to argue that pensions should be maintained as they are. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462606 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 06:11:01 +0000 bloved 2462606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As a teacher, I love the notion of year round school because I definitely see the summer slide. Ideally I would love it to be the same number of instructional days, just "chunked" differently. However, I do see there being additional costs associated with this. For example, the elementary school I used to work at in NJ has no air conditioning. It was terrible just in June and September. Something would have to be done for the summer months. And since school budgets are local, I am not sure how you could ensure things like that (and additional compensation if needed) are passed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462597 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:24:48 +0000 Anagram 2462597@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ree723: i was responding to pps that were talking about more days innthe school year, saying the US had fewer fays than other countries. I've worked in 4 districts in Texas and NJ and we had a daily rate of pay in every district...even though we are salaried, there's a daily rate because districts have to know that for when a teacher is docked their pay.</p> <p>Also in all the schools I've worked, they kept a.c. and lights on in the front office and off in the rest of the school. Teachers arent allowed to go work on classrooms until the school is reopened and a.c. is on the week before school starts. I've actually never heard of a school cooling and lighting a while school for just the front office staff. Maybe its only a Chicago thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462596 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:14:16 +0000 Ree723 2462596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: This may have just been a Chicago thing, (I don't think so though), but as a teacher, we make an annual salary that most people choose to have paid over twelve months. You can choose to have it paid over the nine months you're working but it's still the same salary - we don't make a day rate. Regardless though, if the number of teaching days stays the same but is divided up better throughout the year, which seems to be the point of this thread, there would be no increase in costs. Here in England, we are in school for 190 days per year, similar to the US, it's just divided up into six week chunks throughout the year.</p> <p>Also, in the US (and here I'd assume), school buildings are open year round (except public holidays) as administrators, secretaries, and engineers are there all year. My mom was an Asst Principal for years and she didn't get summers off etc - so things like electricity costs etc would be a nonfactor as they're used anyway, </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462568 Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:04:37 +0000 Mirage 2462568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Living in Canada I have to say I really enjoyed having the summers off! It was our time to learn about nature and play outside. We often went up north to cottages etc... I wouldn't want more time off in the winter, we were already gong stir crazy over Christmas break. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462541 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 22:09:24 +0000 Anagram 2462541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Having said all that, I would be willing to work more days for more pay. I could make an additional 9000/yr from working an additional 6 weeks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-thoughts-on-a-year-round-school-schedule/page/2#post-2462540 Mon, 15 Feb 2016 22:07:38 +0000 Anagram 2462540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As an educator, I think realistically the American public does not want to pay for additional days and hours to keep schools open and keep paying teachers. I just don't see our society suddenly saying, yes let's raise all our property taxes and federal taxes to pay teachers their daily rate for another month or two each year--not to mention all the electricity, maintenance, other staffing.</p> <p>Not happening. </p>