HoLa reports low teacher retention rate

HoLa's Executive Director Sargent pays herself a six-figure salary + bennies

This one is curious.

Why does a school viewed as successful, whose students perform well have a such a low teacher retention rate?

Employees- especially teachers, who are happy, well-treated and well-compensated tend to stay in their jobs.   GA says "especially" teachers, because we all can agree one doesn't get rich in a classroom; teaching is a calling, a labor of love.   My mother taught in a NYC public school for 35 years before she retired.

So why did 5 out of 30 teachers leave the expanding HoLa Dual Language School after the 2013-2014 academic year?  That is an 83% retention rate.

Comparatively, Elysian Charter reported a 96% teacher retention rate.





According to 2015 Taxpayers Guide to Education Spending, the year that 5 teachers decided to leave HoLa, 2013-2014, they paid their teachers a median salary of $26,790.

That year, teachers at Elysian Charter were paid a median salary of $71,902.


2015 Taxpayers Guide to Education Spending- HoLa Dual Language


It's management's job to incentivize staff, to hold onto them- especially teachers.

Advice to HoLa's Board: before you try to undermine the Hoboken School Board,  sponsor frivolous ethics complaints, and spend time attacking our district, why don't you clean up the mess in your own backyard?

Maybe you can be better stewards of your funds so you can pay your teachers what they deserve?

Comments

  1. HCS and Elysian can pay their teachers a decent wage, and the charters all get the same funding. why is HoLa paying teachers so little? Where is the money going?

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    Replies
    1. Why would qualified teachers work for such a low salary?

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    2. 7:21 what evidence is there that "experience counts" in education?

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  2. A school with low teacher retention is not a good school. It is absolutely a career where experience counts. And what in the world!!! median salary of teachers $26,790?!!?? Sounds like they are paying their teachers about $15/hr. Good God, do they, at least, give them benefits? So, all that bragging about how cost efficient they are is actually the result of, practically, slave wages for their faculty and staff! (except for their six figure executive director). These people obviously do not care about education, the children that attend their school, a living wage or anything. They need to shut their doors immediately so that the children have a fighting chance to get an education at a school that is actually an institution of education.

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  3. Figures. The cabal that runs HoLa and approves Jen's six-figure salary pays their teachers like they pay their nannies. Maybe less.

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  4. Maybe some of the money went to putting the wife of some politico on staff with full benies ?

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  5. Slave wages, no special ed, now that's something to brag about!

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  6. Well looks like someone just earned herself a graph showing why $25000 is way better than a living wage once you have the right combination of incongruous axes. I'll also be doing a new anti-Trump FB post to show how caring I am about everyone other than Hoboken school children. #Winning

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  7. 17% of teachers walked out in June 2014? Maybe the school needs a revolving door. Pupie, get on that. Charge about $200k to install. Petro, report about Hola's innovative 360-degree entrance on your blog. Only the best get through. Very innovative. Pay bilingual Hispanic teachers day-worker wages while the wealthy whites approve their own six-figure salaries. Brilliant.

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    Replies
    1. I think we can just go ahead and adopt those as the minutes. Call the vote!

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    2. Does it really matter? So long as they can keep hiring random people w/ little in the way of qualifications, they can fill those slots. Not like the goal is to educate kids. The goal is to keep costs low, take money from the district and spend it on anything but teachers. BTW - parents, you are idiots for sending your kids to school here.

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    3. 11:28- parents aren't at fault, but it's up to them to repair their board and "clean house"- like Kids First did starting 2009. Ironic how some ousted parties ended up on the HoLa board.

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    4. The ousted parties go where the money is and the transparency and accountability is not.

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  8. Most likely some of the remaining teachers were provided an apt in the HHA courtesy of Mr. Carmelo. The others walked when the well ran dry.

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  9. Political Patronage Pit ?

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    Replies
    1. thank you for your investigative reporting- it couldnt come at a better time

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  10. Methinks it's going to be an awkward Monday morning at Hola.

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  11. Doc P hasn't been able to jump in with anything that sounds like a counter-argument so I'm filling in.

    I know you are but what am I?

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