CASD Staff Exit Survey & Teacher Turnover Data

What was your primary reason for leaving/factors that contributed to leaving? (other - comment)

I retired early because I am disheartened in the negative direction if the school district with regards to lack of discipline and negative turn of special ed supports! I felt if I retire, I could doeak out without fear of losing my job!!

Family Relocation however the relocation was not an issue because of status of the district, kids are wonderful, support in the district for kids of any kind of need is not.

Mold in building, major behavior concerns

To clarify, my building level administration was amazing.   Very supportive and knowledge and always ‘played by the rules’ while doing her best to create a safe, warm environment for learning.   District level administration was not supportive of making choices for the students.  There were a great deal of special ed students and regular ed students who were engaging in behaviors that were unsafe to either themselves and/or others.  We were planning and trying to gather plans to help best support these students and were not supported.  This in turn, affected the climate of the building and put staff and students in danger.  It was difficult for me to work in a district that would support the kids needs because it either ‘looked bad’ or cost too much money.

Involuntary transfer after 13 years of proficient evaluations

Toxic school climate (mainly lack of support from admin)

Being asked to do things that were, in my opinion, unethical

I was also given a contracted position.

I retired after only 14 years. I was not valued for my educations and experience as a mental health professional who wanted to help student, but rather as a substitute teacher, lunch room aide, bus duty and a one-on-one aid for unruly students who could not be maintained in the classroom. Would have loved to have worked at least four more years but I was suffering job related stress issues.

I retired 6 years before full retirement due to superintendent, board, and building administration not putting needs of students and staff above their own agendas.

It was a combination of lack of leadership in the building and from upper administration as well as personal health concerns due to students and parents not being held accountable. Building conditions (mold, bedbugs, roof leaks) were also a concern.

There was no administrative support at all with discipline issues. Administration claimed teachers had poor classroom management skills and didn’t consider the lack of follow through with discipline as a problem. I was paid so poorly that I had to apply for food stamp benefits. I went to another district where I was paid enough, as an educated and skilled person, where I didn’t need public assistance. Why would a community of people who cared about their children pay administration and a superintendent upwards of five times my salary, not support me as an educator, and expect me, as a qualified teacher, to stick around? qualified

Husband ‘s illness

Over the years the continued negativity weighs on you, to a point where you start to bring that negativity home and I didn’t approve of how it was changing my thought process around education.

Lack of support & input.  Non-sensical directives and policies that were counter to safe practice. I would not have retired for another 3 years if district "climate" was positive and supportive.

Bullied by administration...no support....drummed up loudermill

Resigned for concerns about personal safety and I could not continue working in an environment of disrespect and negative way superintendent treated employees! Also, it was difficult to follow her negative changes to special ed and curriculum. Also, lack of discipline that negatively impacts the learning environment for all students. I was fortunate I had enough yrs to retire and feel bad for those coworkers still struggling and working in such a toxic environment!

Did not agree with the districts full inclusion

I absolutely felt devalued as an Educator, Coach, and Individual. Also, educational policies/practices continued to defer with my beliefs. There was a hugh lack of proper discipline and educators questioned frequently about why students weren't passing their class. Administration never followed through with suggestions presented to them. I can explain more in detail if you and I have a sit down one on one.

A disrespectful, complicit school board which influenced administration to act similarly. Unprofessional & punitive environment that undermined teacher autonomy & effectiveness.

Lack of discipline. Ex. Cell phone use.

Not allowed to take full maternity leave

Lack of support for special education students and teachers

Disagreement with leadership practices

What could have convinced you to stay?

A caseload of almost 150 is too many for one person. Instead of making teacher push in, they should have hired the correct amount of teacher. It is completely illegal the model of instruction they are providing for the ESL students.

A change in board of directors and upper administration

A change in upper administration and board majority

A discipline policy that was enforced. An administrative team (superintendent, assistant superintendent, pupil service director) that supported the faculty instead of looking for ways to weaken them

A district that supports the teachers instead of trying to find mistakes

A more collaborative work environment. Professional and

a statement from ANY administrator in the way of "I value your contribution to OUR Students".

A working collaborative work environment, free from fear and intimidation.

All teachers prior were allowed to take 2 years maternity leave.  I was told I had to come back at one year.  I was only told this at the end of that one year.  I should’ve been told that during the HR meeting when I was pregnant.  For years and years people took 2 years.  I was told I had to come back or lose my job.  Also, I was WORN OUT from the lack of administrative support.  It was exhausting giving 100% of yourself to a job and no one seemed to care.  The behaviors got worse and worse each year and nothing was done about it.  The lack of support was just sad.

An acknowledgment of disciplinary issues, building health issues, poor administrative issues, and a willingness to actually address them. I always intended to teach until I was 65, but could no longer work in a district where serious problems were ignored (or worse, admin claimed they didn’t exist) and teachers were given no professional respect. A different board and central administration could have made the difference.

Better contract for teachers, better discipline within the schools, more support/ feeling wanted and TRULY appreciated by administrators and school board. The district talks a good game about caring but never really show it. The student’s behavior was another major concern.

Better leadership in the supervisory positions at the top and in my school. Better curriculum and input to the curriculum changes.

Better pay, more supportive administration (building level and central office), offer needed resources/training

Change in top administrator! The choices/changes she has made in the areas of curriculum, special ed, and discipline have severely hurt our district! Change is needed!!

Change of chief leadership, bigger budget, better practices (special ed), trust of middle management (principals)

Change their special education policies and practices. The district is doing a disservice to the special education students

Changed admin

Changes in the areas of discipline, curriculum, and special ed. Also, respect and feeling like we as teachers have some input before changes are put into place. We, teachers, no our students and what works best for them.

Coworkers and students were amazing

Comparable pay

Consistent support and feedback from teachers and administrators and the freedom to teach students in their areas of need rather than to the book could have helped convince me to stay.

Demonstrated respect for their staff and a true concern for the education of the students.

Fair treatment & respect

Fire Tashner

functional administration, support of teachers, resources for teachers, updated technology, fair pay

I can’t work for Perez and Taschner under any circumstances.

I was driving an hour to and from work each day. I LOVED my time at Rainbow, but my new school is only 20 minutes from my house/my life and it is a much better fit. I did not want to move from friends and family, which is what I would have had to do to remain in CASD.

I would have stayed if the Principals were doing their jobs: by supporting the teachers in discipline, teaching strategies, encouragement, and being a force in the building that the students know what kind of behavior will/will not be tolerated and the teachers will know what is expected of them without fear of their jobs being in jeopardy.

If district was in state compliance and administrators did not bully/harass teachers, I would have stayed.

If I were not force transferred to special education I would still be teaching in CASD.

If I would have been hired for the position that I originally applied for and quite frankly, was most qualified.

Improve special education and administration

Improved support of staff and disciplinary policies with physically aggressive and disruptive students

Inadequate Advisory concerns......Bullied by administration...no support....drummed up loudermill.

Less students on my caseload & better building level supervision

Let me be able to coach.

Make the overall climate of the building positive, rather than so so negative

Making students the number one priority!

More discipline,  safer environment and teacher support instead of constant criticism

More support, filling open positions, making sure the students really were the #1 priority

More supportive of the teachers - stop targeting teachers and making it scary to go to work because we are afraid to do something wrong and get written up

New administration that enforced discipline, reasonable schedule and realistic goals for student achievement.  Support provided students so that they would be able to achieve.

New district leadership would have been a start; however, once replaced, it will still take a few years before improvement would be felt at our level. For me, staying another year presented too much risk.

New superintendent

Nicer place to work.

Not switching my position ever year. A higher salary. Administration that knew what they were doing.

Only if the health insurance plan did not have a deductible.  When they say all districts have, thats a lie! I’m in a district with way better health insurance

Over the past few years I believe negativity and a sense of fear have grown in the district. That’s not an environment I feel I can excel in as a teaching professional. I would never want that to affect the students. They deserve you at your best every day.

Placed value in my expertise.

Provide support and reduce unreasonable workload

Reduced special education case load.

Returned me to the position for which I was best qualified and had served in for over  20 years

Sadly in my situation I had to leave but with that said, I was sad to leave colleagues and students but not the job, upper admin needed to make many changes.

Seeing that SPED students received the pull out services they require!

Setting on a teacher contract that had a comparable pay scale to other school districts in the county.

Showing we were appreciated for all that we were put through on a daily basis.

Smaller, more manageable class sizes, more consistent discipline policies

Someone hearing my concerns & frustrations would have benefitted me & the district. I was NEVER contacted for an exit interview by anyone.

Support from district admin and a more competitive salary

The district was not going to offer a pay raise...changing insurance to HD plan was like taking a pay cut because there was always an out of pocket expense...also, we as nurses couldn't enforce state mandates, which would have made a difficult job a bit easier...non-nursing people make policy and procedure without consulting nursing...students not in the proper placement totally disrupting...students with spec ed needs not having them met, which was very personal to me having removed my own son from the district because spec ed is terrible...what was the deciding point for me to leave was the school's attorney telling my son's attorney that "the district doesn't care if out of district placement is in the best interest of the student, it's expensive and we don't want to pay"...the solution, fix spec ed and it's not happening...students are being pushed through without the proper services and I couldn't witness that anymore!

There are many things that would need to change, but if administrators actually disciplined students for their poor and violent behavior, I feel a lot of the issues teachers deal with daily would make the environment better.

They asked, made suggestions but I did offer to stay until it could be a better transition for the students

They could have allowed me to keep my position that I had for 13 years

Treating teachers like the experts, stop adding work load to teachers (out of compliance with the state)

Unless there was a change at the top, treatment and disrespect of staff members only added to my reasons to leave

While I was there I shared my concerns with several administrators, including Dr. Taschner, and no changes were implemented

If you did not do an exit interview or did not provide details, explain why.

Did not complete yet.  I will and I will give detail

Didn't want to burn bridges.

Don’t know why i didn’t do one...

Exit interview was not very in depth and details about why I was leaving weren’t really elicited

Fearful of "bad mouthing" causing me further problems in the future (employment, recommendations)

Have not done this yet.

I also requested an exit interview, but no one ever contacted me

I attended 2 hearings

I did not complete an exit interview because I feel that it would not cause any positive change, as it seems that administration cares little about the concerns of the teachers, and does not care about teachers leaving.

I did not complete an exit interview because, given some of my answers, I didn’t want them to withhold info from the state delaying my retirement benefits. I was not afforded a personal exit interview only an online survey. Even if completed, the questions did not afford the opportunity to speak the truth as to what I observed as needed changes to the district.

I did not complete an exit interview.

I did not have an exit interview.

I didn’t complete the exit interview because the link to do so was sent to me via district email and I was being held.  I intended on completing district survey, but I was unexpectedly released and access to my email and the link was turned off immediately.

I didn’t have an exit interview.

I do not remember if I completed one.

I explained overal that the negative environment made it hard for me to feel successful with the students. Once it begins to change my thought process around teaching I knew it was time for me to leave.

I felt as though it wouldn’t do any good, or serve any purpose since the school board only listens to the superintendent’s words and dismisses what the teachers say and feel.

I had no exit interview

I have not been given a date for an exit interview. When/If I am asked to do an exit interview, I will definitely tell them everything wrong with this district.

I resigned and they never offer an exit interview.

I was fearful

I was never asked by anyone.

I was never asked to complete

I was never asked to complete an exit interview, even though I was held for 60 days after submitting my resignation

I was never asked to or told how to

I was never asked to. I would have been extremely detailed.

I was never asked.

I was never given an exit interview

I was never given/offered one

I was never offered the opportunity to do one. My principal didn’t even say good bye.

I was not afforded an exit interview. They didn’t have the time

I was not asked

I was not asked to complete an exit interview.

I was not asked to do an exit interview

I was not asked to do an exit interview

I was not given an exit interview but I did write a letter of resignation and put in my letter why I was disgruntled and leaving.

I was not given an exit interview when I resigned

I was not given an exit interview. I was a long term substitute prior to leaving, but did not apply for a contracted position within the district.

I was not invited to participate in an exit interview by anyone in administration.

I was not offered an exit interview

I was not offered an exit interview

I was not offered one. I was not contacted.

I wasn't offered an exit interview.

It was on the computer

Many people before me had left and took the time to complete an exit interview and NOTHING changed.  I was not going to waste my time or breath.

NEVER ASKED TO DO AN INTERVIEW.... bullied by administrative legal.....threatened if I questioned loudermill

Never given opportunity to exit interview.

Never sent one

Never want to burn your bridges plus I knew they would really listen or read the comments if they weren’t positive toward the district.

No exit interview

No exit interview was ever scheduled.

No given the opportunity

No one asked me to do an exit interview. I inquired about it and was given a dismissive answer.

Not provided

Questions were alligned with my concerns, plus you do rely on your previous job for referrals.  However, Taschner stopped allowing teachers to recieve a letter of rec from principals and upper admin staff.  Not okay

Resigned over summer, and never heard from anyone.

The exit survey questions seems very leading. I don’t feel that they were loooking for the real answers.

They didn’t give me one.

Very candid about the disrespect by the superintendent

Was not asked

Was not asked to do an exit interview.

Was not given option

A caseload of almost 150 is too many for one person. Instead of making teacher push in, they should have hired the correct amount of teacher. It is completely illegal the model of instruction they are providing for the ESL students.

A change in board of directors and upper administration

A change in upper administration and board majority

A discipline policy that was enforced. An administrative team (superintendent, assistant superintendent, pupil service director) that supported the faculty instead of looking for ways to weaken them

A district that supports the teachers instead of trying to find mistakes

A more collaborative work environment. Professional and

a statement from ANY administrator in the way of "I value your contribution to OUR Students".

A working collaborative work environment, free from fear and intimidation.

All teachers prior were allowed to take 2 years maternity leave.  I was told I had to come back at one year.  I was only told this at the end of that one year.  I should’ve been told that during the HR meeting when I was pregnant.  For years and years people took 2 years.  I was told I had to come back or lose my job.  Also, I was WORN OUT from the lack of administrative support.  It was exhausting giving 100% of yourself to a job and no one seemed to care.  The behaviors got worse and worse each year and nothing was done about it.  The lack of support was just sad.

An acknowledgment of disciplinary issues, building health issues, poor administrative issues, and a willingness to actually address them. I always intended to teach until I was 65, but could no longer work in a district where serious problems were ignored (or worse, admin claimed they didn’t exist) and teachers were given no professional respect. A different board and central administration could have made the difference.

Better contract for teachers, better discipline within the schools, more support/ feeling wanted and TRULY appreciated by administrators and school board. The district talks a good game about caring but never really show it. The student’s behavior was another major concern.

Better leadership in the supervisory positions at the top and in my school. Better curriculum and input to the curriculum changes.

Better pay, more supportive administration (building level and central office), offer needed resources/training

Change in top administrator! The choices/changes she has made in the areas of curriculum, special ed, and discipline have severely hurt our district! Change is needed!!

Change of chief leadership, bigger budget, better practices (special ed), trust of middle management (principals)

Change their special education policies and practices. The district is doing a disservice to the special education students

Changed admin

Changes in the areas of discipline, curriculum, and special ed. Also, respect and feeling like we as teachers have some input before changes are put into place. We, teachers, no our students and what works best for them.

Coworkers and students were amazing

Comparable pay

Consistent support and feedback from teachers and administrators and the freedom to teach students in their areas of need rather than to the book could have helped convince me to stay.

Demonstrated respect for their staff and a true concern for the education of the students.

Fair treatment & respect

Fire Tashner

functional administration, support of teachers, resources for teachers, updated technology, fair pay

I can’t work for Perez and Taschner under any circumstances.

I was driving an hour to and from work each day. I LOVED my time at Rainbow, but my new school is only 20 minutes from my house/my life and it is a much better fit. I did not want to move from friends and family, which is what I would have had to do to remain in CASD.

I would have stayed if the Principals were doing their jobs: by supporting the teachers in discipline, teaching strategies, encouragement, and being a force in the building that the students know what kind of behavior will/will not be tolerated and the teachers will know what is expected of them without fear of their jobs being in jeopardy.

If district was in state compliance and administrators did not bully/harass teachers, I would have stayed.

If I were not force transferred to special education I would still be teaching in CASD.

If I would have been hired for the position that I originally applied for and quite frankly, was most qualified.

Improve special education and administration

Improved support of staff and disciplinary policies with physically aggressive and disruptive students

Inadequate Advisory concerns......Bullied by administration...no support....drummed up loudermill.

Less students on my caseload & better building level supervision

Let me be able to coach.

Make the overall climate of the building positive, rather than so so negative

Making students the number one priority!

More discipline,  safer environment and teacher support instead of constant criticism

More support, filling open positions, making sure the students really were the #1 priority

More supportive of the teachers - stop targeting teachers and making it scary to go to work because we are afraid to do something wrong and get written up

New administration that enforced discipline, reasonable schedule and realistic goals for student achievement.  Support provided students so that they would be able to achieve.

New district leadership would have been a start; however, once replaced, it will still take a few years before improvement would be felt at our level. For me, staying another year presented too much risk.

New superintendent

Nicer place to work.

Not switching my position ever year. A higher salary. Administration that knew what they were doing.

Only if the health insurance plan did not have a deductible.  When they say all districts have, thats a lie! I’m in a district with way better health insurance

Over the past few years I believe negativity and a sense of fear have grown in the district. That’s not an environment I feel I can excel in as a teaching professional. I would never want that to affect the students. They deserve you at your best every day.

Placed value in my expertise.

Provide support and reduce unreasonable workload

Reduced special education case load.

Returned me to the position for which I was best qualified and had served in for over  20 years

Sadly in my situation I had to leave but with that said, I was sad to leave colleagues and students but not the job, upper admin needed to make many changes.

Seeing that SPED students received the pull out services they require!

Setting on a teacher contract that had a comparable pay scale to other school districts in the county.

Showing we were appreciated for all that we were put through on a daily basis.

Smaller, more manageable class sizes, more consistent discipline policies

Someone hearing my concerns & frustrations would have benefitted me & the district. I was NEVER contacted for an exit interview by anyone.

Support from district admin and a more competitive salary

The district was not going to offer a pay raise...changing insurance to HD plan was like taking a pay cut because there was always an out of pocket expense...also, we as nurses couldn't enforce state mandates, which would have made a difficult job a bit easier...non-nursing people make policy and procedure without consulting nursing...students not in the proper placement totally disrupting...students with spec ed needs not having them met, which was very personal to me having removed my own son from the district because spec ed is terrible...what was the deciding point for me to leave was the school's attorney telling my son's attorney that "the district doesn't care if out of district placement is in the best interest of the student, it's expensive and we don't want to pay"...the solution, fix spec ed and it's not happening...students are being pushed through without the proper services and I couldn't witness that anymore!

There are many things that would need to change, but if administrators actually disciplined students for their poor and violent behavior, I feel a lot of the issues teachers deal with daily would make the environment better.

They asked, made suggestions but I did offer to stay until it could be a better transition for the students

They could have allowed me to keep my position that I had for 13 years

Treating teachers like the experts, stop adding work load to teachers (out of compliance with the state)

Unless there was a change at the top, treatment and disrespect of staff members only added to my reasons to leave

While I was there I shared my concerns with several administrators, including Dr. Taschner, and no changes were implemented

Please feel free to include your contact information and/or any other comments.

“Forgive me for being a pessimist, but we screamed about this 5 years ago and again when the board gave her an extension to her contract. They gave it to her anyway! Now, the devastation that she has caused, for whatever reason, is in full swing, you want her out? This will cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars? This keeps happening to our community! That’s is why I ask, what difference will it make if I fill out the survey or not?        “I am so disgusted by our district! Everyone in our district has a job to do, whether employed by the district or not. The professionals (teachers and administrators) have the job of teaching and guiding these students to their future, whether that consists of college/university, the armed forces, trade/technical schools, OR right into the work force- believe or not, some students are not built for college AND do not want to go!.        “Somewhere along the line of educating these students, we have forgotten that! And it starts at the top with the School Board, the Superintendent, and the building Principals.        I have worked in this district for 32 years, and although there were some tough times along the way, I enjoyed learning how to teach (my trade/craft) and especially, dealing with the students; even though they were a difficult group to teach every year, I took pride in knowing that sooner or later, I would break through with each student and give the ones who wanted it the tools to which they could enter a plethora of fields.        “You/we don’t do that anymore because you have gotten the priorities all mixed up. We push every student to go to college whether they are prepared or not, whether they have met the necessary requirements for college or not, and whether it is the correct fit for them or not.        “Look, I am all about giving each student the chance at pursuing an extracurricular education, but making each one of them aware of the fact that it may not be possible for them to go to college, and to giving them a variety of skills and tools for opportunity is what the professionals are supposed to be doing; the administrators will not do that and the teachers cannot do it because of the “baby sitting” they must do in the schools, which is not why they were hired!”        I know that this wordy, but you asked me to explain!

I would be glad to provide information about my 14 years in Coatesville. The current administration does not value its employees or the students. The lack of concern for teacher and student health, safety and best practices in education is appalling.

Thank you for conducting this survey. I hope it helps change CASD for the better!

Good luck!  I loved this district and find it very painful to watch its demise.  When you have leadership that does not communicate or seek input from staff experts, the result is ineffective and illogical procedures that make the job more difficult, less safe, and run counter to state mandates.  This jeopardizes personal professionalism and totally kills morale.

I am curious as to whether this will be a meaningful survey.

I am very sad to have left after 29 years in the same school. I just could not abide with the things i was hearing about micromanagement of Dr Tashner and the shaming culture she was creating. I saw that my principals were not trusted to be creative or take initiative without her permission. She snuffed out their healthy attempts to address trauma in our students. The resources for students were scant and new ideas were not encouraged. My budget was meager and I spent between $1000 and $2000 of my own for the last several years. Severe behavior was on the rise without a plan or input from admin. PBIS (a tried nat'l program for creating a positive climate/culture in schools) was overlooked even though there was support from the IU for it.

I am very sad to see this school district be hoodwinked again.  We had and have great teachers that could teach anywhere but choose to stay because they love the kids they are teaching and mentoring.

I explained how disappointed I was in the administration for allowing a teacher who spent advocating for coatesville students for 13 years to leave. The superintendent has turned that school district upside down by allowing amazing teachers to leave and hiring people with little to no experience to work with CASD students. She knows nothing about those kids or their needs...it’s very apparent by what is happening there. Shame on them.

I have many concerns about CASD, but there are concerns in any district. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Again, my primary reason for leaving was to be closer to my home. I was tired of a one hour commute each way every night. It was a lot of gas and I was exhausted. Highway driving is tough!     I do want to say though, that although CASD had problems, the teacher staff at my new school DOES NOT COMPARE. I can't speak for other schools, but the teachers at Rainbow were committed to the students and their education. Some of us would be there until 9 pm on Friday nights preparing for the next week. CASD did not give you any money for your classroom, and teachers would buy things out of pocket for their students. I introduced Donor's Choose to my school and luckily many teachers did start to get things through that program. At least when I was there (left in July of 2017), everyone worked as a team and supported one another in helping the students be successful. It was a wonderful first teaching experience.

I left my position as a psychologist, as several other psychologists did within the span of a year, because of concerns with what we were being asked to do and the lack of special education that were being provided to the students.  None of us would have looked for another job if our concerns had been addressed, but they were not. Although I knew that I was getting paid far less than I would have at other districts, that was not an issue; however, when I made the decision to leave, I was offered 15,000 more than I was earning at CASD. Prior to working at CASD, I worked as in several hospitals and private practices as well as doing contract work for more than ten difference school districts and CASD was the most disorganized place I have ever worked.

I love teaching the kids at Coatesville. I would have probably finished out my career there if it had not been for all the recent changes that became too much to handle while being paid so little. I went to Lower Merion which is said to be the dream teaching position but I still find myself missing Coatesville kids and the impact I got to make daily.

I love the staff that I worked with and miss them every day. The workload was overwhelming. It was also very emotionally draining.

I retired 6 years before full retirement and moved from my home in the district for numerous reasons. I would be willing to give more details if needed.

I was a special ed teacher for 32 years. I taught mostly Life Skills students. My schedule was changed at the beginning of the 2017-18 year, and I was given 2 sections of Electronic Journalism to teach, with no curriculum, no lesson plans, and no training or experience. I could not keep up with my students' complex Transition needs (overseeing job placements and other special programming), IEPs, etc. and I was overwhelmed with 2 sections of the new classes (regular ed) that were over-filled. I asked for help and received no response nor relief. I was working weekends at the school and every night until midnight or later. I was anxious, depressed, and afraid that I was going to lose my health over the stress and lack of support. I had to "save" myself and abandon my commitment to the Life Skills students, parents, and program, and it was a very hard decision to make. I could not see being able to stay until I had completed 35 years, and I took a medical leave in early October, 2017 and then retired in January of 2018 when I realized my mental health was not worth jeopardizing by returning. I believe the "Life Skills" program no longer exists in any real capacity and coteaching in regular education for those students is not appropriate. There is no way to teach functional skills within the coteaching setting, because high school curriculum in math and English is too advanced and not appropriate for the needs of most Life Skills students.

I was totally targeted by the current central administration as have others been and are continuing to be. I was replaced in one of my positions within the district by contracted services for three times the amount of money I was being paid.  The mental and emotional health of Coatesville students is completely overlooked.

I was very blunt in my exit interview. I seriously doubt that anyone outside of, possibly HR, has read it.  My own 4 children were CV grads, yet today I tell them they can’t send my grandchildren to CV schools. The district has been in a downward spiral for the past 8 or so years, but it became much worse in the past 4

I wish you the best of luck with this... I hope this can make a difference.  I loved the CASD families and it is so sad to watch the district fall apart.  Our staff used to be so united and supported when I began teaching in the district. By the time I left, 8 years later, it had changed drastically for the worse. Good luck. I hope you will see positive changes. The families deserve that.  So do the teachers.

I wrote a six page exit interview to be shared tomorrow, my last day. I’m very sad for the district because it has become a miserable place to work.

I’d prefer to stay anonymous when answering these questions

I'd gladly answer more questions if you have any.

It breaks my heart to see this district in such a state of disarray.  The changes in the expectation of student behavior by administration is drastic.  It is now OK for students to assault teachers with no consequences.  The morale of the staff is so very low.  The administration says one thing and then routinely does another.  The very needy student population is not given the support they need in order to be successful, causing less needy student’s learning to be negatively impacted.

It is really sad to me regarding the health of the district. There are wonderful children and teachers and good people. However his leadership at the top is ruining morale and does not motivate teachers to stay. There are many inequities and work place safety is never addressed. It just seems that she never cared much about her teachers and unfortunately we are the ones who make the schools work. I hope for improvement but until there is change I’m not hopeful.

It will be difficult for the school district to overcome everything it's been going through.  I wish CASD luck.

My move may not have been directly due to district, but I can't say if we hadn't relocated that I would still be there today.

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No

Now that I am in a new district with a very similar population (very diverse Title 1 school), I am wowed by how different things can be simply based on the climate of the school and trust in the teachers. CASD teachers NEED to be trusted and supported by their administrators. There needs to be an air of trust and confidence in the wonderful professionals that they are, instead of the distrust that is conveyed in so many ways. This distrust is evident from the lockdown on WiFi and technology (i.e. teachers can't even change their background, or have access to the Wi-Fi password), to the dictation of schedules and other important decisions without teacher input, to the 'gotcha' observations, to the attitude that if support is needed for a student due to behavior that it's the teacher's management failure, and so much more. Working at CASD has truly scarred me, and I am struggling to regain confidence that never should have been lost. I chose to leave because it was affecting my emotional health due to the high levels of stress and lack of support, but I had no idea how toxic a work environment it truly was until I started me new position. Conversely now I am in a place where I am valued and trusted as I should be as an expert in my field with a master's degree. In my new school, observations are a time for growth and suggestions, we are trusted with technology, and our administrators support us with   behaviorally struggling students because they believe that we are all there to help the students to be successful. I don't know how a school climate can be changed easily, but it needs to begin with trust in the teachers!

Pay is horrible New benefits package is a joke As a special education teacher and co-teacher of math I was teaching all day with one 45 min prep to do paper work.  I did almost all of my sped paperwork at home.  Admin is not knowledgeable in sped and do not follow the law.  I had no research based math intervention program.  I asked several times and was told the dist.  Was researching it.  A year and a half to research....and still no program.  The programs are already research based.  Seems the district would rather pay out/settle law suits than do the right thing by children.    I did not like the lack of diversity among staff.    Lack of meaningful PD.  Co teaching PD by rich villa is joke and he is ripping off the district.

Please contact me anytime

Prefer not to. I will say that there was a lot of anger and negativity that made working there unpleasant. I don't expect a huge salary as a teacher, but I need to enjoy teaching. Didn't happen at Coatesville.

Thank you for asking questions and working to create a better district and community. It is interesting that many teachers were not offered an exit interview

The job was always difficult, but the superintendent made it that much harder. Class sizes were too big, discipline too weak, teachers held accountable for too much, I was denied the ability to pursue two major opportunities that were offered that would have bettered me and the district, curriculum was ignored by administration, pay too low

The year that I resigned, I went out on maternity leave for about 3 months.  The district was made aware of my leave months in advance yet failed to secure a long-term substitute.  While on maternity leave, my students received “services” from day to day subs and teacher coverages, none of whom were certified in special education.  IEPs went out of compliance and progress monitoring/reports were not completed.  Had this not happened, I might not have left (at least not at that point).  It broke my heart that my students didn’t receive the services that they were entitled to.  This was the first year that building principals were in charge of overseeing special education.  Teachers were no longer allowed to have direct contact with special ed. admin.

While employed at CASD, I wondered every day how the district was actually running--especially with regard to special education.  It is a huge disservice how special education is provided at CASD and it is not for lack of trying on the part of the special education/regular education teachers.  The lack of support and respect from administrators was by far the worst I have ever experienced.  During the interview process, I feel like those I met with were "puffing" as if I was buying a new car.  So much of the information conveyed to me--even by the superintendent--was false and misleading.  I now tell other professionals to stay away from CASD.  I often tell them it is worse than they can imagine and even worse than the reputation that the district possesses.