Best school district to work for anywhere
Pros
--Extremely positive environment; employees are proud to work here. --Administration from superintendent and school board all the way down to asst. principals give tangible support to teachers and staff. Ideas/concerns/requests are addressed and often implemented. Our new superintendent as of 2014, Lance Hindt, is carrying on our tradition of great superintendents; he's implemented many useful ideas without changing the "corporate" culture here that has worked so well. --District adds $10,000/year to state base pay; even minimum first-year salary 2015-16 will start at $49,000/year. --Students are hard working and have a great attitude; even the few discipline problems that occur are relatively minor. (I know--I had the ISS kids every afternoon several years ago at the freshman campus, so I saw the "worst" kids--and almost every one of them was cooperative and respectful even in that situation.) --Student academic success is valued as highly as extracurricular success, regardless of what makes it into the news media; the district spent more money on new, state of the art classrooms, a career/technical wing, and a performing arts center at the high school than on the stadium the same year it was built. Check out the academic success and your jaw will drop. Kids with 3.5 GPAs aren't guaranteed to be in the top 50% of their graduating class because so many kids take academics seriously, taking a ton of Pre-AP/IB and AP or IB courses plus dual-credit college courses. --Employees are professional at all levels; you can count on people to do their jobs well. --We have huge community support for the school and all its programs/activities; one high school means no cross-town rivalries or split community support. Dividing the kids into six "houses" where they keep the same principal, counselor, etc. throughout high school makes it work in this large 6A high school. --Team/family environment--at my school (freshman center, with 1,500 9th graders) last year, several teachers and staff were out with serious illness (including cancer), surgery, and/or injuries. Entire staff (including administration) willingly and spontaneously donated, meals, cash, and their time to deliver these items for weeks; helping with grading/paperwork/planning; taking care of kids and pets; and donating sick days so that these employees didn't use theirs up and have to have pay docked.
Cons
None, other than the competition to get hired here is fierce! Three years ago, my principal told me that at least 300 qualified applicants apply for every teacher opening; the final 5-8 who are interviewed bring qualifications and experience that any district would be thrilled to have. Substituting and then being hired as a teacher's aide (not an easy job to get, either) are often required steps to being considered for a full-time teaching job. The only reason I left is to take care of family needs; I loved my team and my ninth grade students and am proud to say I taught in Allen.
