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Zoe Girl
4-20-12, 12:00pm
I have been through many many changes this year. It is crazy. I started off the year with the grant based after school programs, we will call this FF. I had 3 schools and due to grant requirement changes went to 2 and then to none. They kept me on at my salary and benefits so I appreciate that, but it has been rough. So the other side of our program is parent paid tuition, KC. They have a person on leave and I am taking over her sites through the end of the year. It is such a relief to have a clear idea of what to do and the staff I am supervising is so happy right now.

So next year here are my options:
* go with the KC side, have 3-4 schools, and relax a little without the grant issues and issues of poverty neighborhood schools hanging over my head (but also less feeling of being really valuable in that context)
* go with a brand new FF site and stay at one site with everything after school to manage (child care and things like boy scouts)
* apply for a new one-school FF model where staff will be doing more tutoring and academic enrichment (I have a teaching degree)
* apply to supervise the opening of 4 new FF schools under new grant money (this has the highest chance of increased pay)

I am not looking for a total answer just maybe some of the things I should consider in the decision. Money is a large factor to be honest. And I can apply for the last 2 both if I like

razz
4-20-12, 1:21pm
Wow, what a neat choice of options to choose from. Life has no guarantees so take the one that will give you the most satisfaction and visibility with the monetary compensation secondary, IMHO.

lhamo
4-20-12, 7:02pm
If it were me, and given the issues you have already experienced with higher-level management not being terribly clear about expectations and micromanaging/mistreating your staff, I would avoid #4 like the plague -- there are too many unknowns with four new sites, you will be pulled in all directions and blamed for anything that goes wrong, and life will simply be much more difficult to manage. Unless the pay is considerably higher than the other options, I would forego taking on that particular challenge until you have a much clearer and solid relationship with management overall.

I think option 3 sounds like the one that you would probably groove on the most, but the other two would also be worth thinking about, taking into consideration things like the general dynamic in the school/community at each site and how long your commute would be to each. The benefit of option 1 would be that hopefully with the local financial support for the program you would be less at risk of the vagaries of grant funding. That might provide an important kind of stability. And the lower level of drama with a less high-needs population would probably make the job easier (though higher income families/kids can also have a lot of drama).

Good luck making your choice -- nice that you have one and hope that this works out well and that you have a less stressful and more rewarding (professionally and financially) year next year.

lhamo

Zoe Girl
4-20-12, 9:33pm
Thank you, very good points I had not thought of on my own. It is really nice to have choices! I think visibility is one thing I am interested in at this point in my career/life.

Lhamo, wow, hadn't seen #4 in that light. I am really considering that and if I still apply based on the pay rate I will have some intelligent questions to ask. I actually need to decide between 1 and 2 as my immediate choice and then can apply for 3 and 4 as possibilities. #1 choice has great staff already and all three schools are close to home and near my house. #2 would likely be a school on the west side of town.

For an update, my one staff that I felt was being picked on had an interview for summer camp. The camp director has done this many years and is very choosy, if you work camp then you are one of the best. So even with the negative attention she is likely getting camp hours which is a good sign. Meanwhile the problem site has had the newest person put in her notice, she lasted 2 weeks, and she is good. So I am both taking over 3 sites on the KC side through the end of the year and subbing after school daily at a FF site for the rest of the year. I think I got brownie points.

rodeosweetheart
4-21-12, 4:03pm
So next year here are my options:
* go with the KC side, have 3-4 schools, and relax a little without the grant issues and issues of poverty neighborhood schools hanging over my head (but also less feeling of being really valuable in that context)
* go with a brand new FF site and stay at one site with everything after school to manage (child care and things like boy scouts)
* apply for a new one-school FF model where staff will be doing more tutoring and academic enrichment (I have a teaching degree)
* apply to supervise the opening of 4 new FF schools under new grant money (this has the highest chance of increased pay)

I am not looking for a total answer just maybe some of the things I should consider in the decision. Money is a large factor to be honest. And I can apply for the last 2 both if I like

Call me crazy, but to me, I would go with numbers 2 or 3, avoiding 1 and 4, which sound amorphous and high stress. Personally, I think I would enjoy 2, but you like the teaching aspect and might enjoy 3.

Zoe Girl
4-22-12, 1:41am
Okay one more factor as I ruminate, the one KC job (#1) feels like less stress. It has the regular stress but mostly people on that side do not have office space so only come in 1 -2 times a week to the main office. The FF side (#2, 3, and 4) the manager is a different style and I have to let her know exactly what I am doing each day and where I am going to be. She really frowns on getting some work done at home even if it is work she can see has been done. So I am debating about giving her some feedback on that or just asking if we need to do things that way next year.

rodeosweetheart
4-26-12, 8:18am
Lost my reply! Okay, with that in mind, I would select #1 since work should not be that stressful! Then I would select the one of 2 or 3 that appeals to me the most--flip a coin if need be, and try for those two, in that order. But that is just what I would do--if you limit the options, that limits the stress, too.

jennipurrr
4-26-12, 12:54pm
Based from what I gather about you I would lean towards #1. The past few years you've had a lot of challenges, so a year with less stress, no worries about grant funding, no manager with conflicting styles might be what you need just to settle down and get everything in order, KWIM?

Now, if it were me I would take #1 because I am such a worrier that having a job tied to a yearly grant would have me up in knots. But that is just my personality. I know plenty people people who work at grant funded positions and sleep well at night!