Pros
One of the few bright spots at OCM BOCES is the team of dedicated teachers, teaching assistants, social workers, and support staff. Despite the challenging environment, the people working directly with students are some of the most hardworking, compassionate, and resilient professionals I’ve had the privilege to work with. They consistently go above and beyond for their students and for one another, often supporting each other in ways administration simply doesn't.
Cons
OCM BOCES presents itself as a collaborative and student-centered educational organization, but that quickly falls apart once you’re on the inside. What you’ll actually find is a toxic culture driven by poor leadership, a lack of professional respect, and a focus on profit over people. The disconnect between administration and classroom realities is massive. Decisions are made with little input from the educators actually working with students. Teachers who follow curriculum provided by BOCES or mentors, have also been reprimanded — for doing exactly what they were told. BOCES pushes for lessons that are engaging, active, and holistic in approach. Yet, BOCES insists on keeping most students on a regents exam track until their senior year, regardless of the students ability. This leads to a very difficult reality for teachers. Do we want physically active, engaging, and holistic lessons? Or do we want students to pass a regents exam? OCM BOCES and their administration live in the delusion that staff should be able to “do it all”. Also, communication is inconsistent at best, and critical information like IEP meeting times are often shared in a poor format or last-minute. New hires are told they can’t use more than 7 sick or personal days — even though the contract clearly allows for 15. This “rule” is presented during onboarding and enforced strictly, making staff feel guilty or punished for using the time they’re entitled to. It sets the tone for how little the administration values the well-being of its employees. Support staff, especially teaching assistants and social workers, are severely overworked and underpaid. TAs are kept at 96% pay and denied tenure for years, if not indefinitely. It is clear that this is a tactic to keep staff obedient. Social workers are routinely asked to fill in as substitutes and often fill the role of assistant principal — a reflection of how understaffed and unsupported lower administration is. Meanwhile, student needs are often sidelined. Placement decisions are frequently driven by funding rather than fit, with students placed into programs that don’t suit them, because their home districts are paying. It's hard to ignore that BOCES often operates more like a business than a school system, with money taking priority over student success. The work environment is strained, with frequent staff shortages and educators regularly left alone with large groups of students. Favoritism is also a real problem among the administrators, and when issues arise, administration often takes the side of students, without firsthand knowledge — undermining staff credibility and morale. Add to that visible disparities in how male leadership treats female staff, and the workplace begins to feel not just disorganized, but discriminatory. Collaboration between younger and older staff can also be a challenge, with younger professionals often being spoken over and over ruled in the decision-making process. And when staff members are out for extended periods due to illness or emergencies, don’t expect a single check-in or message of support from administration — the lack of thoughtfulness is striking. Tenure is rarely granted despite good performance and longevity. Most staff are let go before reaching it, and many positions are treated as disposable even when they’re essential to the school. It’s a strategy to keep costs down, but it results in high turnover, instability, and a deeply demoralized workforce. Even union reps will admit that OCM BOCES has never had a reputation as a great place to work — and they’re not wrong. If you're considering a role here, know what you're walking into. The contract may look decent on paper, but the reality is a revolving door of burnt-out staff, poor leadership, and a culture that puts funding and control over support and growth.