SSFS HOS leaving

[Anonymous]

Echoing several things already said here:

1. Rodney is a good consultant and expert in DEI initiatives for orgs. That doesn’t necessarily translate to being a great HOS.
2. At SSFS his DEI initiatives took center stage, almost like an answer looking for a problem. He created several DEI posts and I am not sure what purpose they really served. By and large SSFS was already relatively diverse and inclusive. What it needs is stronger enrollment and a greater focus on academics and sports, and fundraising.
3. Rodney was largely out of touch with the school. In comparison to Tom Gibian, Rodney wasn’t really around. Yes, he is nice but there was a sense that he liked the cult of personality around him - which is not really a Quaker value consistent with humility.
4. His side business was a clear problem. In fact even when the board picked him I felt there was clear conflict of interest, especially given that the diversity study was done by his firm.
5. While he speaks well, he is not a someone who brings people together. He can be inflammatory, especially for a school such as SSFS. For instance reducing CRR to sound-bytes is not what. HOS of SSFS should be doing. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9839755/amp/Parents-oppose-CRT-white-like-Capitol-rioters-says-head-66k-year-DC-school.html

Overall he just wasn’t a good fit for SSFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like that his farewell email included a bunch of patting himself on the back. Very on brand.

My thoughts exactly. I wonder if the parent survey had anything to do with his sudden departure?

[Anonymous]

Doubt it. I think the boards letter hints at what they were frustrated with:

“ As we look to the future, we will seek leadership with considerable business experience, knowledge of enrollment management, and advancement, to help lead SSFS through this next chapter.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New family here and we are sticking with it!

Good luck! I think the real issue is how badly off is the school financially? If they can’t afford to hire for the positions left empty by departing staff, as well as recently laid off staff, can’t afford all the pending repairs and US loan - then the place won’t be the educational experience you deserve at $40K+ I think families deserve what they’re paying for now, not what it might become 5 years from now.

I agree! That’s why we don’t plan to stay. No desire to be the schools recovery guinea pigs. My kids deserve better. We live in an area with many school options. Ssfs doesn’t own all the excellent teachers. They definitely have great teachers (though I can list sooo many that left out his year!) the fact is other schools have great teachers too. That’s not unique to Ssfs. But right now the school doesn’t have stable leadership in a single division. I can’t afford to stay in such turmoil when options exist. So we will be leaving.

I don't blame people who leave, but I will say that I think the middle school leadership has been very stable. And despite all the upper head changes, my kids' day to day experience was basically the same for all the years that I've had kids there.

Agree that middle school leadership has been fantastic. It will be interesting to see how taking on two additional grades will go for David.

[Anonymous]

We've been out of the lower school for a few years now so don't know what's going on there, but the middle school is fabulous. Truly great. So for any new families thinking of bailing, reconsider if middle school is where you're headed. What I'm hearing about the upper school head is also encouraging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've been out of the lower school for a few years now so don't know what's going on there, but the middle school is fabulous. Truly great. So for any new families thinking of bailing, reconsider if middle school is where you're headed. What I'm hearing about the upper school head is also encouraging.

The lower school continues to be strong. Yes a lot of teachers left which is awful, but there are still fantastic teachers there who are the backbone of that division.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I knew he would not last after publishing a letter or article stating he was being racially profiled by a teenage who was a summer camp counselor who approached him in his car on his first day of work at SSFS.

By a 16 year old counselor who was following camp policy of asking visitors what their deal was.

+++++
Sorry, but those innocent teenage camp counselors often follow different rules for white parents at pick-up. Our multiracial family had a horrible with this at Landon last year.

I don’t doubt it and it’s terrible that happened to your family. This example with the counselor is different in that Rodney described absolutely nothing horrible happening, just that a friendly teenager specifically assigned to ask visitors where they were headed as they drove in asked him where he was headed as he drove in.

Is there a link to this article somewhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been out of the lower school for a few years now so don't know what's going on there, but the middle school is fabulous. Truly great. So for any new families thinking of bailing, reconsider if middle school is where you're headed. What I'm hearing about the upper school head is also encouraging.

The lower school continues to be strong. Yes a lot of teachers left which is awful, but there are still fantastic teachers there who are the backbone of that division.

Perhaps you refer to your own experience which if it was good that’s great and I won’t dispute that. However, with 4 heads in 5 years, lots of turnover and resource problems, I’ve never heard anyone describe the LS as “Strong” in recent years. That was only when Brenda was here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Glasgow said Sandy Springs was like a plantation. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.

The man was always playing the race card. Ssfs was a wonderful place before he came. He destroyed the school.

I seriously doubt you are an ssfs parent to use language like that. However, I do agree that the school is worse after Rodney’s tenure.

No, I think that poster is a parent. Wouldn’t be the first parent to describe Rodney that way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We've been out of the lower school for a few years now so don't know what's going on there, but the middle school is fabulous. Truly great. So for any new families thinking of bailing, reconsider if middle school is where you're headed. What I'm hearing about the upper school head is also encouraging.

The lower school continues to be strong. Yes a lot of teachers left which is awful, but there are still fantastic teachers there who are the backbone of that division.

Perhaps you refer to your own experience which if it was good that’s great and I won’t dispute that. However, with 4 heads in 5 years, lots of turnover and resource problems, I’ve never heard anyone describe the LS as “Strong” in recent years. That was only when Brenda was here.

3 of the 4 Heads left under Rodney’s term as HOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dr. Glasgow said Sandy Springs was like a plantation. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.

Wait, what? When and where?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The head of the upper school is amazing and has been the shadow leader of that division for years. She is steady, capable and a leader in every way. And the head of middle school is also incredible. My kids have learned “math and whatnot” - like critical reasoning and dissecting the fallacies in my arguments (that part, I don’t love per se). While I think the current board is a bit of a dumpster fire (and lots of boards right now are in turmoil across schools), the core of this school is solid - thanks to the teachers.

She might be steady and dependable - both qualities needed to be secretary and registrar - but I don’t see how she could have relevant experience running a college prep high school curriculum. How will she make decisions about teaching techniques and lesson/curriculum plans? How will she determine which teacher could be teaching better or most importantly how to interview and hire the best teachers? Are you saying she’s been responsible for hiring teachers behind the scenes? Hiring good people is the hardest job of any administrator (not secretary or registrar where being a logistical whiz is what you need). And where she’d have acquired or practiced that experience I do not see. Being good in a lower admin role doesn’t make one a division lead (if nothing else Rodney proves that). I hope she turns out okay, but the division will definitely need to run on teacher autopilot and families will need to hope she doesn’t hire too many duds. Experience and qualifications as an admin of that type matters and she doesn’t have it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The head of the upper school is amazing and has been the shadow leader of that division for years. She is steady, capable and a leader in every way. And the head of middle school is also incredible. My kids have learned “math and whatnot” - like critical reasoning and dissecting the fallacies in my arguments (that part, I don’t love per se). While I think the current board is a bit of a dumpster fire (and lots of boards right now are in turmoil across schools), the core of this school is solid - thanks to the teachers.

She might be steady and dependable - both qualities needed to be secretary and registrar - but I don’t see how she could have relevant experience running a college prep high school curriculum. How will she make decisions about teaching techniques and lesson/curriculum plans? How will she determine which teacher could be teaching better or most importantly how to interview and hire the best teachers? Are you saying she’s been responsible for hiring teachers behind the scenes? Hiring good people is the hardest job of any administrator (not secretary or registrar where being a logistical whiz is what you need). And where she’d have acquired or practiced that experience I do not see. Being good in a lower admin role doesn’t make one a division lead (if nothing else Rodney proves that). I hope she turns out okay, but the division will definitely need to run on teacher autopilot and families will need to hope she doesn’t hire too many duds. Experience and qualifications as an admin of that type matters and she doesn’t have it.

And let me just add I’m not trying to squash enthusiasm. I just don’t genuinely see it. My kid is staying as it’s her last year, but the most safe thing about this head is that she can’t leave next year or any year because no other school would hire her as a head, she wouldn’t pass the job interview. So at least this will stop the turnover of that position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The head of the upper school is amazing and has been the shadow leader of that division for years. She is steady, capable and a leader in every way. And the head of middle school is also incredible. My kids have learned “math and whatnot” - like critical reasoning and dissecting the fallacies in my arguments (that part, I don’t love per se). While I think the current board is a bit of a dumpster fire (and lots of boards right now are in turmoil across schools), the core of this school is solid - thanks to the teachers.

She might be steady and dependable - both qualities needed to be secretary and registrar - but I don’t see how she could have relevant experience running a college prep high school curriculum. How will she make decisions about teaching techniques and lesson/curriculum plans? How will she determine which teacher could be teaching better or most importantly how to interview and hire the best teachers? Are you saying she’s been responsible for hiring teachers behind the scenes? Hiring good people is the hardest job of any administrator (not secretary or registrar where being a logistical whiz is what you need). And where she’d have acquired or practiced that experience I do not see. Being good in a lower admin role doesn’t make one a division lead (if nothing else Rodney proves that). I hope she turns out okay, but the division will definitely need to run on teacher autopilot and families will need to hope she doesn’t hire too many duds. Experience and qualifications as an admin of that type matters and she doesn’t have it.

And let me just add I’m not trying to squash enthusiasm. I just don’t genuinely see it. My kid is staying as it’s her last year, but the most safe thing about this head is that she can’t leave next year or any year because no other school would hire her as a head, she wouldn’t pass the job interview. So at least this will stop the turnover of that position.

I disagree abt new US head completely. Also, i know she has done a graduate program in independent school administration.

Rodney was more qualified on paper and apparently aced his interviews and look where that has gotten us! They also vetted and hired two other US heads in the last two years who had all the things you mention as essential and they both were so wildly unprofessional as to quit within a month or two of accepting the position.

She can’t possibly be less competent than the last two heads in hiring, either. My two us students like and respect her and so do I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While a change in the head of school is disruptive, deciding to immediately bail on the school at this stage (summer) doesn’t make a whole lot of sense - unless you were particularly wedded to the previous head of school and cannot imagine your child attending without him there.

Honestly it seems like he may have been not a great fit based on the faculty departures, but that also is Covid related I’m sure. If he was not a good fit this may make the school better in the long run.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think this is a change for the better. Definitely painful in the short term of course but the feeling among the parents I’ve spoken to is that it’s a good thing.

Be prepared to go through several iterations of HOS before things return to stability. I won’t be surprised if it’s a bumpy ride for several years and parents need to realize this.