Will Whittle be around next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in all of this we are losing the view that these are kids. THe seniors are probably waiting for acceptances and the sophmores and juniors are probably scrambling to land somewhere that will accept them. In all of the drama - we (including myself) have forgotten what impact this will have on these kids. It is just really sad. I hope that local schools will accept them with open arms even if the transcripts are odd and the curriculum is poor.

I'm sure Wilson and other publics will. I'm not sure why any other school owes them anything

[Anonymous]

Looks like the payroll due date has come and gone without the usual outcry on this forum. I guess the long awaiting funding has finally come through

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the payroll due date has come and gone without the usual outcry on this forum. I guess the long awaiting funding has finally come through

Doubt it. Hours ago there was a very long post from a teacher saying they haven't been paid.

[Anonymous]

We were paid on time by a “friend of the school”. We are grateful but still anxious for the final update.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were paid on time by a “friend of the school”. We are grateful but still anxious for the final update.

Whittle's talent for finding the proverbial sucker born every minute remains undiminished! Elizabeth Holmes is wondering where she went wrong

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the payroll due date has come and gone without the usual outcry on this forum. I guess the long awaiting funding has finally come through

You think there wouldn't be 65 screaming, crowing press releases from Whittle if a deal had actually been done?

Silence is not your friend here.

[Anonymous]

I know of a kid who had to repeat 9th grade because the school failed to provide an adequate education. Also know of one that had to repeat several classes at new school. Both kids were only there for a year. Is there any legal recourse for them? Is there a group of parents that are bonding together to file a suit? I would be happy to pass the info on if there is.

[Anonymous]

I have tried to make sense of why someone would invest in Whittle. And the logic of it escapes me.

The school is massively unprofitable today
The school doesn't seem to have a coherent educational mission and if some of the posts here are to be believed, there are serious issues with teacher morale, student retention and parent satisfaction
There are tens of millions in liens and judgments and other debts outstanding
The school can't even make payroll from tuition receipts
The fellow with his name on the door is a serial grifter who has imploded almost everything he has ever started

Why would someone invest in this? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have tried to make sense of why someone would invest in Whittle. And the logic of it escapes me.

The school is massively unprofitable today
The school doesn't seem to have a coherent educational mission and if some of the posts here are to be believed, there are serious issues with teacher morale, student retention and parent satisfaction
There are tens of millions in liens and judgments and other debts outstanding
The school can't even make payroll from tuition receipts
The fellow with his name on the door is a serial grifter who has imploded almost everything he has ever started

Why would someone invest in this? What am I missing?

I don't think anybody will. I think that's why it's dragging on in this way. It's typical of Whittle to pretend that substantial financial commitments are imminent when they're not. .... But all we've actually heard about for months is little dribs and drabs of tide-over money. and that's also typical of his operations when they go south. His dying businesses have all dragged on and on before finally folding or passing completely out of his hands and morphing into something quite ulike what he touted.

The tide-over mney can be pretty small amounts. He has friends. And I'd be surprised if he doesn't have a chunk of funds offshored plus some sellable art and similar. He's always had a reputation for looking after himself in that way......He or somebody he knows -- or somebody he's helped to enrich in the past with an absurdly out-of-line salary awarded for exceptional toadyism-- is probably throwing in some periodic cash to make it seem as if this enterprise isnt't dying. ...

But is somebody actually investing in it? Or even considering it? I'm with you. Seems incredibly unlikely.

This was going to be the "world's first global school." .... That's the main reason parents were expected to fork over the huge tuitions that were going create the investors' returns. ... But now he's lost China. And he's even lost the ability to start a campus in New York. So his whole unique selling proposition has gone up in smoke. If somebody actually invsets in this very expensive enterprise, the world really will have turned upside down.

[Anonymous]

Before the rant starts, please understand that whittle students are unique, and each student truly has a craft they specialize in. My child’s teachers are great and are trying their best to smile on their faces right now. As a parent for two years, I’m saddened by the school's current situation. One thing to say is that the teachers are great; THE CURRICULUM IS PRETTY SOLID, and the global education from the skillful teachers and focused students is a highlight. Also, please stop categorizing and demonizing many parents as stupid or dumb most really believed(myself included) in the school as a step forward in the 21st century.
I am relieved to say that my son will be leaving this year. There are not 200 students, somewhat under 150. From some new news-they are now trying to find foreign money, specifically other continents with wealthy parents to send their kids here.

1. Crappy WiFi students, so students often have to use their hotspots
2. Water pressure is off when I came for an in-school event the water splashed all over my clothing-also children often describe the water as very unfiltered
3. My child’s teachers are not able to tell parents anything
4. There is not enough staff, so someone like the director of studies has to teach English and science teachers who are supposed to be for upper school now to have many grades in middle school to teach
5. One weird part with the ongoing situation is that many kids have reported that two of the top admins have their grown children lurking around in the school-obviously over 20 and are in college or right out “helping out” with classes
6. People(admins/teachers) who tell the truth are let go
7. COLLEGE COUNSELORS are NOT on campus, and at the beginning of the year, many whose students are seniors had to run things by the now-fired English teacher
8. Terrible lack of money management
9. No music instruments other than a couple of drum pads; however, there is a $100k+ piano sitting in the original lobby, but there are no funds to move it to the grand choral room( I would like to add that teachers use their limited resources to the best of their abilities)
10. Head of US now creates “fun” activities after the winter break to create a community to ultimately convince family’s to stay, after months where the person was very nonresponsive to parents and students
11. Lots of investors have come in the past week one, including Elena G from yellow…however, the last payment wasn’t even through the bridge loan; instead, a “friend” of the school-one who is genuinely trying their best to have their child finish the year out
12. At this rate, I'm intrigued to see what Chris’s following words are when there will only be 15 AT THE MOST students in upper school next year. Many parents were furious and left when the terrible letter came two days before Christmas and took their kids out. Even the “friend of the school” (who we all have a 99.99% chance of knowing donated the money) child will be gone next year.
13. THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION is one of many reasons why people are jumping ship 1. No one knew about the Shenzhen takeover 2. The GEMS merger fail was never spoken of even though it was categorized as a “game-changer,” so THANK YOU to that Chicago parent who put that info here
14. The school does prey on teachers moving from out of state, or other countries-there are only three of the original teachers…
15. When students( my child and countless others) applied out for the 2022-23 year parents had to BEG for transcripts and the required recommendation letters

Also, the demographics of the school are misled here. The school is very diverse; in fact, students are comfortable in their own identities. Many parents can afford full tuition, so no, this school is not made up of ALL financial aid or scholarship kids. An example is one student who came from the infamous LE ROSEY to whittle as a boarding student during the first year, and the child’s parent still paid Le Roseys fee( to hold a spot) and whittles boarding fee; this is also the same family who bought a presidential family home for 21mm in Georgetown. Most kids, in fact, did NOT come from public schools. I know around ten families off the top of my head whose children came from Bullis, GDS, NCS, Holton, Field, St Stephen St Agnes, and Norwood-they truly believed in the mission(myself included).

Families have applied out and have just finished applications for public and private schools. Another good global school like Avenues should ultimately take over....

I urge you to warn parents who are applying or teachers who are applying to do more research…

[Anonymous]

I feel cowardly writing this anonymously, but as a current teacher I just wanted to clarify a few things…

No, teachers are not being let go for “speaking truth” or anything similar. In fact, every instance of a teacher leaving mid-year has been following a serious breach of professionalism on their part - and in some instances following a display of gross intolerance toward other staff members.

Has admin lied to us or otherwise mishandled things? I don’t believe so. Having an intimate knowledge of many teachers’ perspectives, most of us by the way wouldn’t stoop to slanderous accusations, I feel as though it’s pretty safe to say that every single admin member has just as much to lose as anyone else. Many of them have families too that are just as dependent on the success of Whittle.

I don’t know Chris, I don’t know the details of our financial situation, and I refuse to speculate thoughtlessly in a forum like this. What I do know though, is that I am not stupid. Neither are many of our other faculty members, nor our admin team, nor are the countless parents that chose to believe in this school’s vision. I’ve been in many schools - this one is different. Especially considering it is an Independent school. Anyone who glances at our staff or students can discern that immediately. This school is a disruptor in a field and industry that has long been dominated by archaic norms. And as with any change to the status quo, there is discomfort. There are challenges. Currently, we’ve been told that the light at the end of the tunnel is just around this next bend. Yes, we’re tired. Yes, we’ve been told that before. But money has been moving for the past month in ways which it hasn’t for a long time if I’m to understand this school’s history correctly.

So at this point, it’s just a matter of belief. Do we believe that this school can continue to successfully disrupt outdated institutions? And more importantly, can we believe that someone with capital believes it as well?

For those that can’t afford to believe anymore, I understand. Thank you for risking so much for us and our vision. For those that can afford to believe or are still on the fence, let me share some good news - for some funny reason it always seems to spread far slower than the bad:
The investor who toured the school last week was pleasantly surprised with our faculty, students, and curriculum.
One of our students has just won best delegate in one of the most significant MUN committees at their recent conference.
Students are gearing up to participate in other interscholastic competitions as we speak.
Many members of faculty have recently shifted gears from feelings of hopelessness to something resembling cautious optimism.
And most notably, every student I’ve personally talked to has reported an overwhelmingly positive experience at Whittle - even those who had to leave.

Food for thought. Now you can go back to your regularly scheduled doom and gloom while us professionals do what we do best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel cowardly writing this anonymously, but as a current teacher I just wanted to clarify a few things…

No, teachers are not being let go for “speaking truth” or anything similar. In fact, every instance of a teacher leaving mid-year has been following a serious breach of professionalism on their part - and in some instances following a display of gross intolerance toward other staff members.

Has admin lied to us or otherwise mishandled things? I don’t believe so. Having an intimate knowledge of many teachers’ perspectives, most of us by the way wouldn’t stoop to slanderous accusations, I feel as though it’s pretty safe to say that every single admin member has just as much to lose as anyone else. Many of them have families too that are just as dependent on the success of Whittle.

I don’t know Chris, I don’t know the details of our financial situation, and I refuse to speculate thoughtlessly in a forum like this. What I do know though, is that I am not stupid. Neither are many of our other faculty members, nor our admin team, nor are the countless parents that chose to believe in this school’s vision. I’ve been in many schools - this one is different. Especially considering it is an Independent school. Anyone who glances at our staff or students can discern that immediately. This school is a disruptor in a field and industry that has long been dominated by archaic norms. And as with any change to the status quo, there is discomfort. There are challenges. Currently, we’ve been told that the light at the end of the tunnel is just around this next bend. Yes, we’re tired. Yes, we’ve been told that before. But money has been moving for the past month in ways which it hasn’t for a long time if I’m to understand this school’s history correctly.

So at this point, it’s just a matter of belief. Do we believe that this school can continue to successfully disrupt outdated institutions? And more importantly, can we believe that someone with capital believes it as well?

For those that can’t afford to believe anymore, I understand. Thank you for risking so much for us and our vision. For those that can afford to believe or are still on the fence, let me share some good news - for some funny reason it always seems to spread far slower than the bad:
The investor who toured the school last week was pleasantly surprised with our faculty, students, and curriculum.
One of our students has just won best delegate in one of the most significant MUN committees at their recent conference.
Students are gearing up to participate in other interscholastic competitions as we speak.
Many members of faculty have recently shifted gears from feelings of hopelessness to something resembling cautious optimism.
And most notably, every student I’ve personally talked to has reported an overwhelmingly positive experience at Whittle - even those who had to leave.

Food for thought. Now you can go back to your regularly scheduled doom and gloom while us professionals do what we do best.

Stockholm Syndrome

[Anonymous]

"Current teacher" huh? I'd say its far more likely that you're the fellow the teacher who shared the true picture of what is going on named in her post (and which I suspect you then asked the mods to delete!). She wasn't kidding about the capacity for lying from current Admin that would put Satan in shame... Nothing in your post resembles the reality I have gathered from speaking with those around the situation, including (gulp) many former Whittle insiders who left deeply disillusioned by all that is happening.

[Anonymous]

100% this is one of the toady administrators or maybe even CW himself...

"Countless parents" - err you have 150 kids (and falling) left. You can count the parents...
"Disruptor" - if non working wifi is to be considered disruptive, you've certainly succeeded
"Investor was pleasantly surprised" - how would you know this if you're a faculty member whose classroom they peered into briefly..?

[Anonymous]

That post reads like a testimonial from a Madoff Securities client.