Where is the fat in private schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One the one hand the cost of tuition is exorbitant and the cost of building maintenance and teachers salaries is much lower.

Who is responsible for the excess costs?

My guess is that with more reasonable administrative salaries and more conservative financial aid policies the Tuition could be lowered by 20 percent.

Any other ideas about where the fat is coming from?

Did the private schools ask you for help with their budgets?

They are private. They can do whatever they want.

You don’t get to tell them how to manage their money.

Jesus who are you people? As high paying consumers we absolutely have input as to how schools manage their money as does the board. You are part of the problem.

Oh please, you're not on the board.
And consumers vote with their feet: if you think it's overpriced, go elsewhere. You don't get to decide that a product other people willingly pay for is fat that should be cut.
- DP

Exactly.

Not really. You can also have the right to complain to the service provider, and ensure the quality of the service a customer deserves. First you complain, and if there is no improvement you leave. Why this is true for your cable company but not for a school.

You don’t tell the cable company how to manage its budget.

But you can complain if they are overcharging, and you can get refunds.

Ok. So complain to the school about the tuition or withdraw your kid. They don’t clueless parents to micromanage their budget.

Normally companies embrace feedback. They don’t call you clueless or tell you to leave if you don’t agree. It’s good that you are not running a big company.

DP - Feedback to a company is "this is too expensive, " not "I think you employ too many marketing people and you should trim the fat." And if you have to crowdsource ideas for what to cut, then you have no meaningful feedback to offer.

One of the reasons this country is in such a state is the number of people who think they have some secret idea that no one has thought of. It's a bizarre form of narcissism.

The school is a business. It's interests are not wholly aligned with its customers but it has a driving interest in keeping those customers. If the school thought it was too expensiveto keep customers, it would make cuts and it is its own best source of knowledge on which cuts would be effective to meet its goals. Your views on what is "fat" are irrelevant.

Luckily you don’t run a company, otherwise you would be lecturing your customers on how they should comment on the service provided.

If you read a bit more you would understand that this is common problem in colleges in the US and in some private schools. But maybe understanding this issue could be too much for you.

I run a company. And the PP has much better insights than you do. Frankly, you sound like an idiot.

Another person without training in customer service. I am glad that these people just run mom and pop shops.

A mom and pop might negotiate prices with you (or not) depending on how badly they need your business.
A big company won't bother, they make pricing decisions based on other data.
Literally no one will open their books and ask your advice on what they should cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One the one hand the cost of tuition is exorbitant and the cost of building maintenance and teachers salaries is much lower.

Who is responsible for the excess costs?

My guess is that with more reasonable administrative salaries and more conservative financial aid policies the Tuition could be lowered by 20 percent.

Any other ideas about where the fat is coming from?

Did the private schools ask you for help with their budgets?

They are private. They can do whatever they want.

You don’t get to tell them how to manage their money.

Jesus who are you people? As high paying consumers we absolutely have input as to how schools manage their money as does the board. You are part of the problem.

Oh please, you're not on the board.
And consumers vote with their feet: if you think it's overpriced, go elsewhere. You don't get to decide that a product other people willingly pay for is fat that should be cut.
- DP

Exactly.

Not really. You can also have the right to complain to the service provider, and ensure the quality of the service a customer deserves. First you complain, and if there is no improvement you leave. Why this is true for your cable company but not for a school.

You don’t tell the cable company how to manage its budget.

But you can complain if they are overcharging, and you can get refunds.

Ok. So complain to the school about the tuition or withdraw your kid. They don’t clueless parents to micromanage their budget.

Normally companies embrace feedback. They don’t call you clueless or tell you to leave if you don’t agree. It’s good that you are not running a big company.

DP - Feedback to a company is "this is too expensive, " not "I think you employ too many marketing people and you should trim the fat." And if you have to crowdsource ideas for what to cut, then you have no meaningful feedback to offer.

One of the reasons this country is in such a state is the number of people who think they have some secret idea that no one has thought of. It's a bizarre form of narcissism.

The school is a business. It's interests are not wholly aligned with its customers but it has a driving interest in keeping those customers. If the school thought it was too expensiveto keep customers, it would make cuts and it is its own best source of knowledge on which cuts would be effective to meet its goals. Your views on what is "fat" are irrelevant.

Luckily you don’t run a company, otherwise you would be lecturing your customers on how they should comment on the service provided.

If you read a bit more you would understand that this is common problem in colleges in the US and in some private schools. But maybe understanding this issue could be too much for you.

I run a company. And the PP has much better insights than you do. Frankly, you sound like an idiot.

Another person without training in customer service. I am glad that these people just run mom and pop shops.

You are proving my point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But are the teachers showing up before and leaving after all of these administrators?

Yes, usually they are. Or if not, they are at home spending many more hours planning and grading than most of these admin spend working outside of school hours.

I'm a teacher with 20 years of experience in public schools. Over the years, I've watched the admin team grow to a bloated, crazy lineup of people with jobs that mostly involve thinking up busy work involving whatever trendy new buzzwords are current and insisting that teachers follow these initiatives and complete tasks that are then forgotten as they move on to the next hot trend. In short, the majority of admin spend their time thinking up ways to justify their jobs.

You could cut out many of these roles and schools would function more efficiently, with happier and less stressed teachers who are then allowed to just focus on teaching. And then raise teacher salaries to attract the most qualified and skilled teachers.

But that won't ever happen. Those with the pretend jobs that admin think up for their friends will never go away.



Teacher with 30 years of experience in private schools - this is exactly my experience. Such a shame.

I'm a school staffer. Only when there aren't the twice weekly late committee/board meetings or evening events do I get to go home at 6 pm. (90% of faculty are gone by 4:30 or 5.) Then I go home, feed the kids, and then log back on. There's certainly no summer break. Covid was particularly a lot of fun. And all that's fine. I agree that teachers deserve to be better compensated. But let's not pretend that it's because they're working longer hours than those slackers in admin.

I agree that there's been a surge in administrative hiring and that it contributes to tuition increases. If parents want to solve that problem, go make a list of all the programs and perks that you're willing to let go. The schools with lean admin teams are the ones without competitive facilities, experienced college counselors, professional development opportunities for teachers, the academic teams and international trips, the glossy magazines, content-rich social media, livestreaming games and video, effective admissions or business personnel, the alumni networks and parties, etc etc. And my god, the parent events. Why do so many parents ask to add events to our calendar? Do you want this to be a country club for your friends or a school?

Development is growing because 20% of a school's revenue is coming from charity. Why? So that 20% of the students can attend on financial aid. Do you want to cut that? Donors mostly don't give unless they're asked, and they don't give large amounts unless staff have spent time getting to know them and their giving priorities.

DC is a market saturated with independent schools. Schools will keep spending to stay competitive. I'd love for someone to dial down this arms race. Who wants to go first?

[Anonymous]

MD is a market saturated with every kind of school. Find the one that works for you. It has every option from a giant public to the Cathedral Schools all sending kids to HYPSM.

We thank god we avoided the cathedral schools for one with different values. Those different values lead to a different spending profile.

You don’t want to change schools at the drop of a hat? Because the kids lose their friends and community?

Schools provide more than educations. They’re like small towns. The discontent teacher is but one voice. Not until a collective of voices feels the same discontent will a community change or cleave.

We all choose to live in a democracy, and we all chose private. This is the system we bought into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One the one hand the cost of tuition is exorbitant and the cost of building maintenance and teachers salaries is much lower.

Who is responsible for the excess costs?

My guess is that with more reasonable administrative salaries and more conservative financial aid policies the Tuition could be lowered by 20 percent.

Any other ideas about where the fat is coming from?

Did the private schools ask you for help with their budgets?

They are private. They can do whatever they want.

You don’t get to tell them how to manage their money.

Jesus who are you people? As high paying consumers we absolutely have input as to how schools manage their money as does the board. You are part of the problem.

Oh please, you're not on the board.
And consumers vote with their feet: if you think it's overpriced, go elsewhere. You don't get to decide that a product other people willingly pay for is fat that should be cut.
- DP

Exactly.

Not really. You can also have the right to complain to the service provider, and ensure the quality of the service a customer deserves. First you complain, and if there is no improvement you leave. Why this is true for your cable company but not for a school.

You don’t tell the cable company how to manage its budget.

But you can complain if they are overcharging, and you can get refunds.

Ok. So complain to the school about the tuition or withdraw your kid. They don’t clueless parents to micromanage their budget.

Normally companies embrace feedback. They don’t call you clueless or tell you to leave if you don’t agree. It’s good that you are not running a big company.

DP - Feedback to a company is "this is too expensive, " not "I think you employ too many marketing people and you should trim the fat." And if you have to crowdsource ideas for what to cut, then you have no meaningful feedback to offer.

One of the reasons this country is in such a state is the number of people who think they have some secret idea that no one has thought of. It's a bizarre form of narcissism.

The school is a business. It's interests are not wholly aligned with its customers but it has a driving interest in keeping those customers. If the school thought it was too expensiveto keep customers, it would make cuts and it is its own best source of knowledge on which cuts would be effective to meet its goals. Your views on what is "fat" are irrelevant.

Luckily you don’t run a company, otherwise you would be lecturing your customers on how they should comment on the service provided.

If you read a bit more you would understand that this is common problem in colleges in the US and in some private schools. But maybe understanding this issue could be too much for you.

I run a company. And the PP has much better insights than you do. Frankly, you sound like an idiot.

Another person without training in customer service. I am glad that these people just run mom and pop shops.

A mom and pop might negotiate prices with you (or not) depending on how badly they need your business.
A big company won't bother, they make pricing decisions based on other data.
Literally no one will open their books and ask your advice on what they should cut.

Sure, but read the OP again. If something is expensive it’s perfectly ok to ask why is that. The same for healthcare. Why the US charges several times more in healthcare than in other rich countries for a subpar service. It’s good to be informed. That doesn’t mean that I will tell hospitals to show me their books. It’s good to be informed. It will not hurt your brain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One the one hand the cost of tuition is exorbitant and the cost of building maintenance and teachers salaries is much lower.

Who is responsible for the excess costs?

My guess is that with more reasonable administrative salaries and more conservative financial aid policies the Tuition could be lowered by 20 percent.

Any other ideas about where the fat is coming from?

Did the private schools ask you for help with their budgets?

They are private. They can do whatever they want.

You don’t get to tell them how to manage their money.

Jesus who are you people? As high paying consumers we absolutely have input as to how schools manage their money as does the board. You are part of the problem.

Oh please, you're not on the board.
And consumers vote with their feet: if you think it's overpriced, go elsewhere. You don't get to decide that a product other people willingly pay for is fat that should be cut.
- DP

Exactly.

Not really. You can also have the right to complain to the service provider, and ensure the quality of the service a customer deserves. First you complain, and if there is no improvement you leave. Why this is true for your cable company but not for a school.

You don’t tell the cable company how to manage its budget.

But you can complain if they are overcharging, and you can get refunds.

Ok. So complain to the school about the tuition or withdraw your kid. They don’t clueless parents to micromanage their budget.

Normally companies embrace feedback. They don’t call you clueless or tell you to leave if you don’t agree. It’s good that you are not running a big company.

DP - Feedback to a company is "this is too expensive, " not "I think you employ too many marketing people and you should trim the fat." And if you have to crowdsource ideas for what to cut, then you have no meaningful feedback to offer.

One of the reasons this country is in such a state is the number of people who think they have some secret idea that no one has thought of. It's a bizarre form of narcissism.

The school is a business. It's interests are not wholly aligned with its customers but it has a driving interest in keeping those customers. If the school thought it was too expensiveto keep customers, it would make cuts and it is its own best source of knowledge on which cuts would be effective to meet its goals. Your views on what is "fat" are irrelevant.

Luckily you don’t run a company, otherwise you would be lecturing your customers on how they should comment on the service provided.

If you read a bit more you would understand that this is common problem in colleges in the US and in some private schools. But maybe understanding this issue could be too much for you.

I run a company. And the PP has much better insights than you do. Frankly, you sound like an idiot.

Another person without training in customer service. I am glad that these people just run mom and pop shops.

You are proving my point.

Sure. People that post “you sound like an idiot” provide a solid and sophisticated argument. Definitely it sounds like you are very well educated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But are the teachers showing up before and leaving after all of these administrators?

Yes, usually they are. Or if not, they are at home spending many more hours planning and grading than most of these admin spend working outside of school hours.

I'm a teacher with 20 years of experience in public schools. Over the years, I've watched the admin team grow to a bloated, crazy lineup of people with jobs that mostly involve thinking up busy work involving whatever trendy new buzzwords are current and insisting that teachers follow these initiatives and complete tasks that are then forgotten as they move on to the next hot trend. In short, the majority of admin spend their time thinking up ways to justify their jobs.

You could cut out many of these roles and schools would function more efficiently, with happier and less stressed teachers who are then allowed to just focus on teaching. And then raise teacher salaries to attract the most qualified and skilled teachers.

But that won't ever happen. Those with the pretend jobs that admin think up for their friends will never go away.

Teacher with 30 years of experience in private schools - this is exactly my experience. Such a shame.

I'm a school staffer. Only when there aren't the twice weekly late committee/board meetings or evening events do I get to go home at 6 pm. (90% of faculty are gone by 4:30 or 5.) Then I go home, feed the kids, and then log back on. There's certainly no summer break. Covid was particularly a lot of fun. And all that's fine. I agree that teachers deserve to be better compensated. But let's not pretend that it's because they're working longer hours than those slackers in admin.

I agree that there's been a surge in administrative hiring and that it contributes to tuition increases. If parents want to solve that problem, go make a list of all the programs and perks that you're willing to let go. The schools with lean admin teams are the ones without competitive facilities, experienced college counselors, professional development opportunities for teachers, the academic teams and international trips, the glossy magazines, content-rich social media, livestreaming games and video, effective admissions or business personnel, the alumni networks and parties, etc etc. And my god, the parent events. Why do so many parents ask to add events to our calendar? Do you want this to be a country club for your friends or a school?

Development is growing because 20% of a school's revenue is coming from charity. Why? So that 20% of the students can attend on financial aid. Do you want to cut that? Donors mostly don't give unless they're asked, and they don't give large amounts unless staff have spent time getting to know them and their giving priorities.

DC is a market saturated with independent schools. Schools will keep spending to stay competitive. I'd love for someone to dial down this arms race. Who wants to go first?




Hello School Staffer,

Yes, 90% of the faculty may leave by 4:30 or 5. But like you, we are also taking work home. I put in a 13 hour day yesterday, which is quite normal for me as a teacher.

And summers? I’m writing curriculum without pay. I’m not a 12 month employee. While you are being paid to be the school, I am not receiving pay for any of the substantial prep work I am doing at home.

The glossy photos, the parent events… there’s a place for all of that. I see how it all attracts families to the school, but the value and reputation of a school falls on the teachers. People may come for the flashy video, but they stay because of the quality programs and engaging classes run by the teachers. Somehow that gets lost in this equation. I watch admin teams grow while faculty size remains the same, dealing with an ever-increasing workload. As admin grows, the demands on teachers also grow since we contribute to each admin’s projects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But are the teachers showing up before and leaving after all of these administrators?

Yes, usually they are. Or if not, they are at home spending many more hours planning and grading than most of these admin spend working outside of school hours.

I'm a teacher with 20 years of experience in public schools. Over the years, I've watched the admin team grow to a bloated, crazy lineup of people with jobs that mostly involve thinking up busy work involving whatever trendy new buzzwords are current and insisting that teachers follow these initiatives and complete tasks that are then forgotten as they move on to the next hot trend. In short, the majority of admin spend their time thinking up ways to justify their jobs.

You could cut out many of these roles and schools would function more efficiently, with happier and less stressed teachers who are then allowed to just focus on teaching. And then raise teacher salaries to attract the most qualified and skilled teachers.

But that won't ever happen. Those with the pretend jobs that admin think up for their friends will never go away.

Teacher with 30 years of experience in private schools - this is exactly my experience. Such a shame.

I'm a school staffer. Only when there aren't the twice weekly late committee/board meetings or evening events do I get to go home at 6 pm. (90% of faculty are gone by 4:30 or 5.) Then I go home, feed the kids, and then log back on. There's certainly no summer break. Covid was particularly a lot of fun. And all that's fine. I agree that teachers deserve to be better compensated. But let's not pretend that it's because they're working longer hours than those slackers in admin.

I agree that there's been a surge in administrative hiring and that it contributes to tuition increases. If parents want to solve that problem, go make a list of all the programs and perks that you're willing to let go. The schools with lean admin teams are the ones without competitive facilities, experienced college counselors, professional development opportunities for teachers, the academic teams and international trips, the glossy magazines, content-rich social media, livestreaming games and video, effective admissions or business personnel, the alumni networks and parties, etc etc. And my god, the parent events. Why do so many parents ask to add events to our calendar? Do you want this to be a country club for your friends or a school?

Development is growing because 20% of a school's revenue is coming from charity. Why? So that 20% of the students can attend on financial aid. Do you want to cut that? Donors mostly don't give unless they're asked, and they don't give large amounts unless staff have spent time getting to know them and their giving priorities.

DC is a market saturated with independent schools. Schools will keep spending to stay competitive. I'd love for someone to dial down this arms race. Who wants to go first?




Hello School Staffer,

Yes, 90% of the faculty may leave by 4:30 or 5. But like you, we are also taking work home. I put in a 13 hour day yesterday, which is quite normal for me as a teacher.

And summers? I’m writing curriculum without pay. I’m not a 12 month employee. While you are being paid to be the school, I am not receiving pay for any of the substantial prep work I am doing at home.

The glossy photos, the parent events… there’s a place for all of that. I see how it all attracts families to the school, but the value and reputation of a school falls on the teachers. People may come for the flashy video, but they stay because of the quality programs and engaging classes run by the teachers. Somehow that gets lost in this equation. I watch admin teams grow while faculty size remains the same, dealing with an ever-increasing workload. As admin grows, the demands on teachers also grow since we contribute to each admin’s projects.

Fromlll a parent perspective, when my children were in PK, all I cared about was the teacher. As my children grew older, I cared about the teacher, cohort and other parents. As the children grew even older, I stopped caring about the other parents. I cared about the cohort, teachers, coaches, fields and facilities. Over time what I cared about shifted again including clubs, advising and policies. Eventually, I cared about college outcomes and alumni relations.

For a good portion of my child’s time in school, I understood not every teacher would be stellar.

I would of course want for the stellar teachers to be appropriately compensated. But I do see parallels between running a company and a school.

[Anonymous]

In the same fashion as healthcare, the US education system is characterized for being bloated, overpriced, with poor academic outcomes. So yes, there is plenty of fat to trim in both private and public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the same fashion as healthcare, the US education system is characterized for being bloated, overpriced, with poor academic outcomes. So yes, there is plenty of fat to trim in both private and public schools.

Yes and no. In the US the same syringe costs 10x more than in Europe. Similarly in the US healthcare, insurance, attorney retention fees, etc all cost more than in Europe. They add significantly to the bottom line.

However the cost of the basketball coach, tennis court, swimming pool, science lab, second campus (Sheridan), European trips (WES) is a difference in choice. The programming is similar to top boarding schools in Europe. The price is also similar—take the boarding school tuition and discount it to a day rate. It’s similar to a DC private.

[Anonymous]

" (90% of faculty are gone by 4:30 or 5.)"

Anyone who believes that teachers don't do any work at home knows nothing about teaching. The fact that a "school staffer" cited this speaks volumes about how little teaching is valued even by people within a school. The fat most certainly does not lie in teacher compensation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" (90% of faculty are gone by 4:30 or 5.)"

Anyone who believes that teachers don't do any work at home knows nothing about teaching. The fact that a "school staffer" cited this speaks volumes about how little teaching is valued even by people within a school. The fat most certainly does not lie in teacher compensation.

That comment caught me, as well.

Our office closes half hour after the students leave. Teachers will still be in classrooms leading clubs and tutoring for another two hours, and then we begin prepping for the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the same fashion as healthcare, the US education system is characterized for being bloated, overpriced, with poor academic outcomes. So yes, there is plenty of fat to trim in both private and public schools.

Yes and no. In the US the same syringe costs 10x more than in Europe. Similarly in the US healthcare, insurance, attorney retention fees, etc all cost more than in Europe. They add significantly to the bottom line.

However the cost of the basketball coach, tennis court, swimming pool, science lab, second campus (Sheridan), European trips (WES) is a difference in choice. The programming is similar to top boarding schools in Europe. The price is also similar—take the boarding school tuition and discount it to a day rate. It’s similar to a DC private.

They are similar to the extent that they have a very poor value per dollar spent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the same fashion as healthcare, the US education system is characterized for being bloated, overpriced, with poor academic outcomes. So yes, there is plenty of fat to trim in both private and public schools.

Yes and no. In the US the same syringe costs 10x more than in Europe. Similarly in the US healthcare, insurance, attorney retention fees, etc all cost more than in Europe. They add significantly to the bottom line.

However the cost of the basketball coach, tennis court, swimming pool, science lab, second campus (Sheridan), European trips (WES) is a difference in choice. The programming is similar to top boarding schools in Europe. The price is also similar—take the boarding school tuition and discount it to a day rate. It’s similar to a DC private.

They are similar to the extent that they have a very poor value per dollar spent.

It’s usually up to the buyer to determine if they’re happy with the value of their dollar and want a repeat purchase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One the one hand the cost of tuition is exorbitant and the cost of building maintenance and teachers salaries is much lower.

Who is responsible for the excess costs?

My guess is that with more reasonable administrative salaries and more conservative financial aid policies the Tuition could be lowered by 20 percent.

Any other ideas about where the fat is coming from?

Did the private schools ask you for help with their budgets?

They are private. They can do whatever they want.

You don’t get to tell them how to manage their money.

Jesus who are you people? As high paying consumers we absolutely have input as to how schools manage their money as does the board. You are part of the problem.

Oh please, you're not on the board.
And consumers vote with their feet: if you think it's overpriced, go elsewhere. You don't get to decide that a product other people willingly pay for is fat that should be cut.
- DP

Exactly.

Not really. You can also have the right to complain to the service provider, and ensure the quality of the service a customer deserves. First you complain, and if there is no improvement you leave. Why this is true for your cable company but not for a school.

You don’t tell the cable company how to manage its budget.

But you can complain if they are overcharging, and you can get refunds.

Ok. So complain to the school about the tuition or withdraw your kid. They don’t clueless parents to micromanage their budget.

Normally companies embrace feedback. They don’t call you clueless or tell you to leave if you don’t agree. It’s good that you are not running a big company.

DP - Feedback to a company is "this is too expensive, " not "I think you employ too many marketing people and you should trim the fat." And if you have to crowdsource ideas for what to cut, then you have no meaningful feedback to offer.

One of the reasons this country is in such a state is the number of people who think they have some secret idea that no one has thought of. It's a bizarre form of narcissism.

The school is a business. It's interests are not wholly aligned with its customers but it has a driving interest in keeping those customers. If the school thought it was too expensiveto keep customers, it would make cuts and it is its own best source of knowledge on which cuts would be effective to meet its goals. Your views on what is "fat" are irrelevant.

Luckily you don’t run a company, otherwise you would be lecturing your customers on how they should comment on the service provided.

If you read a bit more you would understand that this is common problem in colleges in the US and in some private schools. But maybe understanding this issue could be too much for you.

I run a company. And the PP has much better insights than you do. Frankly, you sound like an idiot.

Another person without training in customer service. I am glad that these people just run mom and pop shops.

You are proving my point.

Sure. People that post “you sound like an idiot” provide a solid and sophisticated argument. Definitely it sounds like you are very well educated.

Better than you...

You make the argument for me with every dumbass post you make.