GDS Head of School Search

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say has a GDS parent, the process has been very impressive so far - very inclusive.

Have you seen the salary??? Closing in on a million a year salary to run a school that's half the size of an average public hs.

Personally, I think they need to cut the salary by 40 percent and freeze an tuition increase for a year. And find a way to frickin provide lunch in high school.

It's so strange how non GDS parents think this is a big deal but actual GDS parents don't. Personally, I love that my HS student is learning to cook and is building time to prepare lunch food -- roast chicken, meatballs, etc -- into his weekend schedule. Great life skills.

I’m a GDS parent and I don’t like it. Kids end up eating crap. Would prefer a healthy option at school included in the already exorbitant tuition - as is the case at other schools. Just because you’re fine with it doesn’t mean others aren’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say has a GDS parent, the process has been very impressive so far - very inclusive.

Have you seen the salary??? Closing in on a million a year salary to run a school that's half the size of an average public hs.

Personally, I think they need to cut the salary by 40 percent and freeze a tuition increase for a year. And find a way to frickin provide lunch in high school.

Do you have a kid at the school? Because if so you should be directing your thoughts to the school. And if you do have a kid at the school, they can order lunch at the LMS cafeteria, as can any HS student.

I doubt the new HOS will be paid the same as the retiring HOS, but who knows. I’m all for no tuition increase, but very unlikely.

Do you have to pay for this? Also is it stigmatized to do this when everyone else eats out?

Tell me you don't have a kid at the school without saying you don't have a kid at the school. Yes, you would have to pay for it. No, nobody is stigmatizing anyone from bringing lunch, getting lunch from the LMS cafeteria, using the Farmer's Fridge vending machine, whatever, because very few kids eat out with any regularity. Mine maybe once or twice a month. Although it might be better to have a HS cafeteria, I'd rather kids eat what they want given the amount of food waste in the LMS cafeteria when my kid was in MS.

Well of course I don’t that’s why I asked? It’s application season. Is this what GDS parents are like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say has a GDS parent, the process has been very impressive so far - very inclusive.

Have you seen the salary??? Closing in on a million a year salary to run a school that's half the size of an average public hs.

Personally, I think they need to cut the salary by 40 percent and freeze a tuition increase for a year. And find a way to frickin provide lunch in high school.

Do you have a kid at the school? Because if so you should be directing your thoughts to the school. And if you do have a kid at the school, they can order lunch at the LMS cafeteria, as can any HS student.

I doubt the new HOS will be paid the same as the retiring HOS, but who knows. I’m all for no tuition increase, but very unlikely.

Do you have to pay for this? Also is it stigmatized to do this when everyone else eats out?

Tell me you don't have a kid at the school without saying you don't have a kid at the school. Yes, you would have to pay for it. No, nobody is stigmatizing anyone from bringing lunch, getting lunch from the LMS cafeteria, using the Farmer's Fridge vending machine, whatever, because very few kids eat out with any regularity. Mine maybe once or twice a month. Although it might be better to have a HS cafeteria, I'd rather kids eat what they want given the amount of food waste in the LMS cafeteria when my kid was in MS.

Well of course I don’t that’s why I asked? It’s application season. Is this what GDS parents are like?

Nice try. You weren’t asking. You were making poorly veiled criticisms. There’s a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say has a GDS parent, the process has been very impressive so far - very inclusive.

Have you seen the salary??? Closing in on a million a year salary to run a school that's half the size of an average public hs.

Personally, I think they need to cut the salary by 40 percent and freeze an tuition increase for a year. And find a way to frickin provide lunch in high school.

It's so strange how non GDS parents think this is a big deal but actual GDS parents don't. Personally, I love that my HS student is learning to cook and is building time to prepare lunch food -- roast chicken, meatballs, etc -- into his weekend schedule. Great life skills.

I’m a GDS parent and I don’t like it. Kids end up eating crap. Would prefer a healthy option at school included in the already exorbitant tuition - as is the case at other schools. Just because you’re fine with it doesn’t mean others aren’t.

Then teach your kids to eat better. Or find a new school.
We sent our kid to GDS because we loved that they fostered independence, and having an open campus is a huge part of that. My son has learned how to budget for lunches, how to use the metro and bus services, and time management skills, among many other things. There's a salad vending machine in the school of they want healthy, and there's tons of healthy options withing a five minute walk of the school.

[Anonymous]

Getting back on topic, I've been really impressed by the process. They've sent out detailed resumes of the candidates before hosting arent meetings and zoom sessions with them. Each candidate has also answered student questions at assemblies. They've been very transparent about the whole thing.
And I'm sure that the new head won't be making what Russel is making now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say has a GDS parent, the process has been very impressive so far - very inclusive.

Have you seen the salary??? Closing in on a million a year salary to run a school that's half the size of an average public hs.

Personally, I think they need to cut the salary by 40 percent and freeze a tuition increase for a year. And find a way to frickin provide lunch in high school.

Do you have a kid at the school? Because if so you should be directing your thoughts to the school. And if you do have a kid at the school, they can order lunch at the LMS cafeteria, as can any HS student.

I doubt the new HOS will be paid the same as the retiring HOS, but who knows. I’m all for no tuition increase, but very unlikely.

Do you have to pay for this? Also is it stigmatized to do this when everyone else eats out?

Tell me you don't have a kid at the school without saying you don't have a kid at the school. Yes, you would have to pay for it. No, nobody is stigmatizing anyone from bringing lunch, getting lunch from the LMS cafeteria, using the Farmer's Fridge vending machine, whatever, because very few kids eat out with any regularity. Mine maybe once or twice a month. Although it might be better to have a HS cafeteria, I'd rather kids eat what they want given the amount of food waste in the LMS cafeteria when my kid was in MS.

Well of course I don’t that’s why I asked? It’s application season. Is this what GDS parents are like?

Nice try. You weren’t asking. You were making poorly veiled criticisms. There’s a difference.

I was genuinely asking. I didn’t know high school students could get food onsite because I have only seen criticism that there aren’t any food options for high schoolers. Are you okay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting back on topic, I've been really impressed by the process. They've sent out detailed resumes of the candidates before hosting arent meetings and zoom sessions with them. Each candidate has also answered student questions at assemblies. They've been very transparent about the whole thing.
And I'm sure that the new head won't be making what Russel is making now.

Why shouldn't the new head of school make what the current head makes???

[Anonymous]

Sure, freeze tuition.

How do you propose schools cut their programs to account for rising costs of health premiums for their teachers and staff?

Would you like less learning support? Cuts to athletics or the arts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back on topic, I've been really impressed by the process. They've sent out detailed resumes of the candidates before hosting arent meetings and zoom sessions with them. Each candidate has also answered student questions at assemblies. They've been very transparent about the whole thing.
And I'm sure that the new head won't be making what Russel is making now.

Why shouldn't the new head of school make what the current head makes???

Because the candidates have yet to prove themselves as HOS. Russell has been HOS for 16+ years now, and although I think he is paid too much, he is far more experienced than any of the candidates and therefore paid more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back on topic, I've been really impressed by the process. They've sent out detailed resumes of the candidates before hosting arent meetings and zoom sessions with them. Each candidate has also answered student questions at assemblies. They've been very transparent about the whole thing.
And I'm sure that the new head won't be making what Russel is making now.

Why shouldn't the new head of school make what the current head makes???

Because the candidates have yet to prove themselves as HOS. Russell has been HOS for 16+ years now, and although I think he is paid too much, he is far more experienced than any of the candidates and therefore paid more.

Having seen how this works before, they might try draw the salary back just a little bit on the principle you cited, but a top-notch school is looking to hire a top-notch head, who has already achieved upper echelon pay at their previous school, where they presumably were very successful. Also, don’t forget, this is a major market where many other schools are paying their heads quite well, this is a big, high-pressure job, and all the candidates know what the current head is earning.

To those people who think they should freeze tuition or cut tuition to pay this next HOS less, look at it like this: if you have 500 full-pay students and you cut tuition by $500, you could cut the salary by $250,000. But tuition is going to go up because all expenses, especially health insurance premiums, are going up, and the people making the budget on the board aren’t going to do this mathematical gymnastics, and jeopardize the candidate pool to save every family $500 on $55k tuition bill.

[Anonymous]

What happened with the former HOS?

[Anonymous]

I can guarantee that GDS could still get great candidates, even without paying nearly a million a year. Russell is a nice guy and is good at what he does, but never struck me as a star. And definitely not a million dollar talent. Makes no sense .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happened with the former HOS?

He's retiring after 16 years.

Not every transition is a scandal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can guarantee that GDS could still get great candidates, even without paying nearly a million a year. Russell is a nice guy and is good at what he does, but never struck me as a star. And definitely not a million dollar talent. Makes no sense .

I didn’t know HOS is “star” position. Does that mean you want to see more personality?

I don’t have a kid at the school, but as an observer, I can recognize that his stewardship of the school and its reputation in the community imply that he’s done a fantastic job. I think a successful HOS is doing great things behind the scenes that you will never be aware of because when things go well things just don’t make noise.

But also, there’s this: You don’t want your next head of school to come in with a message from the board that says “you’re not quite as good/valuable as our last ahead of school.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can guarantee that GDS could still get great candidates, even without paying nearly a million a year. Russell is a nice guy and is good at what he does, but never struck me as a star. And definitely not a million dollar talent. Makes no sense .

I didn’t know HOS is “star” position. Does that mean you want to see more personality?

I don’t have a kid at the school, but as an observer, I can recognize that his stewardship of the school and its reputation in the community imply that he’s done a fantastic job. I think a successful HOS is doing great things behind the scenes that you will never be aware of because when things go well things just don’t make noise.

But also, there’s this: You don’t want your next head of school to come in with a message from the board that says “you’re not quite as good/valuable as our last ahead of school.”

Any candidate who is coming in without having proven themselves yet and expects the same compensation as the last HOS, who has been there for 16 years, raised 100M in funding, and unified the campus, is full of themselves and does not deserve to be HOS. The posted salary range is very, very high and will go up as the board sees fit.