SSFS HOS leaving

[Anonymous]

Just want to say that we appreciate the US teachers and coaches so much. Our kid has developed relationships with several extremely devoted and supportive teachers. Hoping to hear that those teachers are staying around. Hoping that new families enrolled for US stay around too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to say that we appreciate the US teachers and coaches so much. Our kid has developed relationships with several extremely devoted and supportive teachers. Hoping to hear that those teachers are staying around. Hoping that new families enrolled for US stay around too.

+1 really appreciate some outstanding teachers and coaches in the upper school

[Anonymous]

Our kids are in college now, and doing amazing: dean's list all the way, at challenging schools! They received an outstanding education at SSFS. I agree, it would be wonderful if Tom Gibian could be persuaded to come back for a year while the school conducts a proper HOS search: his presence would make a significant positive impact on staff and parental morale.

We wish SSFS the very best of luck moving forward.

[Anonymous]

Not all teachers are quality at the school and they need to address that. They are aware of the teacher that needs to go. Multiple complaints from parents. The speculation is that the teacher was a Rodney hire and he has been protecting her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was a breath of fresh air for the school as opposed to usual white hetero males that most independent heads of schools have

No one had complaints about him not being white and/or hetero. The issues were with the chaos and toxic culture that led to a shocking level of turnover.

100% this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The board failed miserably and is complicit in all of this. The email from the board is also unacceptable. Christine who worked directly under Rodney is not the answer. They need someone from the outside to come help clean this up. The timing also couldn’t be worse.

Zero faith in this board - the old Quakers are meager and cannot stand up to the few toxic individuals on the Board who will take down the school if someone doesn’t take charge. This is no longer about the HOS, he is gone, goodbye. It is about the inept board. Who holds them accountable so they don’t impact the bigger school ecosystem from teachers to students!

I take umbrage with this, knowing that the “Old Quakers” just ousted a toxic narcissist who didn’t fundraise, chased out amazing faculty and staff, and cared more for his own business than our school. They weren’t the ones who hired that guy and were the ones that fired him. They’re not the complicit members, and they’re some of the best people you’d be lucky to know.

+1

[Anonymous]

He can fundraise? If anyone was at the last auction it was clear he wasn’t pulling in any money.

Yep. He also actively encouraged the auction committee (which I was a part of) to decrease our fundraising goal.

[Anonymous]

Regardless of the big money contributions from some members, the unqualified on the board need to go. The quality of the board influences the HOA hire.

[Anonymous]

**HOS hire**

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The board failed miserably and is complicit in all of this. The email from the board is also unacceptable. Christine who worked directly under Rodney is not the answer. They need someone from the outside to come help clean this up. The timing also couldn’t be worse.

Zero faith in this board - the old Quakers are meager and cannot stand up to the few toxic individuals on the Board who will take down the school if someone doesn’t take charge. This is no longer about the HOS, he is gone, goodbye. It is about the inept board. Who holds them accountable so they don’t impact the bigger school ecosystem from teachers to students!

I take umbrage with this, knowing that the “Old Quakers” just ousted a toxic narcissist who didn’t fundraise, chased out amazing faculty and staff, and cared more for his own business than our school. They weren’t the ones who hired that guy and were the ones that fired him. They’re not the complicit members, and they’re some of the best people you’d be lucky to know.

I agree. Not all of the current board members were on the board when he was hired (some of them were though).

[Anonymous]

interesting about pushing to lower the fundraising goal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He can fundraise? If anyone was at the last auction it was clear he wasn’t pulling in any money.

Yep. He also actively encouraged the auction committee (which I was a part of) to decrease our fundraising goal.

Why? And then he sent one of his typical gaslighting emails that the amount raised broke all kinds of records. In the meantime no one would even bet $25 to get a picture with him. If he didn’t realize after all that where community sentiment was, then he’s a bigger narcissist than I thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He can fundraise? If anyone was at the last auction it was clear he wasn’t pulling in any money.

Yep. He also actively encouraged the auction committee (which I was a part of) to decrease our fundraising goal.

Why? And then he sent one of his typical gaslighting emails that the amount raised broke all kinds of records. In the meantime no one would even bet $25 to get a picture with him. If he didn’t realize after all that where community sentiment was, then he’s a bigger narcissist than I thought.

Because everything was about his reputation/appearance for him. He thought the goal was too lofty and didn’t think we would meet it, which would make HIM look bad. Good thing we smashed it 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The board failed miserably and is complicit in all of this. The email from the board is also unacceptable. Christine who worked directly under Rodney is not the answer. They need someone from the outside to come help clean this up. The timing also couldn’t be worse.

Zero faith in this board - the old Quakers are meager and cannot stand up to the few toxic individuals on the Board who will take down the school if someone doesn’t take charge. This is no longer about the HOS, he is gone, goodbye. It is about the inept board. Who holds them accountable so they don’t impact the bigger school ecosystem from teachers to students!

I take umbrage with this, knowing that the “Old Quakers” just ousted a toxic narcissist who didn’t fundraise, chased out amazing faculty and staff, and cared more for his own business than our school. They weren’t the ones who hired that guy and were the ones that fired him. They’re not the complicit members, and they’re some of the best people you’d be lucky to know.

I agree. Not all of the current board members were on the board when he was hired (some of them were though).

The board was duped when they hired him. As other people have said they were wowed by his sparkle. He’s a great speaker, he talks a great talk. If your interaction with him was only to listen to the occasional speech (orientation, end of year assembly) he seems like a great guy.

But if you follow anything that is actually going on or have any more direct contact with him as either a parent or teacher, you know what he is really like. I have to hope the board has known this for a while. So while they were duped into hiring him there must have been some level of dysfunction that prevented them from taking action long before this. It’s a shame it had to get so bad. But in this process I hope the board spends time on some self reflection also to prevent this from ever happening again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The board failed miserably and is complicit in all of this. The email from the board is also unacceptable. Christine who worked directly under Rodney is not the answer. They need someone from the outside to come help clean this up. The timing also couldn’t be worse.

Zero faith in this board - the old Quakers are meager and cannot stand up to the few toxic individuals on the Board who will take down the school if someone doesn’t take charge. This is no longer about the HOS, he is gone, goodbye. It is about the inept board. Who holds them accountable so they don’t impact the bigger school ecosystem from teachers to students!

I take umbrage with this, knowing that the “Old Quakers” just ousted a toxic narcissist who didn’t fundraise, chased out amazing faculty and staff, and cared more for his own business than our school. They weren’t the ones who hired that guy and were the ones that fired him. They’re not the complicit members, and they’re some of the best people you’d be lucky to know.

I agree. Not all of the current board members were on the board when he was hired (some of them were though).

The board was duped when they hired him. As other people have said they were wowed by his sparkle. He’s a great speaker, he talks a great talk. If your interaction with him was only to listen to the occasional speech (orientation, end of year assembly) he seems like a great guy.

But if you follow anything that is actually going on or have any more direct contact with him as either a parent or teacher, you know what he is really like. I have to hope the board has known this for a while. So while they were duped into hiring him there must have been some level of dysfunction that prevented them from taking action long before this. It’s a shame it had to get so bad. But in this process I hope the board spends time on some self reflection also to prevent this from ever happening again.

I think you are giving him (and the board) too much credit. Lots of people were wise to/weary of the Rodney show by the second time they saw him speak. (Including plenty of the kids!)

He’s not some charismatic charmer-he comes across as interestingly quirky for about 5 minutes and then it’s clear he’s a self promoting showboater light on any substantive content.

If my 6th grader could suss out there was a problem after two exposures why couldn’t the board after a series of interviews?