Forum Index
»
Private & Independent Schools
Will Whittle be around next year?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
I think it is critical to define meaningful conversation. As another former employee I agree these conversations barely scratch the surface. Individuals are using humor and satire to address the ridiculous behavior of Chris Whittle. The running tree joke - fact: Chris Whittle spent over $100k on trees that died in the same week that payroll to teachers was late. There is no "meaningful" discussion about those actions. Ridicule is the appropriate response. |
Anonymous
+1000. A good comedian knows when to exit the stage. There was some much needed mirth in a few of the earlier posts but this latest one and even the one before it are tired... |
Anonymous
Ridicule is definitely apt but bringing facts like these (the dead trees) and other to light would be even more valuable to help get the word out about what a sham the organization is. Would be a shame if the message gets lost because of the medium |
Anonymous
Agreed. Not in defense but perhaps sympathy you are dealing with a community of parents, teachers, former employees and most importantly students who have been repeatedly deceived and are venting their deep frustrations. |
Anonymous
Public schools accept everyone. |
Anonymous
| what happened on the call today? |
Anonymous
| One vote from me for the humor. I think it’s funny. |
Anonymous
Perish the thought of sending our kids to a school that has no budget, unfinished facilities, massive turnover and an uncertain future. Oh. Wait. |
Anonymous
|
Email from Manny yesterday evening:
Parent Capital Strategy Committee Communication Clarification Whittle DC Faculty and Staff, A few hours ago, the Parent Capital Strategy Committee asked me to distribute a message to all other parents via the Whittle email distribution list. This email message sent on their behalf, introduced a new short term Sponsor a Teacher program that would gather funds from our parent community to present to our teachers as direct gifts (no tax implication for giver or receiver). Since then, we have received several questions and I hope that the following information will serve to clarify these inquiries. First, this is a parent-led, parent-developed and parent-managed initiative; The “direct gifts” to be distributed are NOT in lieu of the missed 2/15 payroll. Rather, these would be, in addition to, and treated as gifts or bonuses. Our Parent Strategy Committee is still working to secure other, larger funds and those “could be” 2-4 weeks away. Chris is still working every day to solve the immediate term payroll needs for both 2/15 and 2/28. Once our short term capital problem is solved (and received in our Namely account), we will run payroll and transfer funds into your individual accounts for 2/15. Chris is also working on immediate funds for “non payroll” related expenses. Medical benefits are not dependent on or a function of “running payroll”. But rather, they are a separate payment. Benefits remain in force. Hope this helps. ___________________________________________________ The problem with the parody Whittle posts with songs and jokes is that there are people truly suffering this duration. Parents who got their kids into Whittle via scholarships and now face the hard decision of transferring to another school (which disrupts their child’s life, costs money, and may have to choose schools like Deal or Wilson where there have been violent crimes in the building). And the teachers who have devoted their work to the students (NOTE: very few teachers are cult followers of Whittle as posters are admonishing, they are dedicated to ensuring a semblance of normalcy and quality learning in face of this disaster.) Having been paid with up to a week and a half of delay in the past, teachers finally started expressing their concern, fears, anxiety-onset sickness, current and major ensuing financial problems via the school faculty email list serv. Prior to these brave and necessary messages to the whole school, more so directed at Manny, teachers had to stomach repeated heartless notifications that they would be paid on time THE DAY of pay. No ability to plan ahead to mitigate the damage these delays caused. Against these hardships—teachers messaged about their panic attacks, their inability to pay rent and get groceries for their families—teachers continued to show up every day and do their best at working with their students. Now, it seems very likely that the next paycheck we’re owed won’t come at all. “Chris is still working” to acquire the money to cover it. He failed at this endeavor each and every time for the past three or payrolls. Posters are incorrect when referring to the parent-originated money that has paid teachers starting over winter break, at least if one is believe admin’s emails: these came by donations, one anonymous, and others from parents. What upsets me is that posters are saying donating parents are throwing money to perpetuate Whittle’s self-interest sh*tshow. The parents have given money because they recognize the teachers working to educate their students deserve to be paid for it. This latest news of teachers receiving a gift/bonus doesn’t even nearly relieve the anguish. Yes, it will be tax free apparently. But no where in the email does It state WHEN this gift will be put into our bank accounts. We are almost a full week away from 2/15 and have been told nebulous promises. The absolute worst news of the email is that the funding necessary won’t come for two-four weeks from now. Who in the hell will stay at the job for three weeks of non-pay?? My guess is that only those that struggle to find another position that works out with regard to location (not everyone has a car), salary (imagine taking a cut from 70k to 50k) and immediate starting (few positions open for the remainder of the school year, typically only for long-term subs). i don’t feel that this entire situation with respect to the families, students, and teachers is one of which to make jokes. Perhaps the effort posters engage in posting here could be better placed in an email to the WashPost. I know of at least one teacher who completed a wage claim form with the DC attorney general’s office. Thank you to the person who posted a long while back about this resource—it was very welcomed information to me and relayed the idea to that incredible educator. She filed the claim the next day. Hopefully more will do the same thing soon. Does anyone know about how the attorney general would address the problem? Their website says they investigate non-pay and late-pay, the latter of which is just as ilegal as the former apparently. Would they eventually launch a suit against Whittle and garnish his personal finances to pay the loss wages? Teachers are contracted to be paid every two weeks until the end of July. The prospect that they will not receive this their owed and well deserved pay is beyond frightening and is causing physical and psychological distress. When, in a recent Zoom meeting, a teacher asked Whittle about how the school would ensure that they are paid until end of July and, if the school were to go under before then, how would health benefits be secured for employees. Would they be eligible for COBRA? What was the Whittle plan? After being directly asked these questions by the teacher on camera and microphone, Whittle blatantly ignored them and started talking about something else in true Whittle-obfuscating form. The faces of most others on camera were obvious and appalled. A question I direct at the poster who alluded to even deeper, worse problems behind the scenes which this thread hasn’t uncovered: will you let anyone know? In this form, so that the parents and teachers here have a better degree of transparency and can plan ahead, to a journalist, or to the DC attorney general? According to some who have posted, various actions by Whittle at this step of his education path of destruction have been ilegal business doings. These need to be called out and prosecuted before months have passed and teachers have gone without $10k+ of pay. |
Anonymous
| You should find a new job. Families should leave. None of this makes any sense any more. |
Anonymous
| If you are scared of Deal and Wilson because there are "violent crimes" in the building, but not concerned that your kid might not have a place to go to school on Tuesday, your priorities are misplaced. |
Anonymous
|
The Deal- Wilson bit took me out especially alll but a handful of students came from independent schools. Deal and Wilson will give your kids a way better education than Whittle. Kids are behind at Whittle. They don’t have science, history or PE classes. My daughter in 5th grade, had math, English’s
Mandarin and art. Also a kindergarten teacher was teaching 5th grade English because they didn’t have a teacher. The Teacher who was hired to teach Chinese was forced to teach Spanish which she was not trained to teach. |
Anonymous
|
I’ve got to agree. Pointing fingers at other schools. Really? Those are functioning institutions.
You complain about the impact of comedic posts but your factual post of the communication is far more damming of the school leadership than anything else posted. |
Anonymous
| I hope Whittle teachers are looking at substitute teacher positions- wasn’t the shortage of teachers in some neighboring areas so severe recently that they were hiring college students and bringing in the National Guard to teach classes? Also, there are at least a couple of private schools around the area that have rolling admissions and could probably take some Whittle students mid-year. Parents and teachers could also try to organize home-schooling/tutoring groups to finish out the year as a last resort. The whole situation is just awful! |
Anonymous
+1 and where is your evidence? Links please. |