Will Whittle be around next year?

[Anonymous]

Probably the time spent at the previous job would be more of an issue, when connected to the short time at Whittle.

If you had 1 year at previous job, then 8 mos at Whittle, you start to look suspicious. But if previous jobs were well held, then agreed, nbd to have really short tenure at Whittle.

and what better excuse than not being paid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably the time spent at the previous job would be more of an issue, when connected to the short time at Whittle.

If you had 1 year at previous job, then 8 mos at Whittle, you start to look suspicious. But if previous jobs were well held, then agreed, nbd to have really short tenure at Whittle.

and what better excuse than not being paid.

Getting laid off from a failing business is not the employee's fault. Happened to me when Covid started (last hired, first fired); a year later I was hired at a charter school that happens to be much better than my last employer in most respects.

It all counts as teaching experience. That's what future school employers care about.

[Anonymous]

HERE’s THE UPDATE THAT THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE:
We know you are anxiously awaiting an update and while we have been eager to provide one, the information has literally been changing by the hour for the past couple of days.



It has been a very busy and productive weekend with multiple calls with our Landlord, with Friendship, and with “friends of the school” who have a desire to provide us with further capital to see us through the closing of our larger deal. We have a few more meetings in the next few hours with those entities and among leadership. It was our hope all of these meetings would allow us to provide you with some update tonight, albeit not necessarily a complete update, but we determined it would be of greater value to our community if we ask you to bear with us for 48 more hours so we can provide you with what will hopefully be a more positive, complete update with more clarity that you all deserve.



Nonetheless, we understand there have been some “rumors” if school will be in session tomorrow (Monday). The answer is YES. Please send your children with lunches and we look forward to seeing all of your children’s smiling faces tomorrow morning!



We look forward to seeing everyone from this amazing community on Tuesday evening for our next update call! Link and scheduling to follow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. I know a few YY families who opted for Whittle over DCI and wonder what they're going to do.

It's actually worse than that. Chris Whittle apparently has traded this school and these kids in exchange for satisfying his personal debts. Incidentally, those debts originated in 2008, resulted in a court judgement against him and a lien against his house in the Hamptons since 2017. It should give a lot of people pause about what kind of person Chris Whittle is, as well as concern about the new owner Sunny Varkey.

Frankly, having done very cursory research when Whittle was opening what I found about Chris Whittle gave me pause. I was far less concerned about China backing it financially. I feel for the families (and staff) who fell for this whole farce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we game this out re the teachers and staff? Many are new for this year, after the Great Exodus of the "founding" team. If they quit now (due to being not paid), they will have this weird 8 month whatever thing on their resume, and probably no references from it. Yes, its explainable, but not particularly helpful to have short stays. And then what if... what if... Whittle comes through with the cash (and maybe even back pay!) in mid-March? Then your lower paying subbing or other job will look like a bad move... unless they will have you back at Whittle, which is uncertain then since you had quit when times were rough.

Teachers there probably not really able to go much longer w/o being paid, unless have some other significant income from spouse etc.

I think everyone should just go on strike tomorrow and see what that shakes loose. Collective action is the only way, comrades!

Whittle is not going to come through with cash. The small resume gap is NBD; it less significant than the questionable decision to join WS in the first place[u].

100%!! Honestly, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Someone who left a job teaching elsewhere to join up at Whittle would make me question their judgement very seriously. I strongly believe that teachers are saints and deserve to be paid well, but if someone was going to Whittle because salaries were an anomaly within the current market, then they took a huge, uninformed risk.

[Anonymous]

Well at least it. is a good time to be a teacher finding a position - the publics are short of teachers as well

It may be a blessing in disguise that it happened this spring rather than in the fall

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:HERE’s THE UPDATE THAT THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE:
We know you are anxiously awaiting an update and while we have been eager to provide one, the information has literally been changing by the hour for the past couple of days.



It has been a very busy and productive weekend with multiple calls with our Landlord, with Friendship, and with “friends of the school” who have a desire to provide us with further capital to see us through the closing of our larger deal. We have a few more meetings in the next few hours with those entities and among leadership. It was our hope all of these meetings would allow us to provide you with some update tonight, albeit not necessarily a complete update, but we determined it would be of greater value to our community if we ask you to bear with us for 48 more hours so we can provide you with what will hopefully be a more positive, complete update with more clarity that you all deserve.



Nonetheless, we understand there have been some “rumors” if school will be in session tomorrow (Monday). The answer is YES. Please send your children with lunches and we look forward to seeing all of your children’s smiling faces tomorrow morning!



We look forward to seeing everyone from this amazing community on Tuesday evening for our next update call! Link and scheduling to follow.

I don't know about anyone else, but I for one most fully admit that this update has proven all my negative thoughts about Whittle and his management of this siuation dead wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scenario A
A clear date of closure is declared and communicated two weeks ahead
A exit packet is developed for each student that includes transcripts, teacher references and curriculum descriptions of what they've learned this year 
A reconfigured tuition bill stating what is owed back to families that details number of school days needed to complete the year elsewhere, is included
A communication with the the tuition insurance company, is on the ready
A planned communication with the principals of each local public is developed so families can have a thoughtful immediate on-ramp to their next school
A letter of apology that assumes full responsibility for the failure is sent
A heartfelt and proper closing ceremony with CW present in person is scheduled
A similar packet is made for each faculty member with reference letters and testimonials from parents, and a clear statement of what salary is currently owed, which benefits will be extended
A phone call from HOS is made to every single family. The Same with the faculty/admins.
Own it, close it, and exit with class and sincere appreciation/celebration for what worked. 

OR
Scenario B
The search for the needle in a haystack look-the-other-way-and hold-my-nose investor continues
Press explodes with stories-some accurate--many not
More bank accounts not previously disclosed get locked and garnished
Faculty blow up and leave angry in no predictable order with no notice
DCRA shows up and closes the place down for code violations, infestation, payments due.
Keith Racine opens an investigation and blasts it over the local papers
As the building sells, chaos emerges over what happens next and who the new owner is
Frau Dulent-Lee gets a twitter account and becomes a meme
Manny Rivera goes silent
Confidential communications and financial statements get leaked
Parents point fingers at each other claiming they were duped about false funding prospects
Students and faculty internalize a deep sense of institutional shame and failure

Which closing scenario would you pick ? Is there a grown-up in the room?

A professional needs to step in and wind this down in an orderly way before further damage occurs

If I'm a teacher, the students will get grades and references when I get paid.

[Anonymous]

Are they accepting new students for fall 2022? They would be incredibly unethical at this point to sign people into contracts.

[Anonymous]

"the information has literally been changing by the hour for the past couple of days"

that's real nice.

you literally don't know if skool will be open 2morrow, hour by hour each day.

[Anonymous]

A high school math/drama teacher announced that today would be their last day. I believe they are switching over to DCI. From what I know, the school plans to discontinue their drama classes at least through the trimester, and there will be a math project based on what students have already learned. The school is falling apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HERE’s THE UPDATE THAT THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE:
We know you are anxiously awaiting an update and while we have been eager to provide one, the information has literally been changing by the hour for the past couple of days.



It has been a very busy and productive weekend with multiple calls with our Landlord, with Friendship, and with “friends of the school” who have a desire to provide us with further capital to see us through the closing of our larger deal. We have a few more meetings in the next few hours with those entities and among leadership. It was our hope all of these meetings would allow us to provide you with some update tonight, albeit not necessarily a complete update, but we determined it would be of greater value to our community if we ask you to bear with us for 48 more hours so we can provide you with what will hopefully be a more positive, complete update with more clarity that you all deserve.



Nonetheless, we understand there have been some “rumors” if school will be in session tomorrow (Monday). The answer is YES. Please send your children with lunches and we look forward to seeing all of your children’s smiling faces tomorrow morning!



We look forward to seeing everyone from this amazing community on Tuesday evening for our next update call! Link and scheduling to follow.

I don't know about anyone else, but I for one most fully admit that this update has proven all my negative thoughts about Whittle and his management of this siuation dead wrong.

Wait... what?! This email makes you think they're handling things well by sending a non-update with vague references to people who have a desire to fund the school (errr, interesting way they have of showing it by allowing faculty to go without pay for a month)??? Did we even read the same email? The place is a shambles and Whittle is still refusing to come clean with parents and faculty

[Anonymous]

>Wait... what?! This email makes you think they're handling things well by sending a non-update with vague references to people who have a desire to fund the school (errr, interesting way they have of showing it by allowing faculty to go without pay for a month)??? Did we even read the same email? The place is a shambles and Whittle is still refusing to come clean with parents and faculty

I thought poster was being sarcastic?

[Anonymous]

Whittle School took down their faculty and staff directory

https://dc.whittleschool.org/directory1

that is a baaad sign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:>Wait... what?! This email makes you think they're handling things well by sending a non-update with vague references to people who have a desire to fund the school (errr, interesting way they have of showing it by allowing faculty to go without pay for a month)??? Did we even read the same email? The place is a shambles and Whittle is still refusing to come clean with parents and faculty

I thought poster was being sarcastic?

Sarcastic.

Thought I was being obvious about it!