Will Whittle be around next year?

[Anonymous]

As has been surmised by others on this thread, the school is likely Chris' only remaining "asset" following his Hamptons eviction and divorce, and which he is undoubtedly claiming is still worth hundreds of millions. Nothing else explains these vague, desperately worded emails seeking to buy more time, and anyone who is familiar with Chris can immediate discount the idea that any of it is being done for the well being of the children...

From day 1 of this school, the math for its business case has never worked. You don't need a facility with 600,000+ square feet that cost over $200 million to renovate and which should command an annual rent of at least 20-30 million for a school with 100 kids. Actually at that kind of rental rate, you'd need almost a thousand kids just to cover the rent; and it would still be running an operating deficit after paying all these "annoying" additional expenses like salaries, utilities, food service, security, insurance, etc, etc, etc.

Any of us who hoped that Chris and his team might find a way to end this saga with a trace of class are going to be sadly but predictably disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Are they currently operating rent-free, or what? I can't get my mind around how they're still even in the building -- let alone planning to be operating somewhere again in September...with yet another largely new faculty and student body.

It wouldn't surprise me if Whittle himself had just gone off the rails entirely at this point....He's been close to off the rails for his whole working life, as far as I can tell...

But what are these enablers thinking?

And how's the school paying rent on the building -- even NOW.....when they can't pay their large debts and have repeatedly been unable to pay faculty or pay for kids' dinners without begging for handouts from parents?

It's horrible behavior. But I also find it baffling, and not just when it comes to Whittle's own behavior.

[Anonymous]

The motivations of the actors are important to understand...

CW has nothing to lose and everything to gain so he is keen to spin an optimistic tale hoping that some greater fool will buy the story
The senior admin team (MR and his ilk) has probably been sweet talked by CW into deferring salaries and maybe even investing their own funds as a "bridge" so they are happy to amplify the spin in the remote hope they can recoup their "investment"
The faculty and staff have invested sweat equity in their new jobs and roles and want to hope against hope that their employer can survive
The parents who have propped up the school for the last few months want Junior to finish the school year without disruption
The landlord is ok with the illusion of occupancy and activity in the space - even if rent free - since the school is presumably keeping up some level of maintenance and not just leaving the large White Elephant sitting vacant
The investors (if they actually exist - questionable...) have a free option to evaluate the situation and it costs them nothing to say that they're interested while reviewing whatever spurious information CW is providing to them

Easy to understand why the spinning plates are still spinning. But it all seems to be heading towards a bad ending

[Anonymous]

Any chance the divorce was just to shield money in his wife's name -- maybe put there specifically for that purpose? So he might have more resources than it seems?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any chance the divorce was just to shield money in his wife's name -- maybe put there specifically for that purpose? So he might have more resources than it seems?

No, she is believed to be one of his largest individual creditors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Re-enrollment for 2022-2023: With a more stable financial future soon to be secured, we are moving ahead with our plans for the 2022-2023 school year. Therefore, we will be sending you information about the re-enrollment process for the 2022-2023 school year sometime within the next two weeks. In addition, we will be advancing new marketing efforts to recruit new families for the 2022-2023 school year.

Oh my god. No. Just...please...no.

Even if this weren't a CW-fashioned sh*tstorm, it's entirely too late to start thinking about recruitment now, especially with the numbers WSS seems to need. (A day late and many dollars short?!) And given that this is a CW signature disaster, it's all the worse. Who in their right mind would take a chance on him at this point, parent or teacher? (People of the DMV, I implore you...please, PLEASE give it a little Google before you sign on the dotted line!)

I don't wish anyone ill, and I know that figuring out a decent school situation in DC--especially if you can't afford to pay for it--is less likely than finding Sasquatch shredding the gnar on an amphibious unicorn. Still, I don't know how any current teacher or parent could comfortably live with another year of uncertainty and lack of continuity like this year's. Worse, what's it doing to the kids?

Good people are getting hurt, and I'm floored by the administration's ability to carry on like nothing much is happening, and to continue asking for good will from their staff and customers.

Yeah. It’s evil. The good news is that the effort will almost certainly a big failure.

A lot of kids got turned down and waitlisted this year. Maybe Whittle can get some of those families

Get them for what?! The school is not viable.

There are plenty of suckers around who’ll still bite on the promises if it means not sending their kids to —shudder— public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Re-enrollment for 2022-2023: With a more stable financial future soon to be secured, we are moving ahead with our plans for the 2022-2023 school year. Therefore, we will be sending you information about the re-enrollment process for the 2022-2023 school year sometime within the next two weeks. In addition, we will be advancing new marketing efforts to recruit new families for the 2022-2023 school year.

Oh my god. No. Just...please...no.

Even if this weren't a CW-fashioned sh*tstorm, it's entirely too late to start thinking about recruitment now, especially with the numbers WSS seems to need. (A day late and many dollars short?!) And given that this is a CW signature disaster, it's all the worse. Who in their right mind would take a chance on him at this point, parent or teacher? (People of the DMV, I implore you...please, PLEASE give it a little Google before you sign on the dotted line!)

I don't wish anyone ill, and I know that figuring out a decent school situation in DC--especially if you can't afford to pay for it--is less likely than finding Sasquatch shredding the gnar on an amphibious unicorn. Still, I don't know how any current teacher or parent could comfortably live with another year of uncertainty and lack of continuity like this year's. Worse, what's it doing to the kids?

Good people are getting hurt, and I'm floored by the administration's ability to carry on like nothing much is happening, and to continue asking for good will from their staff and customers.

Yeah. It’s evil. The good news is that the effort will almost certainly a big failure.

A lot of kids got turned down and waitlisted this year. Maybe Whittle can get some of those families

Get them for what?! The school is not viable.

There are plenty of suckers around who’ll still bite on the promises if it means not sending their kids to —shudder— public school.

Doesn't seem like many of those left given the school's dismal performance in the recently concluded admissions cycle. MR's note talking about the need to ramp up recruiting efforts speaks volumes to that. But sure, they'll keep looking for them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The senior admin team (MR and his ilk) has probably been sweet talked by CW into deferring salaries and maybe even investing their own funds as a "bridge" so they are happy to amplify the spin in the remote hope they can recoup their "investment"

...... most likely as has been the case in the past with this team ( MR, CW etc), they took significant cash off the top when it came in and have been promised a huge bonus from the "larger transaction" should it miraculously come to pass...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A copy and paste of some parts of an email sent to current families at WSS in vague terminology as usual:

Financial Update: Chris has been keeping me completely up to date on the larger capital transaction on an almost daily basis throughout the break and I can assure you that there was no break on that front! Things are proceeding as planned with the exception that one of the key principals of one of our counterparties had an unexpected health matter which he had to deal with which has lost us a few days on our timetable. Chris expects him to be back at his post this weekend and will provide the community a more detailed update as soon as that happens.


Re-enrollment for 2022-2023: With a more stable financial future soon to be secured, we are moving ahead with our plans for the 2022-2023 school year. Therefore, we will be sending you information about the re-enrollment process for the 2022-2023 school year sometime within the next two weeks. In addition, we will be advancing new marketing efforts to recruit new families for the 2022-2023 school year.

This sounds too much like those Nigerian Prince email scams! Who believes anything this guy says? It doesn’t seem possible this school will have a 2022-2023 academic year. Without enough students and tuition revenue, and already in significant debt, where will the money come from for continued operating expenses? It doesn’t seem possible.

😂 The only thing missing to make it the perfect Nigerian Prince scam is a request for $10,000 to help the key principal manage his unexpected medical expenses, following which he will be in a position to wire multiple hundreds of millions to the school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A copy and paste of some parts of an email sent to current families at WSS in vague terminology as usual:

Financial Update: Chris has been keeping me completely up to date on the larger capital transaction on an almost daily basis throughout the break and I can assure you that there was no break on that front! Things are proceeding as planned with the exception that one of the key principals of one of our counterparties had an unexpected health matter which he had to deal with which has lost us a few days on our timetable. Chris expects him to be back at his post this weekend and will provide the community a more detailed update as soon as that happens.


Re-enrollment for 2022-2023: With a more stable financial future soon to be secured, we are moving ahead with our plans for the 2022-2023 school year. Therefore, we will be sending you information about the re-enrollment process for the 2022-2023 school year sometime within the next two weeks. In addition, we will be advancing new marketing efforts to recruit new families for the 2022-2023 school year.

This sounds too much like those Nigerian Prince email scams! Who believes anything this guy says? It doesn’t seem possible this school will have a 2022-2023 academic year. Without enough students and tuition revenue, and already in significant debt, where will the money come from for continued operating expenses? It doesn’t seem possible.

😂 The only thing missing to make it the perfect Nigerian Prince scam is a request for $10,000 to help the key principal manage his unexpected medical expenses, following which he will be in a position to wire multiple hundreds of millions to the school

Hey I'm Nigerian. Leave us out of this one. He did this one all by himself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Hey I'm Nigerian. Leave us out of this one. He did this one all by himself.

Amen to this guy/gal. Whittle is next level scammer.

[Anonymous]

Copy and paste from MR's email. Literally the only private school that asks families to pack lunches. My child said that every Fri was Pizza Friday for quite some time. They are tired of eating pizza that they won't consider eating pizza outside of school.

School Lunch: A few parents have inquired about our plans for school lunch in the coming weeks. We have not yet finalized terms with a new food service provider, and we ask that you continue to have your child bring lunch to school next week, Monday, March 28th through Thursday, March 31st. On Friday, April 1st, we will provide pizza for all staff and students. We will follow up and report back to you next week regarding the status of food service for the following week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We have not yet finalized terms with a new food service provider

Translation - we have not yet been able to find a vendor that will do this for free. Chris remains highly optimistic that we will sometime within the next 5 days or 6 months

[Anonymous]

DCPS lottery results are out. Did anyone roll the dice and get lucky?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: We have not yet finalized terms with a new food service provider

Translation - we have not yet been able to find a vendor that will do this for free. Chris remains highly optimistic that we will sometime within the next 5 days or 6 months

Exactly. Or maybe they haven't even lifted a finger to look for one. Nothing about "We have not yet finalized terms with a new food service provider" necessarily means they've started looking for one. It implies it, of course, but it doesn't actually guarantee it.

CW & co are good with the language when they want to be. Sort of.