Will Whittle be around next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Finally the billing statements for 2022-23 came out. Anyone submitting the enrollment agreement by the May 12th deadline?

I just don’t understand how anyone can, in good conscience, do business with a school that has stiffed contractors and suppliers of millions. CW and team don’t deserve the salaries they are paid.

[Anonymous]

It seems like anyone left at the school on this forum are not returning next year. Does anyone know if many of the teachers are staying or leaving?

[Anonymous]

"When banks say NO..business owners with challenged credit turn to Maxim". That's the tagline for Maxim Credit Group. Recorder of Deeds in DC has recorded several documents between Winthrop Capital and Maxim Credit Group including a memo of collateral assignment of note, deed,trust and other loan docs..sounds like the building has been thrown into the land of the bottom fishers who really have no incentive to worry about what happens to an insolvent former subtenant that owes their landlord millions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally the billing statements for 2022-23 came out. Anyone submitting the enrollment agreement by the May 12th deadline?

I just don’t understand how anyone can, in good conscience, do business with a school that has stiffed contractors and suppliers of millions. CW and team don’t deserve the salaries they are paid.

I wouldn't put this on the student families. It's not their fault CW is a fraud. These families are just like anyone else, they want their kids to get an education and for whatever reason staying at Whittle is the better option for them. They may not like it, but it's better than their other alternatives or they wouldn't stay. I doubt they thinking about whether their purchase is moral or not. And there were seminal families who received hefty scholarships. As a HS parent, I can't imagine how challenging it would be to have a current Junior at Whittle entering the college application runway. Those students started in 9th grade when Whittle opened. HS is short and so much has gone on - they may not have a lot of options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally the billing statements for 2022-23 came out. Anyone submitting the enrollment agreement by the May 12th deadline?

I just don’t understand how anyone can, in good conscience, do business with a school that has stiffed contractors and suppliers of millions. CW and team don’t deserve the salaries they are paid.

I wouldn't put this on the student families. It's not their fault CW is a fraud. These families are just like anyone else, they want their kids to get an education and for whatever reason staying at Whittle is the better option for them. They may not like it, but it's better than their other alternatives or they wouldn't stay. I doubt they thinking about whether their purchase is moral or not. And there were seminal families who received hefty scholarships. As a HS parent, I can't imagine how challenging it would be to have a current Junior at Whittle entering the college application runway. Those students started in 9th grade when Whittle opened. HS is short and so much has gone on - they may not have a lot of options.

But is is their fault for choosing a for-profit school run by someone with a known (and easily Google-able) history of grift and failure. Due diligence isn’t hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finally the billing statements for 2022-23 came out. Anyone submitting the enrollment agreement by the May 12th deadline?

I just don’t understand how anyone can, in good conscience, do business with a school that has stiffed contractors and suppliers of millions. CW and team don’t deserve the salaries they are paid.

I wouldn't put this on the student families. It's not their fault CW is a fraud. These families are just like anyone else, they want their kids to get an education and for whatever reason staying at Whittle is the better option for them. They may not like it, but it's better than their other alternatives or they wouldn't stay. I doubt they thinking about whether their purchase is moral or not. And there were seminal families who received hefty scholarships. As a HS parent, I can't imagine how challenging it would be to have a current Junior at Whittle entering the college application runway. Those students started in 9th grade when Whittle opened. HS is short and so much has gone on - they may not have a lot of options.

But is is their fault for choosing a for-profit school run by someone with a known (and easily Google-able) history of grift and failure. Due diligence isn’t hard.

To be fair, it was a lot different when you had a lot of credible leaders in education involved (Nick Dirks, Jim Hawkins, Rebecca Upham), who have since left.

[Anonymous]

There's whittle chance of the school surviving. How does one say "Ponzi scheme" in Mandarin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am just so curious, but what exactly was the "Studios" aspect of Whittle School and Studios? Was there actually individualized learning, and how helpful were the advisory sessions?

Studios was basically partnerships with local organizations that offered programs of interest to the students. The one I know about is the Levine School which is almost across the street. For a few semesters, students could choose classes from there including things like studio tech and instrumental music. You could also, of course, pay for additional classes or lessons. The Levine music program died because of COVID and didn't come back as far as I can tell.

[Anonymous]

To the current US families, how many of you are returning to WSS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's whittle chance of the school surviving. How does one say "Ponzi scheme" in Mandarin?

庞氏骗局。这是我在荟同学校学的词哈哈。还有，这个学校真的是骗人的。

[Anonymous]

Is there chance that Whittle will improve in the next school year? Or will it just continue to go on a decline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's whittle chance of the school surviving. How does one say "Ponzi scheme" in Mandarin?

庞氏骗局。这是我在荟同学校学的词哈哈。还有，这个学校真的是骗人的。

DCUM delivers lol. Via Google Translate:

"Ponzi scheme. This is the word I learned at Hui's school haha. Also, this school is really deceiving."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am just so curious, but what exactly was the "Studios" aspect of Whittle School and Studios? Was there actually individualized learning, and how helpful were the advisory sessions?

Studios was basically partnerships with local organizations that offered programs of interest to the students. The one I know about is the Levine School which is almost across the street. For a few semesters, students could choose classes from there including things like studio tech and instrumental music. You could also, of course, pay for additional classes or lessons. The Levine music program died because of COVID and didn't come back as far as I can tell.

The original vision of Studios was actually the school itself offering a host of ancillary programs in the evenings, weekends, and summers. It was often repeated that it was a significant part of the business model (20% of revenue at scale). It was highly unusual because the school started contemplating offering different languages and extracurriculars in Studios…which would cost families extra and would be simply normal part of the program at any other school — something odd to do when the school was already charging a premium tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am just so curious, but what exactly was the "Studios" aspect of Whittle School and Studios? Was there actually individualized learning, and how helpful were the advisory sessions?

Studios was basically partnerships with local organizations that offered programs of interest to the students. The one I know about is the Levine School which is almost across the street. For a few semesters, students could choose classes from there including things like studio tech and instrumental music. You could also, of course, pay for additional classes or lessons. The Levine music program died because of COVID and didn't come back as far as I can tell.

The original vision of Studios was actually the school itself offering a host of ancillary programs in the evenings, weekends, and summers. It was often repeated that it was a significant part of the business model (20% of revenue at scale). It was highly unusual because the school started contemplating offering different languages and extracurriculars in Studios…which would cost families extra and would be simply normal part of the program at any other school — something odd to do when the school was already charging a premium tuition.

This whole thing was just a bad dumb business model in so many ways. The international boarding seems like a promising component. And then you hear that the rooms are designed to fit four students in a single room.

[Anonymous]

Our family left in the middle of this year. And thank god. My kid is actually learning now in new school. Even DC can see the difference.