SSFS Will Stay Open

[Anonymous]

Okay I hope I don’t get shut down for being a troll or man-splainer, but these are just a few reasons why I hesitate to re enroll.

1. We still know NOTHING of how the school got here. Why did RG get fired/quit? Why did the CFO get fired? Why did CL quit? How do the finances get this bad and BOT didn’t know? I am no more understanding why any of this happened now as a year ago and I’ve been asking these questions the whole time
2. The same BoT that hired RG, promoted CL, hired SG (none of whom really worked out for the school) hired SH. Why should I think he is any better a leader? Because the BOT says he is? What track record would prove to me that the school has found an effective leader hired by the same ppl with a disastrous track record in everything they have done?
3. The coalition seems to be made of a group of (well meaning) people who want to save the school they went to TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. This is NOT the ssfs of today. They are nostalgic about the school they loved (clearly not involved enough to have donated millions to the schools bottom line before this) and want to save their memories version of the school. But that does not mean they have my child’s best interest as a goal. This is why enticing ppl to reenroll is important to them and so uncovering the truth no more helps their cause as it did the BOTs and why we have learned nothing more through them then from the board! Their goal is to convince people to stay not to ensure my child will get a good education. So our goals don’t align so I don’t really trust what they’re selling either.

And then add to that the uncertainty of which teachers will stay (and why should they after being thrown under the bus cause we get them ice cream trucks?), can the school stay open long term, will programs drop- on the balance sheet for my family I have a much longer list on the con side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:The collective action thing was never going to work. "Oh, if more people stayed, everything would be fine." Therefore, socially pressuring people to stay is the solution! Socially punishing those who leave is the strategy! No. That's not how it works. If everyone stayed, it would still be a school with a useless board, middling academics and really terrible leadership! Not fine at all.

Oh good grief, "socially punishing those who leave"?

Yeah, it definitely felt that way to me. But whatever, it's all over now.

I think some people could see that the forecast was not looking good, and were trying very hard to encourage people to stick with SSFS. I get it, I've done that myself for certain things. It's not like attrition doesn't matter. But fixing the underlying problems, the underlying cause of elevated attrition, is what really needed to be done, and it was always very frustrating for me when people couldn't see that. I dunno-- maybe a left-leaning school with middling academics and moderately expensive facilities is what a lot of people actually want. But not me.

You claim, "whatever, it's all over now" but here you are watching this forum and calling others rude or assuming they are defensive while you make gaslighting comments yourself such as, "I dunno-- maybe a left-leaning school with middling academics and moderately expensive facilities is what a lot of people actually want. But not me."

Well, why would anyone stay if that's not what they want? Because that's what it is.

No, that's what the school was to you. You don't seem to understand that opinions can and do differ.

Obviously opinions vary. That's why some people are staying, or held on longer than we did. But I do believe those three descriptions are accurate.

I would rather the school had chosen to have much lower-end facilities and better financial health, personally.

Those three descriptions are accurate ...to you. Obviously they are not accurate to those who are staying.

Dude no. SSFS is a medium-level academic school. Some people like that, because that's what they want and need for their child. Some people had great teachers, sure, some people had not-so-great teachers. But in the ecosystem of area private schools, it's in the middle. And that's okay!

Similarly, does anyone really dispute that it leans left? Come on.

And I described the buildings as "moderately expensive". I guess if people are super duper wealthy they might not see it that way? But still, I think that's what it is, and some people are fine with it but that doesn't change what it is.

If I described SSFS as "recently about to close" would you say some people didn't see it that way? I guess you could, but hon, we all have to deal with reality at some point.

The use of the words "dude" and "hon" make you appear condescending and not worth engaging with. Move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The collective action thing was never going to work. "Oh, if more people stayed, everything would be fine." Therefore, socially pressuring people to stay is the solution! Socially punishing those who leave is the strategy! No. That's not how it works. If everyone stayed, it would still be a school with a useless board, middling academics and really terrible leadership! Not fine at all.

Oh good grief, "socially punishing those who leave"?

Yeah, it definitely felt that way to me. But whatever, it's all over now.

I think some people could see that the forecast was not looking good, and were trying very hard to encourage people to stick with SSFS. I get it, I've done that myself for certain things. It's not like attrition doesn't matter. But fixing the underlying problems, the underlying cause of elevated attrition, is what really needed to be done, and it was always very frustrating for me when people couldn't see that. I dunno-- maybe a left-leaning school with middling academics and moderately expensive facilities is what a lot of people actually want. But not me.

You claim, "whatever, it's all over now" but here you are watching this forum and calling others rude or assuming they are defensive while you make gaslighting comments yourself such as, "I dunno-- maybe a left-leaning school with middling academics and moderately expensive facilities is what a lot of people actually want. But not me."

Well, why would anyone stay if that's not what they want? Because that's what it is.

No, that's what the school was to you. You don't seem to understand that opinions can and do differ.

Obviously opinions vary. That's why some people are staying, or held on longer than we did. But I do believe those three descriptions are accurate.

I would rather the school had chosen to have much lower-end facilities and better financial health, personally.

Those three descriptions are accurate ...to you. Obviously they are not accurate to those who are staying.

Dude no. SSFS is a medium-level academic school. Some people like that, because that's what they want and need for their child. Some people had great teachers, sure, some people had not-so-great teachers. But in the ecosystem of area private schools, it's in the middle. And that's okay!

Similarly, does anyone really dispute that it leans left? Come on.

And I described the buildings as "moderately expensive". I guess if people are super duper wealthy they might not see it that way? But still, I think that's what it is, and some people are fine with it but that doesn't change what it is.

If I described SSFS as "recently about to close" would you say some people didn't see it that way? I guess you could, but hon, we all have to deal with reality at some point.

The use of the words "dude" and "hon" make you appear condescending and not worth engaging with. Move on.

No, you're the condescending one when everything anyone says is dismissed as just their opinion..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay I hope I don’t get shut down for being a troll or man-splainer, but these are just a few reasons why I hesitate to re enroll.

1. We still know NOTHING of how the school got here. Why did RG get fired/quit? Why did the CFO get fired? Why did CL quit? How do the finances get this bad and BOT didn’t know? I am no more understanding why any of this happened now as a year ago and I’ve been asking these questions the whole time
2. The same BoT that hired RG, promoted CL, hired SG (none of whom really worked out for the school) hired SH. Why should I think he is any better a leader? Because the BOT says he is? What track record would prove to me that the school has found an effective leader hired by the same ppl with a disastrous track record in everything they have done?
3. The coalition seems to be made of a group of (well meaning) people who want to save the school they went to TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. This is NOT the ssfs of today. They are nostalgic about the school they loved (clearly not involved enough to have donated millions to the schools bottom line before this) and want to save their memories version of the school. But that does not mean they have my child’s best interest as a goal. This is why enticing ppl to reenroll is important to them and so uncovering the truth no more helps their cause as it did the BOTs and why we have learned nothing more through them then from the board! Their goal is to convince people to stay not to ensure my child will get a good education. So our goals don’t align so I don’t really trust what they’re selling either.

And then add to that the uncertainty of which teachers will stay (and why should they after being thrown under the bus cause we get them ice cream trucks?), can the school stay open long term, will programs drop- on the balance sheet for my family I have a much longer list on the con side.

1000% agree. Not that I don't appreciate the alumni effort! But if the very real issues are not addressed, in a way that current parents find satisfactory, no amount of money will save SSFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The collective action thing was never going to work. "Oh, if more people stayed, everything would be fine." Therefore, socially pressuring people to stay is the solution! Socially punishing those who leave is the strategy! No. That's not how it works. If everyone stayed, it would still be a school with a useless board, middling academics and really terrible leadership! Not fine at all.

Oh good grief, "socially punishing those who leave"?

Yeah, it definitely felt that way to me. But whatever, it's all over now.

I think some people could see that the forecast was not looking good, and were trying very hard to encourage people to stick with SSFS. I get it, I've done that myself for certain things. It's not like attrition doesn't matter. But fixing the underlying problems, the underlying cause of elevated attrition, is what really needed to be done, and it was always very frustrating for me when people couldn't see that. I dunno-- maybe a left-leaning school with middling academics and moderately expensive facilities is what a lot of people actually want. But not me.

You claim, "whatever, it's all over now" but here you are watching this forum and calling others rude or assuming they are defensive while you make gaslighting comments yourself such as, "I dunno-- maybe a left-leaning school with middling academics and moderately expensive facilities is what a lot of people actually want. But not me."

Well, why would anyone stay if that's not what they want? Because that's what it is.

No, that's what the school was to you. You don't seem to understand that opinions can and do differ.

Obviously opinions vary. That's why some people are staying, or held on longer than we did. But I do believe those three descriptions are accurate.

I would rather the school had chosen to have much lower-end facilities and better financial health, personally.

Those three descriptions are accurate ...to you. Obviously they are not accurate to those who are staying.

Dude no. SSFS is a medium-level academic school. Some people like that, because that's what they want and need for their child. Some people had great teachers, sure, some people had not-so-great teachers. But in the ecosystem of area private schools, it's in the middle. And that's okay!

Similarly, does anyone really dispute that it leans left? Come on.

And I described the buildings as "moderately expensive". I guess if people are super duper wealthy they might not see it that way? But still, I think that's what it is, and some people are fine with it but that doesn't change what it is.

If I described SSFS as "recently about to close" would you say some people didn't see it that way? I guess you could, but hon, we all have to deal with reality at some point.

The use of the words "dude" and "hon" make you appear condescending and not worth engaging with. Move on.

Not the poster, and sure the choice of language was not helpful. But the points made were spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Okay I hope I don’t get shut down for being a troll or man-splainer, but these are just a few reasons why I hesitate to re enroll.

1. We still know NOTHING of how the school got here. Why did RG get fired/quit? Why did the CFO get fired? Why did CL quit? How do the finances get this bad and BOT didn’t know? I am no more understanding why any of this happened now as a year ago and I’ve been asking these questions the whole time
2. The same BoT that hired RG, promoted CL, hired SG (none of whom really worked out for the school) hired SH. Why should I think he is any better a leader? Because the BOT says he is? What track record would prove to me that the school has found an effective leader hired by the same ppl with a disastrous track record in everything they have done?
3. The coalition seems to be made of a group of (well meaning) people who want to save the school they went to TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. This is NOT the ssfs of today. They are nostalgic about the school they loved (clearly not involved enough to have donated millions to the schools bottom line before this) and want to save their memories version of the school. But that does not mean they have my child’s best interest as a goal. This is why enticing ppl to reenroll is important to them and so uncovering the truth no more helps their cause as it did the BOTs and why we have learned nothing more through them then from the board! Their goal is to convince people to stay not to ensure my child will get a good education. So our goals don’t align so I don’t really trust what they’re selling either.

And then add to that the uncertainty of which teachers will stay (and why should they after being thrown under the bus cause we get them ice cream trucks?), can the school stay open long term, will programs drop- on the balance sheet for my family I have a much longer list on the con side.

+1 I share your same reasons for our own hesitation. And for the record, I don't think your post comes off as man-splaining. You re offering your personal reasons why you are reluctant. To me, the man-splaining are the posts telling us what we should be aware of or looking out for or implying that those of us that stayed this long have our heads in the sand. As your post demonstrates, those of us that are still here (hesitating now or not hesitating) are fully aware of the red flags and what to look for. Anyway, thanks for your post. I share all of your concerns as well as more which is why have not re-enrolled and are leaning towards not re-enrolling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I hope I don’t get shut down for being a troll or man-splainer, but these are just a few reasons why I hesitate to re enroll.

1. We still know NOTHING of how the school got here. Why did RG get fired/quit? Why did the CFO get fired? Why did CL quit? How do the finances get this bad and BOT didn’t know? I am no more understanding why any of this happened now as a year ago and I’ve been asking these questions the whole time
2. The same BoT that hired RG, promoted CL, hired SG (none of whom really worked out for the school) hired SH. Why should I think he is any better a leader? Because the BOT says he is? What track record would prove to me that the school has found an effective leader hired by the same ppl with a disastrous track record in everything they have done?
3. The coalition seems to be made of a group of (well meaning) people who want to save the school they went to TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. This is NOT the ssfs of today. They are nostalgic about the school they loved (clearly not involved enough to have donated millions to the schools bottom line before this) and want to save their memories version of the school. But that does not mean they have my child’s best interest as a goal. This is why enticing ppl to reenroll is important to them and so uncovering the truth no more helps their cause as it did the BOTs and why we have learned nothing more through them then from the board! Their goal is to convince people to stay not to ensure my child will get a good education. So our goals don’t align so I don’t really trust what they’re selling either.

And then add to that the uncertainty of which teachers will stay (and why should they after being thrown under the bus cause we get them ice cream trucks?), can the school stay open long term, will programs drop- on the balance sheet for my family I have a much longer list on the con side.

+1 I share your same reasons for our own hesitation. And for the record, I don't think your post comes off as man-splaining. You re offering your personal reasons why you are reluctant. To me, the man-splaining are the posts telling us what we should be aware of or looking out for or implying that those of us that stayed this long have our heads in the sand. As your post demonstrates, those of us that are still here (hesitating now or not hesitating) are fully aware of the red flags and what to look for. Anyway, thanks for your post. I share all of your concerns as well as more which is why have not re-enrolled and are leaning towards not re-enrolling.

Well, if some people noticed a problem and some people didn't, and it turned out to be a quite serious problem, wouldn't you be at least slightly interested in how they perceived it, what they understand that you don't, and their ideas going forward?

I just don't agree that everyone was aware of the red flags. *Now* they're aware. But some people were picking up on this 3-4 years ago, and others were rejecting the idea that anything was wrong. Don't you think you have anything to learn from others? Do you think you already know everything? How's that working out?

What's happening at SSFS didn't have to happen. The ship could have been righted if more people had been willing to acknowledge the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I hope I don’t get shut down for being a troll or man-splainer, but these are just a few reasons why I hesitate to re enroll.

1. We still know NOTHING of how the school got here. Why did RG get fired/quit? Why did the CFO get fired? Why did CL quit? How do the finances get this bad and BOT didn’t know? I am no more understanding why any of this happened now as a year ago and I’ve been asking these questions the whole time
2. The same BoT that hired RG, promoted CL, hired SG (none of whom really worked out for the school) hired SH. Why should I think he is any better a leader? Because the BOT says he is? What track record would prove to me that the school has found an effective leader hired by the same ppl with a disastrous track record in everything they have done?
3. The coalition seems to be made of a group of (well meaning) people who want to save the school they went to TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. This is NOT the ssfs of today. They are nostalgic about the school they loved (clearly not involved enough to have donated millions to the schools bottom line before this) and want to save their memories version of the school. But that does not mean they have my child’s best interest as a goal. This is why enticing ppl to reenroll is important to them and so uncovering the truth no more helps their cause as it did the BOTs and why we have learned nothing more through them then from the board! Their goal is to convince people to stay not to ensure my child will get a good education. So our goals don’t align so I don’t really trust what they’re selling either.

And then add to that the uncertainty of which teachers will stay (and why should they after being thrown under the bus cause we get them ice cream trucks?), can the school stay open long term, will programs drop- on the balance sheet for my family I have a much longer list on the con side.

+1 I share your same reasons for our own hesitation. And for the record, I don't think your post comes off as man-splaining. You re offering your personal reasons why you are reluctant. To me, the man-splaining are the posts telling us what we should be aware of or looking out for or implying that those of us that stayed this long have our heads in the sand. As your post demonstrates, those of us that are still here (hesitating now or not hesitating) are fully aware of the red flags and what to look for. Anyway, thanks for your post. I share all of your concerns as well as more which is why have not re-enrolled and are leaning towards not re-enrolling.

Well, if some people noticed a problem and some people didn't, and it turned out to be a quite serious problem, wouldn't you be at least slightly interested in how they perceived it, what they understand that you don't, and their ideas going forward?

I just don't agree that everyone was aware of the red flags. *Now* they're aware. But some people were picking up on this 3-4 years ago, and others were rejecting the idea that anything was wrong. Don't you think you have anything to learn from others? Do you think you already know everything? How's that working out?

What's happening at SSFS didn't have to happen. The ship could have been righted if more people had been willing to acknowledge the problem.

What is it you need from this SSFS forum (as you're clearly not a current parent) to feel satisfied and move to a different forum? Do you need validation for picking up on something 3-4 years before others? Ok - good for you for picking up on the red flags that you perceived as red flags. You moved on from SSFS, perhaps moving on from this forum is best as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay I hope I don’t get shut down for being a troll or man-splainer, but these are just a few reasons why I hesitate to re enroll.

1. We still know NOTHING of how the school got here. Why did RG get fired/quit? Why did the CFO get fired? Why did CL quit? How do the finances get this bad and BOT didn’t know? I am no more understanding why any of this happened now as a year ago and I’ve been asking these questions the whole time
2. The same BoT that hired RG, promoted CL, hired SG (none of whom really worked out for the school) hired SH. Why should I think he is any better a leader? Because the BOT says he is? What track record would prove to me that the school has found an effective leader hired by the same ppl with a disastrous track record in everything they have done?
3. The coalition seems to be made of a group of (well meaning) people who want to save the school they went to TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. This is NOT the ssfs of today. They are nostalgic about the school they loved (clearly not involved enough to have donated millions to the schools bottom line before this) and want to save their memories version of the school. But that does not mean they have my child’s best interest as a goal. This is why enticing ppl to reenroll is important to them and so uncovering the truth no more helps their cause as it did the BOTs and why we have learned nothing more through them then from the board! Their goal is to convince people to stay not to ensure my child will get a good education. So our goals don’t align so I don’t really trust what they’re selling either.

And then add to that the uncertainty of which teachers will stay (and why should they after being thrown under the bus cause we get them ice cream trucks?), can the school stay open long term, will programs drop- on the balance sheet for my family I have a much longer list on the con side.

+1 I share your same reasons for our own hesitation. And for the record, I don't think your post comes off as man-splaining. You re offering your personal reasons why you are reluctant. To me, the man-splaining are the posts telling us what we should be aware of or looking out for or implying that those of us that stayed this long have our heads in the sand. As your post demonstrates, those of us that are still here (hesitating now or not hesitating) are fully aware of the red flags and what to look for. Anyway, thanks for your post. I share all of your concerns as well as more which is why have not re-enrolled and are leaning towards not re-enrolling.

Well, if some people noticed a problem and some people didn't, and it turned out to be a quite serious problem, wouldn't you be at least slightly interested in how they perceived it, what they understand that you don't, and their ideas going forward?

I just don't agree that everyone was aware of the red flags. *Now* they're aware. But some people were picking up on this 3-4 years ago, and others were rejecting the idea that anything was wrong. Don't you think you have anything to learn from others? Do you think you already know everything? How's that working out?

What's happening at SSFS didn't have to happen. The ship could have been righted if more people had been willing to acknowledge the problem.

What is it you need from this SSFS forum (as you're clearly not a current parent) to feel satisfied and move to a different forum? Do you need validation for picking up on something 3-4 years before others? Ok - good for you for picking up on the red flags that you perceived as red flags. You moved on from SSFS, perhaps moving on from this forum is best as well.

Well, I think ideally I'd like the whole school community to become more informed about institutional governance and finance, to make the rescue mission a success and prevent this from ever happening again. It's not really about validation, it's about this being an opportunity for people to finally choose to hear the information and perspectives that they've been blocking out for so long. People pounce on the "I told you so" thing because they think it's a window of opportunity for them to finally be heard. Not necessarily validated or agreed with. Just heard.

[Anonymous]

I have a child who is re-enrolled at SSFS, and here's why: he went from being unable to drag himself out of bed to get to school at his prior school (and being absent a LOT in his final year) to being up and early every day he's been at SSFS. He has made connections with his peers and teachers that he didn't have at his earlier school. He's on track to graduate with excellent grades and a great sense of who he is and where he belongs in the world.

And I say all of that knowing full well that the school had and has serious management issues. My point is that those haven't impacted my child day to day. And I also want to be clear that his earlier school was great, just not a great fit for him, and finding that fit has been so important. I'm so grateful to the angel donor who has made my son being able to complete his senior year at SSFS possible, and I hope that admin and new board members are able to turn things around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is re-enrolled at SSFS, and here's why: he went from being unable to drag himself out of bed to get to school at his prior school (and being absent a LOT in his final year) to being up and early every day he's been at SSFS. He has made connections with his peers and teachers that he didn't have at his earlier school. He's on track to graduate with excellent grades and a great sense of who he is and where he belongs in the world.

And I say all of that knowing full well that the school had and has serious management issues. My point is that those haven't impacted my child day to day. And I also want to be clear that his earlier school was great, just not a great fit for him, and finding that fit has been so important. I'm so grateful to the angel donor who has made my son being able to complete his senior year at SSFS possible, and I hope that admin and new board members are able to turn things around.

Ok but how does the high student and teacher attrition affect him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is re-enrolled at SSFS, and here's why: he went from being unable to drag himself out of bed to get to school at his prior school (and being absent a LOT in his final year) to being up and early every day he's been at SSFS. He has made connections with his peers and teachers that he didn't have at his earlier school. He's on track to graduate with excellent grades and a great sense of who he is and where he belongs in the world.

And I say all of that knowing full well that the school had and has serious management issues. My point is that those haven't impacted my child day to day. And I also want to be clear that his earlier school was great, just not a great fit for him, and finding that fit has been so important. I'm so grateful to the angel donor who has made my son being able to complete his senior year at SSFS possible, and I hope that admin and new board members are able to turn things around.

So awesome to hear. I'm so happy you found the right place for your child.

I think stories like this as well as from a PP listing 3 reasons why they are hesitant are examples of what other posters have been trying to point out - leaving years ago, leaving now, staying - these are all personal matters based on personal perceptions. And our perceptions are based on all sorts of things (e.g. personal). I doubt very much that any current parent who is hesitant or sure about re-enrollment doesn't understand the "red flags" but not all "red flags" are created equal either because of literal seriousness or because we all weight those flags differently depending on what we feel we need and want from SSFS and what it's providing for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is re-enrolled at SSFS, and here's why: he went from being unable to drag himself out of bed to get to school at his prior school (and being absent a LOT in his final year) to being up and early every day he's been at SSFS. He has made connections with his peers and teachers that he didn't have at his earlier school. He's on track to graduate with excellent grades and a great sense of who he is and where he belongs in the world.

And I say all of that knowing full well that the school had and has serious management issues. My point is that those haven't impacted my child day to day. And I also want to be clear that his earlier school was great, just not a great fit for him, and finding that fit has been so important. I'm so grateful to the angel donor who has made my son being able to complete his senior year at SSFS possible, and I hope that admin and new board members are able to turn things around.

Ok but how does the high student and teacher attrition affect him?

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is re-enrolled at SSFS, and here's why: he went from being unable to drag himself out of bed to get to school at his prior school (and being absent a LOT in his final year) to being up and early every day he's been at SSFS. He has made connections with his peers and teachers that he didn't have at his earlier school. He's on track to graduate with excellent grades and a great sense of who he is and where he belongs in the world.

And I say all of that knowing full well that the school had and has serious management issues. My point is that those haven't impacted my child day to day. And I also want to be clear that his earlier school was great, just not a great fit for him, and finding that fit has been so important. I'm so grateful to the angel donor who has made my son being able to complete his senior year at SSFS possible, and I hope that admin and new board members are able to turn things around.

So awesome to hear. I'm so happy you found the right place for your child.

I think stories like this as well as from a PP listing 3 reasons why they are hesitant are examples of what other posters have been trying to point out - leaving years ago, leaving now, staying - these are all personal matters based on personal perceptions. And our perceptions are based on all sorts of things (e.g. personal). I doubt very much that any current parent who is hesitant or sure about re-enrollment doesn't understand the "red flags" but not all "red flags" are created equal either because of literal seriousness or because we all weight those flags differently depending on what we feel we need and want from SSFS and what it's providing for our kids.

Well, *now* they see the red flags. And yes, people weight things differently and have all kinds of personal reasons and rationales. But people are also sometimes just wrong or un-informed. But over the past few years there were some people who saw issues but stayed anyway, and some people who refused to acknowledge problems and scolded anyone who did. They thought deterring discussion about the issues would prevent people from finding out, I guess. Seems bizarre looking back. But there was a lot of social pressure and so conversations tended to occur in private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child who is re-enrolled at SSFS, and here's why: he went from being unable to drag himself out of bed to get to school at his prior school (and being absent a LOT in his final year) to being up and early every day he's been at SSFS. He has made connections with his peers and teachers that he didn't have at his earlier school. He's on track to graduate with excellent grades and a great sense of who he is and where he belongs in the world.

And I say all of that knowing full well that the school had and has serious management issues. My point is that those haven't impacted my child day to day. And I also want to be clear that his earlier school was great, just not a great fit for him, and finding that fit has been so important. I'm so grateful to the angel donor who has made my son being able to complete his senior year at SSFS possible, and I hope that admin and new board members are able to turn things around.

Ok but how does the high student and teacher attrition affect him?

Wow.

Sorry but if the personal relationships are such a big part of why it's a good experience for PP's son, it begs the question.