BASIS McLean HOS resigned

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I, too, am not a fan of the former Head of Operations who is now acting HOS and started as a receptionist. She came in with little experience- a narrow black and white thinker unable to see the whole broad picture. Basis needs to get someone competent to put in her place. She is a dominant, scary individual because she thinks so high of herself and is not aware of her massive deficiencies.

The interim HOS is still the Head of Operations and works closely with the incoming HOS (who is finishing his contract at a school in china) to fill in the gap until he arrives in June. As Head of Operations I'm sure she has to deal with unpleasant financial and HR issues that will undoubtedly make her unpopular. Anyone with some common sense can see the previous post is from a disgruntled employee.

Funny how most former employees at BIM leave disgruntled, fed up with management and/or laid off due to budget cuts.

Backstopping an unqualified interim with someone on the other side of the world (drastically different time zones) is a sad but typical BIM solution to a problem rather than spend money on it.

Is that a fact? Can you provide concrete examples? How many of the employees leave disgruntled or by budget cuts? Do you know how often the interim HOS and the incoming HOS communicate and how? YOur comment seems like a lot of smoke with zero backings.

The middle school drama teacher quit suddenly in spring 2019 and a top-notch AP Lang teacher left in disgust at the end of that year to go back to FCPS. A computer science teacher also left angry that June. An incoming CS teacher didn't even get through orientation in fall 2019. His replacement was a fresh grad out of college.

An economics/math teacher left in spring 2020 midyear, then a middle school geography teacher was laid off at the last minute in June after promises of a fall position. In October 2020, the middle school dean (the #2) and an admissions officer were suddenly laid off. Their positions weren't filled.

Shall I go on? Oh yes, the HOS quit suddenly after Christmas break, when his contract went through June. He was frustrated with management's lack of interest in his ideas for the school.

Now someone in China is in charge. Great. Anyone who has tried to do business with people 12-13 hours away knows how hard that it. Not a good choice.

There are your "backings" if you insist on using such a weird term.

Can you share how you got all of this information or provide sources?

It's direct knowledge. Beyond that, I will not out myself. Many people associated with the school in this timeframe know all this, hundreds if you count parents and students.

[Anonymous]

NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

...... If this is true, that's a death blow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

...... If this is true, that's a death blow.

The death blow was Sean Aiken leaving, and probably the separation of BASIS.Ed and BINS in the summer after the first year. You don’t get a chance to start over in the private school business. Everything that has happened since is fodder for a curious education reporter or a reality show. Such a long list of departures, mess ups, and nastiness that would almost be comical if it wasn’t kids’ education and well being at stake. There are some quality teachers still there, but a lot of great ones have left or been asked to leave. Some terrible teachers have come and gone too. But the administration is where the real problems are- and the worst of the worst are the ones who stay year after year and make it toxic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

...... If this is true, that's a death blow.

Wow, she was the best section director of the three there. What a shame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

...... If this is true, that's a death blow.

Wow, she was the best section director of the three there. What a shame.

With by far the biggest cohort of responsibility. Everything up to 3rd grade. She will be dearly missed but shouldn't have any trouble finding work when she wants it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

...... If this is true, that's a death blow.

In case there was any doubt - she's been removed from the website. She was there when I first read this earlier today, and she's not now.

The good news is that the two deans at her grade levels are very strong, some of the strongest folks in the building. But my goodness.

[Anonymous]

Wow, she was the best section director of the three there. What a shame.

Um, no.

[Anonymous]

Seriously. How much time off could she have accumulated that it merited declining her request to spend time with her newborn? This sounds utterly ridiculous and seems to validate the accusations of terrible administration decision making if true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously. How much time off could she have accumulated that it merited declining her request to spend time with her newborn? This sounds utterly ridiculous and seems to validate the accusations of terrible administration decision making if true.

This is what happens with an unqualified interim HOS running the show. Another chunk of the already limited institutional knowledge and management capacity there is gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP - You forgot the engineering teacher who was also let go in October. Plus the English teacher who quit in March, only to be allowed to take time off and then teach remotely (even when the students are in school) because the school is more desperate for a “band aid” solution than to ensure strong education for the students. Today you can add the lower school Director abruptly quitting because she was denied use of her saved PTO to care for her newborn at the end of maternity leave. What a mess.

...... If this is true, that's a death blow.

In case there was any doubt - she's been removed from the website. She was there when I first read this earlier today, and she's not now.

The good news is that the two deans at her grade levels are very strong, some of the strongest folks in the building. But my goodness.

“The good news is...”. Um, I don’t see any good news here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously. How much time off could she have accumulated that it merited declining her request to spend time with her newborn? This sounds utterly ridiculous and seems to validate the accusations of terrible administration decision making if true.

This is what happens with an unqualified interim HOS running the show. Another chunk of the already limited institutional knowledge and management capacity there is gone.

YUP.

[Anonymous]

Funny how the school is okay with operating without a real HoS for the majority of the school year but can’t operate for a few more days (weeks?) without the LS Director who was trying to extend maternity leave a bit to care for a newborn. In a pandemic. The rough decision to deny saved PTO could very well end in in a lawsuit, adding to the financial stress that the school is already feeling.

This has to send a bad vibe to faculty/staff and parents alike. Probably a wake up call to those not already looking for other jobs for next school year, which appear to be plentiful especially for those who demonstrated teaching in person during the past year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny how the school is okay with operating without a real HoS for the majority of the school year but can’t operate for a few more days (weeks?) without the LS Director who was trying to extend maternity leave a bit to care for a newborn. In a pandemic. The rough decision to deny saved PTO could very well end in in a lawsuit, adding to the financial stress that the school is already feeling.

This has to send a bad vibe to faculty/staff and parents alike. Probably a wake up call to those not already looking for other jobs for next school year, which appear to be plentiful especially for those who demonstrated teaching in person during the past year.

Or, it’s possible the employee didn’t understand how FMLA works. It’s unpaid, but you’re able to use PTO while on unpaid leave. And you don’t accrue PTO while on FMLA. And you have to use 2 weeks of leave before short term disability starts. (I’m assuming that the employee handbook is fairly standard, but that’s how it generally works unless the company gives you greater benefits). So, like many employees who aren’t employment lawyers or HR professionals, she probably didn’t realize how all this worked and miscalculated what she had to work with and used all of her PTO during her leave. Happens all the time. They probably made the decision to eliminate the position a while ago but had to wait until the leave was finished.

Bad vibe? Maybe, but probably not illegal.

[Anonymous]

Just more proof that this unqualified acting HOS makes poor decisions. She is tanking this school with mismanagement decisions that impact morale!