SSFS Closing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not surprised they are closing. I was there for a tour in January on one of the coldest days of the winter and there was no heat in the gym. I know this because the children were wearing their winter coats inside during PE (which seemed odd), so I asked why, and was told there was an HVAC issue and they weren't sure when they would be able to fix it. There was also no heat in a dormitory (not sure if there's more than one). That was a huge red flag to me.

Wow, that is shocking!

I’m sorry that the no-heat day was tour day, but I’m not sure it is shocking. My kid came home and was like “heat broke today. It was cold. What’s for dinner?” Equipment breaks and someone has to come fix it.

Now, the board shutting the school is shocking. I’m still gobsmacked and really sad.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible the board was taken by surprise by low matriculation, and by a lot of current students leaving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not surprised they are closing. I was there for a tour in January on one of the coldest days of the winter and there was no heat in the gym. I know this because the children were wearing their winter coats inside during PE (which seemed odd), so I asked why, and was told there was an HVAC issue and they weren't sure when they would be able to fix it. There was also no heat in a dormitory (not sure if there's more than one). That was a huge red flag to me.

Wow, that is shocking!

I’m sorry that the no-heat day was tour day, but I’m not sure it is shocking. My kid came home and was like “heat broke today. It was cold. What’s for dinner?” Equipment breaks and someone has to come fix it.

Now, the board shutting the school is shocking. I’m still gobsmacked and really sad.

PP, families that are touring are not going to sign on to a school that isn't providing heat in the winter. It is shocking to me but I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry if my reaction sounded flip or insincere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not surprised they are closing. I was there for a tour in January on one of the coldest days of the winter and there was no heat in the gym. I know this because the children were wearing their winter coats inside during PE (which seemed odd), so I asked why, and was told there was an HVAC issue and they weren't sure when they would be able to fix it. There was also no heat in a dormitory (not sure if there's more than one). That was a huge red flag to me.

Wow, that is shocking!

I’m sorry that the no-heat day was tour day, but I’m not sure it is shocking. My kid came home and was like “heat broke today. It was cold. What’s for dinner?” Equipment breaks and someone has to come fix it.

Now, the board shutting the school is shocking. I’m still gobsmacked and really sad.

PP, families that are touring are not going to sign on to a school that isn't providing heat in the winter. It is shocking to me but I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry if my reaction sounded flip or insincere.

Thanks, PP. I’m probably just all touchy and irritable because of…well, everything. I particularly touchy because this loss comes on top of other losses for so many in the community. Many families lost a job in the Trump cuts, and some of those families now lost a second job, and we all are losing our kids school and summer camp. And the camp was also summer employment for our older kids! It’s much more than just a school for many of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please look at the facts:
- SSFS breaks ground on new Upper School building November 12, 2018
https://www.ssfs.org/cf_enotify/view.cfm?n=1646
- Covid begins March 2020
- RG began as HOS July 1, 2020 (during covid)
- Upper School building completed and began usage March 2021

All the bulk of construction was summer 2020 thru spring 2021
The groundbreaking was barely a shovel. Cause I was walking around in fall 2019 and right before Covid and the whole plot was still covered in grass.

At the end of the day it was never stopped or paused by anyone who was in admin when clearly they didn’t have the funds

If the building was opened March 2021, then in summer 2020 they had already invested a lot of borrowed money. Backing out at that point didn't make sense.

RG may have caused a lot of problems, but you can't blame him for the new building.

This. Even if he had been Head at the time, administrators don’t make decisions this significant on their own. The board is responsible for spending.

[Anonymous]

The Friends of SSFS Coalition is reporting that they have raised more than half of the 3-year shortfall in less than 48 hours.

If you are part of the SSFS community and interested in donating time, expertise, or money, the form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGcMj7TwE0wjzHBO_FqiFLK58hy4Fz05u7R0TH9eOoftQWDA/viewform?pli=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Friends of SSFS Coalition is reporting that they have raised more than half of the 3-year shortfall in less than 48 hours.

If you are part of the SSFS community and interested in donating time, expertise, or money, the form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGcMj7TwE0wjzHBO_FqiFLK58hy4Fz05u7R0TH9eOoftQWDA/viewform?pli=1

They have got pledges. Which are not the same thing as raising money. If you take anything away from this failure of institutional governance, let it be that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not surprised they are closing. I was there for a tour in January on one of the coldest days of the winter and there was no heat in the gym. I know this because the children were wearing their winter coats inside during PE (which seemed odd), so I asked why, and was told there was an HVAC issue and they weren't sure when they would be able to fix it. There was also no heat in a dormitory (not sure if there's more than one). That was a huge red flag to me.

Wow, that is shocking!

I’m sorry that the no-heat day was tour day, but I’m not sure it is shocking. My kid came home and was like “heat broke today. It was cold. What’s for dinner?” Equipment breaks and someone has to come fix it.

Now, the board shutting the school is shocking. I’m still gobsmacked and really sad.

Don’t take this the wrong way but if your kid coming home saying heat broke (which wasn’t just a 1 day thing, plus the pac was already broke etc) at your 40K tuition school, admins are leaving left and right, CFO is getting and you’re still gobsmacked when it turns out the school was collapsing … maybe you need to ask why nothing was raising red flags for you.

Again not at all trying to be mean but we felt something was up and were one of the 80 families who left the year before. I didn’t think in a million years that the school was in such bad shape that it would close but I sensed something was wrong and am not gobsmacked. Sad and angry but not surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not surprised they are closing. I was there for a tour in January on one of the coldest days of the winter and there was no heat in the gym. I know this because the children were wearing their winter coats inside during PE (which seemed odd), so I asked why, and was told there was an HVAC issue and they weren't sure when they would be able to fix it. There was also no heat in a dormitory (not sure if there's more than one). That was a huge red flag to me.

Wow, that is shocking!

I’m sorry that the no-heat day was tour day, but I’m not sure it is shocking. My kid came home and was like “heat broke today. It was cold. What’s for dinner?” Equipment breaks and someone has to come fix it.

Now, the board shutting the school is shocking. I’m still gobsmacked and really sad.

PP, families that are touring are not going to sign on to a school that isn't providing heat in the winter. It is shocking to me but I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sorry if my reaction sounded flip or insincere.

Thanks, PP. I’m probably just all touchy and irritable because of…well, everything. I particularly touchy because this loss comes on top of other losses for so many in the community. Many families lost a job in the Trump cuts, and some of those families now lost a second job, and we all are losing our kids school and summer camp. And the camp was also summer employment for our older kids! It’s much more than just a school for many of us.

100% justified. I totally get that ♡

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible the board was taken by surprise by low matriculation, and by a lot of current students leaving?

You mean like they had no idea the school was in debt for several years, 80 families and 30 faculty left last year. And all this year things were looking grimer by the day? And this was all a surprise?

Well I’m not sure you’re boosting anyone’s confidence in the board. Just makes them seem utterly idiotic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Friends of SSFS Coalition is reporting that they have raised more than half of the 3-year shortfall in less than 48 hours.

If you are part of the SSFS community and interested in donating time, expertise, or money, the form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGcMj7TwE0wjzHBO_FqiFLK58hy4Fz05u7R0TH9eOoftQWDA/viewform?pli=1

They have got pledges. Which are not the same thing as raising money. If you take anything away from this failure of institutional governance, let it be that.

The role of any unfulfilled pledges for the upper school campaign is a tiny fraction of the hard spot ssfs is in-no reason to think the vast majority of these pledges won’t materialize!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is from August message from BOT:

It is important to share with you that SSFS is facing some financial challenges, and the board is working on several strategic questions related to:
the declining boarding program;
unfulfilled pledges to our last Capital Campaign (Light the Way, meant to support the Upper School Building); and,
significant repair and maintenance needed in our Performing Arts and Athletic Centers.

I’m not aware (outside of this board) of the acrimony with the former HoS, but I suspect that someone would be well within their rights to not fulfill a pledge if they felt like the mission/direction/leadership of the school deviated from when the pledge was made. It may be (and is) sh*tty, but it happens all the time with universities, schools and other not for profits.

Institutions are typically hot to trot for pledges because they can publicize it and the fundraisers often get credit at the time of the pledge. From my experience, it’s often presented as “the pledge is good for the institution but it doesn’t really bind you to anything, so we’d appreciate it if you would agree. And if something comes up, no obligation.”

I wouldn’t make a pledge that I didn’t intend to fulfill, but I’ve seen the “bindingness” to be grossly undersold to try to get the signature.

These pledges were lapsed under Tom Gibian whose campaign it was and was supposed to be done before change of heads. They were already behind when the HOS changed. The lapses were discovered under RG, not created under RG.

Okay (again to RG cheerleader) let’s say the lapse was discovered under RG- before construction begun - which did occur UNDER RG. What stopped RG who was the leadership to say “hey so it looks like we haven’t received these pledges, we should hit the pause button till we do”? You’re saying RG was forced to continue down a bad path set by TG cause he was powerless to do the right thing for the school as its new head?

The building was finished before RG even got there. It opened to students under RG when they returned from the pandemic. Not an RG cheerleader. I just like facts.

That’s literally a lie. TG left at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. The pandemic started that March.
Groundbreaking for construction was during that summer.

Building started and finished after RG took over fall of 2020. And the grand opening was 2022. All you have to do is look that up. Why make it up that it was finished before him? Such an easily provable thing.

Not a lie at all. You clearly don't know what you're talking about and have a thing against RG. What you just wrote is very inaccurate.

I am genuinely perplexed. Which part is inaccurate. My kid literally went to the building the day it opened. And I was among the first set of parents to tour the completed building in 2022.

If im wrong - what is your timeline? It finished in 2019 before Tg left (before the pandemic)?

Check here:

https://schooldesigns.com/Projects/sandy-spring-friends-school-pen-y-bryn-upper-school/

The completion date - which means fully furnished and ready for occupancy - was October 2020. RG started July 2020. The building was constructed before RG became HOS. You may not like RG, but there's no need to blame everything on him. That's making you miss what really happened here and who was responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Friends of SSFS Coalition is reporting that they have raised more than half of the 3-year shortfall in less than 48 hours.

If you are part of the SSFS community and interested in donating time, expertise, or money, the form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGcMj7TwE0wjzHBO_FqiFLK58hy4Fz05u7R0TH9eOoftQWDA/viewform?pli=1

And we should believe this anonymous post proves money in hand … because …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not surprised they are closing. I was there for a tour in January on one of the coldest days of the winter and there was no heat in the gym. I know this because the children were wearing their winter coats inside during PE (which seemed odd), so I asked why, and was told there was an HVAC issue and they weren't sure when they would be able to fix it. There was also no heat in a dormitory (not sure if there's more than one). That was a huge red flag to me.

Wow, that is shocking!

I’m sorry that the no-heat day was tour day, but I’m not sure it is shocking. My kid came home and was like “heat broke today. It was cold. What’s for dinner?” Equipment breaks and someone has to come fix it.

Now, the board shutting the school is shocking. I’m still gobsmacked and really sad.

Don’t take this the wrong way but if your kid coming home saying heat broke (which wasn’t just a 1 day thing, plus the pac was already broke etc) at your 40K tuition school, admins are leaving left and right, CFO is getting and you’re still gobsmacked when it turns out the school was collapsing … maybe you need to ask why nothing was raising red flags for you.

Again not at all trying to be mean but we felt something was up and were one of the 80 families who left the year before. I didn’t think in a million years that the school was in such bad shape that it would close but I sensed something was wrong and am not gobsmacked. Sad and angry but not surprised.

If 80 families left and those weren't graduating seniors huge red flag. Sounds like the only way to make this work would be a complete overhaul with new board, new head and new administrators who can do right by the school but that's rare to find folks who actually will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Friends of SSFS Coalition is reporting that they have raised more than half of the 3-year shortfall in less than 48 hours.

If you are part of the SSFS community and interested in donating time, expertise, or money, the form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGcMj7TwE0wjzHBO_FqiFLK58hy4Fz05u7R0TH9eOoftQWDA/viewform?pli=1

They have got pledges. Which are not the same thing as raising money. If you take anything away from this failure of institutional governance, let it be that.

The role of any unfulfilled pledges for the upper school campaign is a tiny fraction of the hard spot ssfs is in-no reason to think the vast majority of these pledges won’t materialize!

The unfulfilled pledges play a big part actually in what's happening