SSFS Will Stay Open

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

+1

We left last year as well, not because there were financial troubles (we had zero clue), but because we didn't feel tuition equaled the value in terms of academics.

And I hope they find a more stable place. My kid isn't worth their stress. They deserve much better.

And you know the teachers they are able to keep, won't be the star teachers, either. We're friends with some and they have to find reliable employment so they're interviewing elsewhere and are serious about moving on, no matter how many kids are re-enrolled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

+1

We left last year as well, not because there were financial troubles (we had zero clue), but because we didn't feel tuition equaled the value in terms of academics.

And you know the teachers they are able to keep, won't be the star teachers, either. We're friends with some and they have to find reliable employment so they're interviewing elsewhere and are serious about moving on, no matter how many kids are re-enrolled.

And I hope they find a more stable place. My kid isn't worth their stress. They deserve much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

Well, people didn't know literally how close to bankruptcy it is. But anyone who gave it a moment's thought would realize that a huge decline in enrollment + a debt-financed new building = big trouble.

Yes, the drop in enrollment caused the trouble. But since the ~200 people who left didn't know anything about the school debt nor how many other ppl were leaving, they did not leave due to the school's financial situation. they left cause they didnt like what their child was getting at this school. them leaving caused the financial problems to exacerbate.

How would you know every single family's reasons? The financial problems were plain as day. Enrollment down, spending up = bad! People left because the school felt like a sinking ship for several interconnected reasons but finance was certainly a reason, if not the only reason, for at least some.

There was some worry over whether SSFS could maintain its FA commitments, for one thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

Well, people didn't know literally how close to bankruptcy it is. But anyone who gave it a moment's thought would realize that a huge decline in enrollment + a debt-financed new building = big trouble.

Yes, the drop in enrollment caused the trouble. But since the ~200 people who left didn't know anything about the school debt nor how many other ppl were leaving, they did not leave due to the school's financial situation. they left cause they didnt like what their child was getting at this school. them leaving caused the financial problems to exacerbate.

How would you know every single family's reasons? The financial problems were plain as day. Enrollment down, spending up = bad! People left because the school felt like a sinking ship for several interconnected reasons but finance was certainly a reason, if not the only reason, for at least some.

There was some worry over whether SSFS could maintain its FA commitments, for one thing.

Not saying i know each person's reason of course. But speaking for myself, I knew a lot was not going well, but I did NOT realize how bad the debt was. Most people could not, because the school has never been transparent. Last year many people withdrew - after knowing what their FA already was and accepting it. So again, yes there are various reasons, but the vast majority of people that left did NOT know the school had such high debt and was on the verge of closing down. Cause if that was widely known the drop this year would have been higher. But what families could judge was whether the value they were getting for the 40K+ tuition competed with regional private school. Everyone left because something fell short for them with this school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

Well, people didn't know literally how close to bankruptcy it is. But anyone who gave it a moment's thought would realize that a huge decline in enrollment + a debt-financed new building = big trouble.

Yes, the drop in enrollment caused the trouble. But since the ~200 people who left didn't know anything about the school debt nor how many other ppl were leaving, they did not leave due to the school's financial situation. they left cause they didnt like what their child was getting at this school. them leaving caused the financial problems to exacerbate.

How would you know every single family's reasons? The financial problems were plain as day. Enrollment down, spending up = bad! People left because the school felt like a sinking ship for several interconnected reasons but finance was certainly a reason, if not the only reason, for at least some.

There was some worry over whether SSFS could maintain its FA commitments, for one thing.

Not saying i know each person's reason of course. But speaking for myself, I knew a lot was not going well, but I did NOT realize how bad the debt was. Most people could not, because the school has never been transparent. Last year many people withdrew - after knowing what their FA already was and accepting it. So again, yes there are various reasons, but the vast majority of people that left did NOT know the school had such high debt and was on the verge of closing down. Cause if that was widely known the drop this year would have been higher. But what families could judge was whether the value they were getting for the 40K+ tuition competed with regional private school. Everyone left because something fell short for them with this school.

Well yes. Something fell short for everyone. But for entering parents of young kids, it was far from clear that FA commitments were sustainable long-term. Not just for the coming year, for the next 12 years. That's what I'm taking about. And if FA offers weren't commensurate with what other schools were offering, that too suggests financial problems. I did not know the situation was as dire as it turned out to be, and maybe I'm more attuned to this stuff than the average person, but enrollment spiral = financial spiral. Less kids, less money.

[Anonymous]

I have a good friend who is an active part of the coalition. She's feeling torn because it is clear from current families that she's spoken with that they aren't returning now, even after the initial excitement over the 15 million pledged (emphasis on "pledged" and not "received"). Even part of the coalition, she's concerned that perhaps they should jump ship......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

Well, people didn't know literally how close to bankruptcy it is. But anyone who gave it a moment's thought would realize that a huge decline in enrollment + a debt-financed new building = big trouble.

Yes, the drop in enrollment caused the trouble. But since the ~200 people who left didn't know anything about the school debt nor how many other ppl were leaving, they did not leave due to the school's financial situation. they left cause they didnt like what their child was getting at this school. them leaving caused the financial problems to exacerbate.

How would you know every single family's reasons? The financial problems were plain as day. Enrollment down, spending up = bad! People left because the school felt like a sinking ship for several interconnected reasons but finance was certainly a reason, if not the only reason, for at least some.

There was some worry over whether SSFS could maintain its FA commitments, for one thing.

Not saying i know each person's reason of course. But speaking for myself, I knew a lot was not going well, but I did NOT realize how bad the debt was. Most people could not, because the school has never been transparent. Last year many people withdrew - after knowing what their FA already was and accepting it. So again, yes there are various reasons, but the vast majority of people that left did NOT know the school had such high debt and was on the verge of closing down. Cause if that was widely known the drop this year would have been higher. But what families could judge was whether the value they were getting for the 40K+ tuition competed with regional private school. Everyone left because something fell short for them with this school.

Well yes. Something fell short for everyone. But for entering parents of young kids, it was far from clear that FA commitments were sustainable long-term. Not just for the coming year, for the next 12 years. That's what I'm taking about. And if FA offers weren't commensurate with what other schools were offering, that too suggests financial problems. I did not know the situation was as dire as it turned out to be, and maybe I'm more attuned to this stuff than the average person, but enrollment spiral = financial spiral. Less kids, less money.

Again less kids RESULT in less money. That happened here. But if you’re saying a significant number of the 200 kid drop in enrollment is because of less money - less FA - I’m sorry but that seems ridiculous. No reasonable person can enroll in a school expecting a 12 year guarantee on their FA continuing, adjusted by inflation. If they are that is incredibly poor research. Everyone requires a new FA application each year.

So FA might be why some ppl dropped out but not the majority of the 200. The students left first and the financial problems got worse as a result of that drop. Not the other way around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the above poster. I should also add that the drama of the last 2 years certainly hasn't helped. But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having. A strong, visionary, detailed conceptual framework is key.

“But SSFS would have survived that drama much better if more parents felt good about the academic and social experience their kids were having” - THIS. We left last year. Had no idea about any financial troubles. But the tuition did not equal the value of the experience. I really doubt most ppl who left before the closure announcement left because they knew the school was on the verge of bankruptcy or because they didn’t care for one admin or another. They left because the academic and social experience specifically of their child was severely lacking.

Well, people didn't know literally how close to bankruptcy it is. But anyone who gave it a moment's thought would realize that a huge decline in enrollment + a debt-financed new building = big trouble.

Yes, the drop in enrollment caused the trouble. But since the ~200 people who left didn't know anything about the school debt nor how many other ppl were leaving, they did not leave due to the school's financial situation. they left cause they didnt like what their child was getting at this school. them leaving caused the financial problems to exacerbate.

How would you know every single family's reasons? The financial problems were plain as day. Enrollment down, spending up = bad! People left because the school felt like a sinking ship for several interconnected reasons but finance was certainly a reason, if not the only reason, for at least some.

There was some worry over whether SSFS could maintain its FA commitments, for one thing.

Not saying i know each person's reason of course. But speaking for myself, I knew a lot was not going well, but I did NOT realize how bad the debt was. Most people could not, because the school has never been transparent. Last year many people withdrew - after knowing what their FA already was and accepting it. So again, yes there are various reasons, but the vast majority of people that left did NOT know the school had such high debt and was on the verge of closing down. Cause if that was widely known the drop this year would have been higher. But what families could judge was whether the value they were getting for the 40K+ tuition competed with regional private school. Everyone left because something fell short for them with this school.

Well yes. Something fell short for everyone. But for entering parents of young kids, it was far from clear that FA commitments were sustainable long-term. Not just for the coming year, for the next 12 years. That's what I'm taking about. And if FA offers weren't commensurate with what other schools were offering, that too suggests financial problems. I did not know the situation was as dire as it turned out to be, and maybe I'm more attuned to this stuff than the average person, but enrollment spiral = financial spiral. Less kids, less money.

Again less kids RESULT in less money. That happened here. But if you’re saying a significant number of the 200 kid drop in enrollment is because of less money - less FA - I’m sorry but that seems ridiculous. No reasonable person can enroll in a school expecting a 12 year guarantee on their FA continuing, adjusted by inflation. If they are that is incredibly poor research. Everyone requires a new FA application each year.

So FA might be why some ppl dropped out but not the majority of the 200. The students left first and the financial problems got worse as a result of that drop. Not the other way around.

I think the primary reasons people left were that they were unsatisfied with the academics and didn't have confidence in the leadership. But there was a feeling of "sinking ship" brought on by the enrollment drop. Some people were attentive to what that meant financially, others thought about it in the context of friendships, or of how it impacted academics or sports. Some thought about how it would make the school financially insecure. Not everyone thinks these thoughts, but I did. Were it not for the new building, it wouldn't have bothered me as much.

I think FA offers are a bigger deal to new applicants. I don't know how SSFS' aid compared to other similar schools. But SSFS wasn't able to recruit enough new students to offset its attrition and this may be part of the reason.

[Anonymous]

I just want to express support for all the parents going through this right now. How stressful and upsetting.

I hope you land on a solid place for your children next year, whatever that looks like.

[Anonymous]

A series of bad decisions and poor stewardship led to this moment (so unfortunate). However, our SSFS families are wonderful, and even if many of the teachers on board next year are new to the school, that provides opportunity, not just loss. New staff/teachers will bring fresh insight and energy. Regarding lower and middle-school enrollment, small, perhaps blended-grade-level classes could be a real win for families that return. I have faith in the pledge from one very generous family -- a true gift that can stabilize the school finances. HOWEVER, trust needs to be rebuilt in a very small window of time. There should be daily communication from the Board from now until the 5/15 contract deadline. The new HOS's contract should be amended to allow for a remote-start (maybe a short-term consulting contract?) so he can immediately begin to establish trust and rapport. The Coalition should Google-form poll potential families to garner the top 3-5 data points that need to be known by parents (now) to help them feel comfortable with signing a contract in 9 days. And, the BOT should announce when each of the points will be addressed, so families can tune in to learn more. SSFS has a lot to offer, this year and in the future. But, time is of the essence and it feels like the leadership is wasting precious minutes. There are a lot of kids counting on them right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just want to express support for all the parents going through this right now. How stressful and upsetting.

I hope you land on a solid place for your children next year, whatever that looks like.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A series of bad decisions and poor stewardship led to this moment (so unfortunate). However, our SSFS families are wonderful, and even if many of the teachers on board next year are new to the school, that provides opportunity, not just loss. New staff/teachers will bring fresh insight and energy. Regarding lower and middle-school enrollment, small, perhaps blended-grade-level classes could be a real win for families that return. I have faith in the pledge from one very generous family -- a true gift that can stabilize the school finances. HOWEVER, trust needs to be rebuilt in a very small window of time. There should be daily communication from the Board from now until the 5/15 contract deadline. The new HOS's contract should be amended to allow for a remote-start (maybe a short-term consulting contract?) so he can immediately begin to establish trust and rapport. The Coalition should Google-form poll potential families to garner the top 3-5 data points that need to be known by parents (now) to help them feel comfortable with signing a contract in 9 days. And, the BOT should announce when each of the points will be addressed, so families can tune in to learn more. SSFS has a lot to offer, this year and in the future. But, time is of the essence and it feels like the leadership is wasting precious minutes. There are a lot of kids counting on them right now.

If I’m not comfortable now there is nothing the school can do to change that in 9 days if they haven’t already. I’ve already made my choice for my child.

[Anonymous]

But the board has communicated nothing, basically ever. On 4/14 they communicated the school was closing and 10 days later that they would reopen for 3 years. Not one email, meeting, message since then. So the chance that they will finally answer big questions about leadership turnover and detailed financial explanation is very slim, let alone daily answers.

I hope the school gets its 275 from a combination of people who love the school no matter what, people who need the financial aid, and people who aren’t able to find a suitable solution for their kids in this small time frame. But for those of us that do have other options, they have clearly decided not to try and keep us if the payment for that is transparency and communication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A series of bad decisions and poor stewardship led to this moment (so unfortunate). However, our SSFS families are wonderful, and even if many of the teachers on board next year are new to the school, that provides opportunity, not just loss. New staff/teachers will bring fresh insight and energy. Regarding lower and middle-school enrollment, small, perhaps blended-grade-level classes could be a real win for families that return. I have faith in the pledge from one very generous family -- a true gift that can stabilize the school finances. HOWEVER, trust needs to be rebuilt in a very small window of time. There should be daily communication from the Board from now until the 5/15 contract deadline. The new HOS's contract should be amended to allow for a remote-start (maybe a short-term consulting contract?) so he can immediately begin to establish trust and rapport. The Coalition should Google-form poll potential families to garner the top 3-5 data points that need to be known by parents (now) to help them feel comfortable with signing a contract in 9 days. And, the BOT should announce when each of the points will be addressed, so families can tune in to learn more. SSFS has a lot to offer, this year and in the future. But, time is of the essence and it feels like the leadership is wasting precious minutes. There are a lot of kids counting on them right now.

While I admire your positivity, I think you will not find many who share your views. Some new teachers can certainly bring fresh perspective, but no viable, experienced, established teacher would choose to work in what will likely be a chaotic, temporary, tumultuous environment. The blending of grades is not someone that (nearly) anyone would voluntarily choose for their kids. There's a reason that it's not a usual practice among younger students. A remote HoS is antithetical to everything that defines a good Head.

It's fine to hope for the best, but it's counterproductive to start to convince yourself that obvious failures, shortcomings and untenable situations are a step in the right direction. It also is not credible to those genuinely trying to evaluate the risk calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think the school will get to 275? 495 were enrolled when it shut down per the HOS.

I counted on slack how many people have posted on why we are staying and it’s about 50.

I can’t believe we had a student body of 495 and the BOT so callously closed the school down before they could see if we could fundraiser. I am one of the families where my DC was thriving and in now a horrible position of having to choose to stay or leave. My DC would like to stay bc they are in high school and loved their friends and teachers but realizes that there is too much uncertainty and not getting the right education and too much disruption is horrible for the college process. I will never forgive the board for the chaos this has caused my family. Even with all the previous issues, we stayed. Now, I just don’t know.

495 was never going to work. And yes the board is horrible but I ask why the school lost 200 kids in 2 years. It’s not just the board. The school had major problems.

I can tell you why.  We hemorrhage students because SSFS has failed to cement itself as something different from what's already out there.  You can't rest on being a Quaker school alone.  You must have a vision for the academic and social experience that is inspired by Quakerism.  The market is saturated with private schools that when analyzed carefully are really not all that different from one another except for say the Waldorf School because of its unique philosophy.  The rest have all drank the kool aid around "college preparatory" which is more of a public relations move than a vision.  They've also drank the kool aid around "rigor" and Advanced Placement courses which is nothing more than a business model.  To chase down what everyone else is doing and still call yourself a progressive school is fraud because the kind of teaching that happens in schools that lean heavily into college prep, rigor, and AP courses is couched in essentialism and behaviorism.  To each his own and if that's what you want, there are plenty of other schools to choose from.

A Quaker school is well suited to actually be Progressive and there are enough parents in the region who want this but it requires a conceptual framework that starts with Quakerism and a strong vision that is not just full of jargon.  If this is truly going to be a renaissance for SSFS, and I hope it is, then it's time to relearn what it means to be progressive.  It's time to reread John Dewey and others.  It's time to revisit the modes of instruction that should dominate the learning experience (indirect instruction protocols, problem-based instruction, inquiry-based instruction, workshop model).  It's time to leverage the beautiful campus acreage and our proximity to DC to consider a timely focus that along with Quakerism gets woven into everything we do - perhaps Environmental Justice.

SSFS is squandering its potential and even if you don't agree with the vision I have started to lay out, we will continue to hemorrhage students without a vision that is obvious the moment you set foot on campus rather than just words on documents and the website. 

I get what you are saying about Quaker values being central and not trying to be something it’s not, but I absolutely disagree about what you are proposing-it frankly sounds like the recent HOS 2.0 and would cause our family to absolutely run (as we have been tempted to do for years.) I want my kids to have an education that allows them to engage with and understand the world and allow them to go to and thrive in the tile of colleges they are interested in. That’s what started going off the rails over the last five years and what you are saying would be more of the same.

Then I am not sure you understand what was being proposed because progressivism and constructivism are the two philosophies that center most around learners engaging with the world around them. What the previous HOS was proposing is exactly what this poster was rejecting. In other words I think you and the OP agree.