SSFS Closing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coalition just announced that they’ve raised $15 million, every penny needed to keep the school open for the next three years. Sweeping governance changes will be required in order to receive the money.

I know current parents are wary and tired and skeptical - I am one, I get it - and I think if you want to take your child elsewhere you will go with all of our blessing and understanding. But I must say in this moment in time, this political environment, I am inspired by a group of people fiercely standing up for something they love. Cracked my cranky cynical heart right open and let in a little light. Regardless what eventually happens.

Well said. This movement cracked my cranky cynical heart open too. I'm proud to be a member of the SSFS community!

+1

[Anonymous]

SSFS strong!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

i still want to know if it was so easy to raise $15 million why didnt this ever occur to the board to do? Something doesnt smell right here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i still want to know if it was so easy to raise $15 million why didnt this ever occur to the board to do? Something doesnt smell right here.

I mean, that’s what the SSFS community has been saying. The board isn’t right. Something needs to change. And now it will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no doubt that SSFS is an amazing community that was life changing for many of the families. I also completely accept that the BoT and the former HoS were instrumental in the failure of the school. But, ultimately, from the outside, it seems like throwing good money after bad. There’s been no disclosure or transparency as to why exactly it collapsed, why the fiscal situation was so dire and mismanaged and what the plan would be if the funds were raised. (not that they owe it to me, but I haven’t seen anyone say that they know).

While it’s not a perfect comparison, it feels like fans of a product trying to keep it produced after the market has determined that it’s not viable. $13-15M is not a minor, temporary cash flow gap caused by an external event. It’s a total statement that the school is not financially viable in anything close to how it currently stands.

Before donating a penny, I would certainly make sure that you understand and personally believe that your money is going to a viable turnaround plan that is sustainable and sound.

All of this! Time for a real conversation about what went wrong and why. I'm not friend of RG but you can't just point the finger at him. He did what he did for so long because the board allowed it.

The coalition agrees with you both. I think this is an opportunity not just to fundraise, but for real transparency and change. It’s all part of the conversation. If you are SSFS community members, come join us.

Love this!!!

[Anonymous]

That was fast! How was $15 million raised already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. It's so beautiful seeing so many alums and community members doing what Sandy Spring taught them to do -- Letting their lives speak.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The coalition just announced that they’ve raised $15 million, every penny needed to keep the school open for the next three years. Sweeping governance changes will be required in order to receive the money.

I know current parents are wary and tired and skeptical - I am one, I get it - and I think if you want to take your child elsewhere you will go with all of our blessing and understanding. But I must say in this moment in time, this political environment, I am inspired by a group of people fiercely standing up for something they love. Cracked my cranky cynical heart right open and let in a little light. Regardless what eventually happens.

Well said. This movement cracked my cranky cynical heart open too. I'm proud to be a member of the SSFS community!

Agreed! This has lit a fire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i still want to know if it was so easy to raise $15 million why didnt this ever occur to the board to do? Something doesnt smell right here.

Because changing out the board is the premise here. People were leaving, and not giving, because they didn't have confidence in how the school was being run. The board could not have done a big fundraising campaign without revealing how badly they had mismanaged the school, so they chose to run out the clock instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That was fast! How was $15 million raised already?

Because it's easy to raise "pledges". Not so easy to raise $15 million cash in hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSFS strong!!!!!!

If only this strength had intervened before the board ran the school into the ground over a period of years. So strong!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That was fast! How was $15 million raised already?

Because it's easy to raise "pledges". Not so easy to raise $15 million cash in hand.

It’s not actually at all easy to raise 15 million in pledges in 72 hours. Anyone who has tried can confirm, I’m sure.)

These are known people with connections to the school, not a random reddit poll.

[Anonymous]

As a parent who seems to be out of the loop, is there an actual plan to stop the closing? I worry that the longer this goes, the more likely it is that even 15 million won't matter, as students will have found other schools and faculty/staff won't want to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question. Even if they can raise enough money to stay open for the next several years, what is the incentive for families and faculty to stay? If I am a teacher there, I'm not going to allow myself to potentially be left high and dry again. I have bills to pay. I would be out of there so fast.

I understand the impulse to try to save the school, but it seems like the trust has been broken at this point.

I think if you look at what's happening in the DMV at this particular moment in time, if you told a teacher who just found out on Monday that they're losing their job and then said that they have a 3-year reprieve, a lot of them might take it! Not trying to be unrealistic and I think the chances of this coalition saying the school are slim at best, I do think that the external circumstances in the country right now could mean that people might stay put, and allow a little cautious optimism.

So you’re saying desperate ppl might stick around? Okay …

Not desperate just subject to an incredible amount of insecurity due to all of the nonsense in DC, and finding out that for the next 3 years the place that you work and really like will remain open might make people stay.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing, though. SSFS will still have a much smaller student body than is needed to support its infrastructure, until it rebuilds enrollment. It was already on a downward enrollment trend and this episode will make it worse. It can lay off staff, but can't offload buildings easily. And it will likely need to offer more generous financial aid to attract students, because its brand is damaged. And we're headed into a recession or at least a tough economic time, so less people are willing or able to pay for private school at all. This is a really, really serious situation and it's very unclear to me that $15 million even comes close to covering the gap. Because the gap is worse now than it was when that figure was estimated.