SSFS Will Stay Open

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

The HOS and CFO advise the board on tuition. Tuition is ultimately decided by the board and often the letter about tuition either mentions that the board has approved it or is actually signed by the board. The same with the annual budget. I know this as a school trustee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

The HOS and CFO advise the board on tuition. Tuition is ultimately decided by the board and often the letter about tuition either mentions that the board has approved it or is actually signed by the board. The same with the annual budget. I know this as a school trustee.

Potato potato. Yes the board has the fiduciary responsibility. And maybe there’s a finance chair that works more closely with the head and the CFO in the budgeting process . I’ve served on boards and in non profit administration. But the board has to hire its hos and cfo to be the professionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again, we didn’t know school was in dire financial straits till a month ago. But 200 kids left in the last two years. Of course that resulted in worse financial straits g but they didn’t leave because of a debt they didn’t know about that started 25 years ago. The BOT owns all the financial problems. But families didn’t bolt because of that. The school simply wasn’t delivering. For each family it was something different maybe but it just means the school was under performing in different metrics families used to compare to regional schools in the same price bracket. That’s why the families left. The fact that the BOT had been slowly running the school financially under for (presumably) 25 years just means families didn’t even know how bad the school was even with money before they left.

This loss of students is what caused the current crisis at SSFS. The main source of revenue for the school comes from tuition. Ideally, school enrollment is constant, and it allows the school to plan the staff and other costs including the debt repayments. SSFS enrollment peaked at around 700 in the 2023-2024 school year. At the end of 2024 year, the school lost 100 kids (15%). Assuming around $30K per child that works out to a loss of $3 million. If the school had planned on this income, which I am sure they did, that was going to be a problem. Then enrollment dropped by another 100 (16%) for the next school year before the closing announcement which meant another $3 million loss in revenue.

Private schools depend on enrollment. If enrollment goes down significantly, it is going to cause financial issues. They will have to cut staff to make up for the short fall, which is exactly what happened at the end of the 2024 school year. This is a non-profit school, but the school still needs to make enough money to cover their costs.

Why did 100 students leave at the end of 2024? Nobody really knew of the financial issues at the school other than AC was broken in the PAC all year long and the tuition increases increased by much more than what was traditional seen.

Why did the school go from record enrollment with a large wait list to losing 200 students in two years? This mass exodus caused the financial situation to spiral out of control. In the end, this is a business, and it needs to attract customers to be successful. Family left the school and this is the result.

[Anonymous]

Rehashing the situation over and over again with differing interpretations of the situation is not doing anything for those of us on the fence about staying. I don't even care anymore to know all the gory details of how we got to this point. I just want to know what the plan is to prevent this from happening again. What is the plan for the current BOT? Apparently some have already resigned and the BOT plans to address the community on Monday. I hope so. I also want to know their plan for increased transparency moving forward? And I have many other questions that are simply NOT going to be answered on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, we didn’t know school was in dire financial straits till a month ago. But 200 kids left in the last two years. Of course that resulted in worse financial straits g but they didn’t leave because of a debt they didn’t know about that started 25 years ago. The BOT owns all the financial problems. But families didn’t bolt because of that. The school simply wasn’t delivering. For each family it was something different maybe but it just means the school was under performing in different metrics families used to compare to regional schools in the same price bracket. That’s why the families left. The fact that the BOT had been slowly running the school financially under for (presumably) 25 years just means families didn’t even know how bad the school was even with money before they left.

This loss of students is what caused the current crisis at SSFS. The main source of revenue for the school comes from tuition. Ideally, school enrollment is constant, and it allows the school to plan the staff and other costs including the debt repayments. SSFS enrollment peaked at around 700 in the 2023-2024 school year. At the end of 2024 year, the school lost 100 kids (15%). Assuming around $30K per child that works out to a loss of $3 million. If the school had planned on this income, which I am sure they did, that was going to be a problem. Then enrollment dropped by another 100 (16%) for the next school year before the closing announcement which meant another $3 million loss in revenue.

Private schools depend on enrollment. If enrollment goes down significantly, it is going to cause financial issues. They will have to cut staff to make up for the short fall, which is exactly what happened at the end of the 2024 school year. This is a non-profit school, but the school still needs to make enough money to cover their costs.

Why did 100 students leave at the end of 2024? Nobody really knew of the financial issues at the school other than AC was broken in the PAC all year long and the tuition increases increased by much more than what was traditional seen.

Why did the school go from record enrollment with a large wait list to losing 200 students in two years? This mass exodus caused the financial situation to spiral out of control. In the end, this is a business, and it needs to attract customers to be successful. Family left the school and this is the result.

Wow, that is a mass exodus and explains the financial nightmare. There was clearly nobody at the wheel. HOS? admissions? Clearly nobody competent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rehashing the situation over and over again with differing interpretations of the situation is not doing anything for those of us on the fence about staying. I don't even care anymore to know all the gory details of how we got to this point. I just want to know what the plan is to prevent this from happening again. What is the plan for the current BOT? Apparently some have already resigned and the BOT plans to address the community on Monday. I hope so. I also want to know their plan for increased transparency moving forward? And I have many other questions that are simply NOT going to be answered on DCUM.

Personally, I think the school (CFO?) should publish their financial records for the last 10 years to let people know what happened and stop hiding behind the 501(c)(3) religious exemption for not having to publish their annual IRS 990 form. Take a look at any private school that doesn't have an exemption and you will find you get a better idea as to how things are going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, we didn’t know school was in dire financial straits till a month ago. But 200 kids left in the last two years. Of course that resulted in worse financial straits g but they didn’t leave because of a debt they didn’t know about that started 25 years ago. The BOT owns all the financial problems. But families didn’t bolt because of that. The school simply wasn’t delivering. For each family it was something different maybe but it just means the school was under performing in different metrics families used to compare to regional schools in the same price bracket. That’s why the families left. The fact that the BOT had been slowly running the school financially under for (presumably) 25 years just means families didn’t even know how bad the school was even with money before they left.

This loss of students is what caused the current crisis at SSFS. The main source of revenue for the school comes from tuition. Ideally, school enrollment is constant, and it allows the school to plan the staff and other costs including the debt repayments. SSFS enrollment peaked at around 700 in the 2023-2024 school year. At the end of 2024 year, the school lost 100 kids (15%). Assuming around $30K per child that works out to a loss of $3 million. If the school had planned on this income, which I am sure they did, that was going to be a problem. Then enrollment dropped by another 100 (16%) for the next school year before the closing announcement which meant another $3 million loss in revenue.

Private schools depend on enrollment. If enrollment goes down significantly, it is going to cause financial issues. They will have to cut staff to make up for the short fall, which is exactly what happened at the end of the 2024 school year. This is a non-profit school, but the school still needs to make enough money to cover their costs.

Why did 100 students leave at the end of 2024? Nobody really knew of the financial issues at the school other than AC was broken in the PAC all year long and the tuition increases increased by much more than what was traditional seen.

Why did the school go from record enrollment with a large wait list to losing 200 students in two years? This mass exodus caused the financial situation to spiral out of control. In the end, this is a business, and it needs to attract customers to be successful. Family left the school and this is the result.

False information here. There was never a long waitlist. And you don't know what caused the school to close, which is why this thread even exists. The budget going into the start of school this year was balanced by budget cuts including layoffs. The difference between 2023 and 2024 was not 100 students, more like 75, and yes, that makes a difference. I attended several HOS forums in the past few years where school budget and finance were discussed, including long-term debts and repairs needed, so people who attended information sessions did know. Tuition increase was similar to those of other schools, also addressed at many parent forums. Tuition at SSFS below its peer schools even with increase. Also discussed at parent forums. If you don't know what happened, don't keep trying to guess or fill in the story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

The HOS and CFO advise the board on tuition. Tuition is ultimately decided by the board and often the letter about tuition either mentions that the board has approved it or is actually signed by the board. The same with the annual budget. I know this as a school trustee.

Potato potato. Yes the board has the fiduciary responsibility. And maybe there’s a finance chair that works more closely with the head and the CFO in the budgeting process . I’ve served on boards and in non profit administration. But the board has to hire its hos and cfo to be the professionals.

The board also can make financial decisions even if it is counter to what HOS and/or CFO advise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

The HOS and CFO advise the board on tuition. Tuition is ultimately decided by the board and often the letter about tuition either mentions that the board has approved it or is actually signed by the board. The same with the annual budget. I know this as a school trustee.

Potato potato. Yes the board has the fiduciary responsibility. And maybe there’s a finance chair that works more closely with the head and the CFO in the budgeting process . I’ve served on boards and in non profit administration. But the board has to hire its hos and cfo to be the professionals.

The board also can make financial decisions even if it is counter to what HOS and/or CFO advise.

Yes, but that means they have the wrong HOS and it’s a toxic relationship. Constructively they can advise and collaborate and move to amend proposals. But by the time a budget proposal and tuition increase reaches the board it should already have been reviewed with the finance chair and the president. Passing such proposals at that point should be formalities and not be contentious debates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, we didn’t know school was in dire financial straits till a month ago. But 200 kids left in the last two years. Of course that resulted in worse financial straits g but they didn’t leave because of a debt they didn’t know about that started 25 years ago. The BOT owns all the financial problems. But families didn’t bolt because of that. The school simply wasn’t delivering. For each family it was something different maybe but it just means the school was under performing in different metrics families used to compare to regional schools in the same price bracket. That’s why the families left. The fact that the BOT had been slowly running the school financially under for (presumably) 25 years just means families didn’t even know how bad the school was even with money before they left.

This loss of students is what caused the current crisis at SSFS. The main source of revenue for the school comes from tuition. Ideally, school enrollment is constant, and it allows the school to plan the staff and other costs including the debt repayments. SSFS enrollment peaked at around 700 in the 2023-2024 school year. At the end of 2024 year, the school lost 100 kids (15%). Assuming around $30K per child that works out to a loss of $3 million. If the school had planned on this income, which I am sure they did, that was going to be a problem. Then enrollment dropped by another 100 (16%) for the next school year before the closing announcement which meant another $3 million loss in revenue.

Private schools depend on enrollment. If enrollment goes down significantly, it is going to cause financial issues. They will have to cut staff to make up for the short fall, which is exactly what happened at the end of the 2024 school year. This is a non-profit school, but the school still needs to make enough money to cover their costs.

Why did 100 students leave at the end of 2024? Nobody really knew of the financial issues at the school other than AC was broken in the PAC all year long and the tuition increases increased by much more than what was traditional seen.

Why did the school go from record enrollment with a large wait list to losing 200 students in two years? This mass exodus caused the financial situation to spiral out of control. In the end, this is a business, and it needs to attract customers to be successful. Family left the school and this is the result.

False information here. There was never a long waitlist. And you don't know what caused the school to close, which is why this thread even exists. The budget going into the start of school this year was balanced by budget cuts including layoffs. The difference between 2023 and 2024 was not 100 students, more like 75, and yes, that makes a difference. I attended several HOS forums in the past few years where school budget and finance were discussed, including long-term debts and repairs needed, so people who attended information sessions did know. Tuition increase was similar to those of other schools, also addressed at many parent forums. Tuition at SSFS below its peer schools even with increase. Also discussed at parent forums. If you don't know what happened, don't keep trying to guess or fill in the story.

I was at every parent forum, and no it was NOT where transperancy ever occurred.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

The HOS and CFO advise the board on tuition. Tuition is ultimately decided by the board and often the letter about tuition either mentions that the board has approved it or is actually signed by the board. The same with the annual budget. I know this as a school trustee.

Potato potato. Yes the board has the fiduciary responsibility. And maybe there’s a finance chair that works more closely with the head and the CFO in the budgeting process . I’ve served on boards and in non profit administration. But the board has to hire its hos and cfo to be the professionals.

The board also can make financial decisions even if it is counter to what HOS and/or CFO advise.

Yes, but that means they have the wrong HOS and it’s a toxic relationship. Constructively they can advise and collaborate and move to amend proposals. But by the time a budget proposal and tuition increase reaches the board it should already have been reviewed with the finance chair and the president. Passing such proposals at that point should be formalities and not be contentious debates.

Should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Again, we didn’t know school was in dire financial straits till a month ago. But 200 kids left in the last two years. Of course that resulted in worse financial straits g but they didn’t leave because of a debt they didn’t know about that started 25 years ago. The BOT owns all the financial problems. But families didn’t bolt because of that. The school simply wasn’t delivering. For each family it was something different maybe but it just means the school was under performing in different metrics families used to compare to regional schools in the same price bracket. That’s why the families left. The fact that the BOT had been slowly running the school financially under for (presumably) 25 years just means families didn’t even know how bad the school was even with money before they left.

This loss of students is what caused the current crisis at SSFS. The main source of revenue for the school comes from tuition. Ideally, school enrollment is constant, and it allows the school to plan the staff and other costs including the debt repayments. SSFS enrollment peaked at around 700 in the 2023-2024 school year. At the end of 2024 year, the school lost 100 kids (15%). Assuming around $30K per child that works out to a loss of $3 million. If the school had planned on this income, which I am sure they did, that was going to be a problem. Then enrollment dropped by another 100 (16%) for the next school year before the closing announcement which meant another $3 million loss in revenue.

Private schools depend on enrollment. If enrollment goes down significantly, it is going to cause financial issues. They will have to cut staff to make up for the short fall, which is exactly what happened at the end of the 2024 school year. This is a non-profit school, but the school still needs to make enough money to cover their costs.

Why did 100 students leave at the end of 2024? Nobody really knew of the financial issues at the school other than AC was broken in the PAC all year long and the tuition increases increased by much more than what was traditional seen.

Why did the school go from record enrollment with a large wait list to losing 200 students in two years? This mass exodus caused the financial situation to spiral out of control. In the end, this is a business, and it needs to attract customers to be successful. Family left the school and this is the result.

False information here. There was never a long waitlist. And you don't know what caused the school to close, which is why this thread even exists. The budget going into the start of school this year was balanced by budget cuts including layoffs. The difference between 2023 and 2024 was not 100 students, more like 75, and yes, that makes a difference. I attended several HOS forums in the past few years where school budget and finance were discussed, including long-term debts and repairs needed, so people who attended information sessions did know. Tuition increase was similar to those of other schools, also addressed at many parent forums. Tuition at SSFS below its peer schools even with increase. Also discussed at parent forums. If you don't know what happened, don't keep trying to guess or fill in the story.

I was at every parent forum, and no it was NOT where transperancy ever occurred.

School finances were discussed and what was known at the time about finances, including reasons for tuition increases, debt, and the need for increased fundraising, were discussed. Possibility of school closure was not discussed but also likely not known at that time. Clearly something happened this year (and maybe even this spring) that made that an urgent possibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rehashing the situation over and over again with differing interpretations of the situation is not doing anything for those of us on the fence about staying. I don't even care anymore to know all the gory details of how we got to this point. I just want to know what the plan is to prevent this from happening again. What is the plan for the current BOT? Apparently some have already resigned and the BOT plans to address the community on Monday. I hope so. I also want to know their plan for increased transparency moving forward? And I have many other questions that are simply NOT going to be answered on DCUM.

I too do not care about rehashing what happened, aside from getting rid of the current BOT. They were useless before the closure and are showing that they are useless now. After the reopening announcement they could have answered these most simple of questions rather than letting us brew for a few weeks.

I'm not going to lie, I'm angry at this whole drama. I'm pretty convinced my child isn't coming back. Which is a shame because they want to stay with whatever friends are left. Monday's going to have to be mighty convincing. I can be swayed, but it's increasingly looking unlikely.

DCUM though has been a lifeline, at least in hearing different thoughts and opinions on the matter while I stewed with my family. Anonymity can sometimes bring honestly. The slack channels are just as useless and well... nothing besides pom-poms has come from leadership to date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As far as tuition goes the sudden spikes happened all during RG. Until he was here the school had averaged a 2-3% increase each year. Then RG started hiking by 5/6/7%. Of course we can say now that “he was trying to fix the financial problems like a great hos should!” But the truth is families didn’t know the school was in financial dire straights.

All we saw was a thriving school “record high enrollment!!” But no increase in academic programs. Teacher turnover was increasing - 3 head of US in 3 years, as well as many others, so suddenly 3 years into RG we were dealing with a much higher tuition then we expected but with a lot of turmoil. Would we have felt better if transparency was there and we could see the increase in tuition was to cover a debt? Who knows but we never were given that information. So there was no reason to eat the extra cost when our child’s experience wasn’t getting better it was actually gettin worse. So 3rd year of that and we left.

Then it turns out the cfo gets fired so hardly seems like RG was fixing financial problems with the tuition hike either. But we will never know what went on.

Tuition is set by and approved by the board of trustees.

A head of school and a CFO collaborate on running the business of the school. They are the professional experts. A board of trustees is there to advise, ask questions, and give approval. The pandemic and the aftermath caused inflation everywhere, including schools. Many schools around DC experienced a 5 to 10% tuition hike in recent years. If people were choosing Sandy Springs because of the affordability, that alone was and is a powder keg waiting to explode because you can’t meet your obligations without revenue. And notably turnover among teachers and administrators was very high 2020-22. Education and schools in general have been tumultuous. I point all this out not to answer any questions about the problems at Sandy Spring. Especially without 990s no one ever really going to know what the hell went on there. But as you’re trying to figure it out, the perspective is important.

The HOS and CFO advise the board on tuition. Tuition is ultimately decided by the board and often the letter about tuition either mentions that the board has approved it or is actually signed by the board. The same with the annual budget. I know this as a school trustee.

Potato potato. Yes the board has the fiduciary responsibility. And maybe there’s a finance chair that works more closely with the head and the CFO in the budgeting process . I’ve served on boards and in non profit administration. But the board has to hire its hos and cfo to be the professionals.

The board also can make financial decisions even if it is counter to what HOS and/or CFO advise.

From the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) Principles of Good Practice for Board of Trustees:
"The board accepts accountability for both the financial stability and the financial future of the institution, engaging in strategic financial planning, assuming primary responsibility for the preservation of capital assets and endowments, overseeing operating budgets, and participating actively in fund raising."