Mad at the Board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What issues are you referring to? What “went wrong” and caused you to sour so much on the school all of a sudden?

I don’t want to out my kid who, or point to anything specific for other families who left so I have to be a but vague. A lot of Jewish families left obviously and most parents who have had a problem that required department heads and/or division heads to be involved were also unhappy.

Complaints about the lower school have always been minimal. Middle school is okay, great intentions, mixed execution. Upper school has been tough.

When things went wrong in the past, MT helped sort them out. Yes, she was excessively heavy handed, and yes, she most more feared than respected in many cases, but the total chaos now is definitely worse and I wish that I had appreciated her more when she was in charge. It was not a perfect situation by any means, just much better than now.

My personal complaint now is that there’s no really management or organizational structure. You have a HOS that the faculty have lost faith in, and alap increased student and faculty departures. He doesn’t seem to want to intervene when there are problems at the school and he also doesn’t have the political capital to do so. So, the school has broken down into little fiefdoms and independent units and each area is only as good as the person controlling it.

The lower school is all about trying to give kids the best and most positive experience Is it perfect? No. It would be impossible to keep everyone 100% happy, but the intent is there, so the execution is great.

The upper school seems more about control and big personalities and petty conflict. If your kid keeps their head down and never runs into any issues, it should all be fine. If you or they have complaints or the kid runs afoul of some teacher, it’s at the whim of that department head to handle. In certain cases that will end well, and in certain cases it will not. And god forbid it gets to the US head - at that point, it’s essentially a witch trial.

[Anonymous]

MT would at times cater to specific parents snd that was difficult to watch on the other end when my kid was impacted by an issue in middle. This has been my frustration with some other parents. Their kid did something that was clearly a major issue but a parent would complain that it was not that bad. I have seen that in upper also at times. I'm talking about behavior that had a true impact on my child's classmates and that children at certain ages should already understand was wrong or problematic. I agree that current HoS has been ineffective and I haven't interacted with him much (or wanted to). However I've also seen families protest that their child saying a slur in front of my kid's classmate was just a "kids will be kids" issue. Literally had a family call me to try to complain about this and yet what the person shared about the accountability from school did not seem harsh at all. If anything it seemed light. Maybe I was raised different but that's been a tough part about being a parent in this mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MT would at times cater to specific parents snd that was difficult to watch on the other end when my kid was impacted by an issue in middle. This has been my frustration with some other parents. Their kid did something that was clearly a major issue but a parent would complain that it was not that bad. I have seen that in upper also at times. I'm talking about behavior that had a true impact on my child's classmates and that children at certain ages should already understand was wrong or problematic. I agree that current HoS has been ineffective and I haven't interacted with him much (or wanted to). However I've also seen families protest that their child saying a slur in front of my kid's classmate was just a "kids will be kids" issue. Literally had a family call me to try to complain about this and yet what the person shared about the accountability from school did not seem harsh at all. If anything it seemed light. Maybe I was raised different but that's been a tough part about being a parent in this mix.

Thank you for naming this. I have felt like this at times and wondered if I was the only parent who felt this. My kid’s friend cheated and the parent was livid that the child lost a portion of credit. A portion. Meanwhile my kid is working hard and doing what they need to do but this mom wanted me to agree that she should be angry. I didn’t say anything in the moment because of the social dynamics with this parent. Sometimes I feel like I’m parenting in another universe while trying to keep my kid’s morals in tact. Some of these parents are the same ones that allow concerning behavior at their houses and then I’m navigating protecting my child while not having them lose friendships. I don’t envy the jobs of any department heads with some if these reactions. That being said, most parents have been great and my experience since lower has been great with some room for improvement in all the divisions.

[Anonymous]

Good luck to Sue Bosland lol! Hope she enjoys her down time before stepping into this. My child loves Maret, joined in 9th, and my hope is that Sue can help settle all this down although my child will be graduating soon so in some ways we are set and looking forward. Go Frogs!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck to Sue Bosland lol! Hope she enjoys her down time before stepping into this. My child loves Maret, joined in 9th, and my hope is that Sue can help settle all this down although my child will be graduating soon so in some ways we are set and looking forward. Go Frogs!

Wish her good luck as well. I think Maret has all the ingredients to become a successful school, of course if you replace the HoS and the board.

[Anonymous]

I agree. A bad HoS and bad board can have a huge impact. This was the perfect storm. I appreciate everyone else at the school and while not perfect I feel that people have done their best. My kid has been there since middle school and will miss Maret next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I just received a letter from Sue Bosland introducing herself to the parents. I assume she’s the board chair discussed here. Says she joined in 2018, that’s a long time to be on the board.

Just a board member. I just want to mention a fact: school boards do not appoint one of their members as head or interim head. Normally there is a selection process, except of course at Maret, where anything is allowed.

Blah blah blah. She’s not just a board member. She has actual HOS experience. Do you understand that?? It’s a one year interim role to hold the school together. She knows the school better than any other interim would. You sound so ignorant.

Yeah, I bet she’s the only person with HOS experience. Wait—how was she hired at NCS? Wasn’t she hired through a recruitment process? Just a fact for you to think about.

This isn't the hill to die on. Someone with relevant interim HoS experience at a local peer school who also has clear knowledge of Maret as a board member makes clear sense for Maret. She is ideally positioned to have a sense of what issues need immediate support and how to scaffold for the next HoS.

Invest your energy in having a deliberative hiring process and making sure all challenges are unearthed and made clear for the long term head.

Relatedly, Maret's employment page doesn't have too many openings, so concerns of significant faculty turnover seem overblown.

Ding ding ding. But we already knew that.

Faculty intent to return typically isn’t “complete” at this point in the year, so current openings aren’t reflective of what turnover will look like.

[Anonymous]

Be careful board members. There is enough here to give your identity away. Do your job and get off DCYM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just received a letter from Sue Bosland introducing herself to the parents. I assume she’s the board chair discussed here. Says she joined in 2018, that’s a long time to be on the board.

Just a board member. I just want to mention a fact: school boards do not appoint one of their members as head or interim head. Normally there is a selection process, except of course at Maret, where anything is allowed.

Blah blah blah. She’s not just a board member. She has actual HOS experience. Do you understand that?? It’s a one year interim role to hold the school together. She knows the school better than any other interim would. You sound so ignorant.

Yeah, I bet she’s the only person with HOS experience. Wait—how was she hired at NCS? Wasn’t she hired through a recruitment process? Just a fact for you to think about.

This isn't the hill to die on. Someone with relevant interim HoS experience at a local peer school who also has clear knowledge of Maret as a board member makes clear sense for Maret. She is ideally positioned to have a sense of what issues need immediate support and how to scaffold for the next HoS.

Invest your energy in having a deliberative hiring process and making sure all challenges are unearthed and made clear for the long term head.

Relatedly, Maret's employment page doesn't have too many openings, so concerns of significant faculty turnover seem overblown.

Ding ding ding. But we already knew that.

Faculty intent to return typically isn’t “complete” at this point in the year, so current openings aren’t reflective of what turnover will look like.

In that vein, mid-year changes that have already transpired aren't necessarily reflected in the current postings. It does seem early in the year to have six full-time faculty jobs already up:

Upper School Chemistry/Physics
Middle School Math
Upper School Math
Upper School History
Humanities Department Chair
Directed of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

A quick glance at peer schools, and no one else seems to have that many openings right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just received a letter from Sue Bosland introducing herself to the parents. I assume she’s the board chair discussed here. Says she joined in 2018, that’s a long time to be on the board.

Just a board member. I just want to mention a fact: school boards do not appoint one of their members as head or interim head. Normally there is a selection process, except of course at Maret, where anything is allowed.

Blah blah blah. She’s not just a board member. She has actual HOS experience. Do you understand that?? It’s a one year interim role to hold the school together. She knows the school better than any other interim would. You sound so ignorant.

Yeah, I bet she’s the only person with HOS experience. Wait—how was she hired at NCS? Wasn’t she hired through a recruitment process? Just a fact for you to think about.

This isn't the hill to die on. Someone with relevant interim HoS experience at a local peer school who also has clear knowledge of Maret as a board member makes clear sense for Maret. She is ideally positioned to have a sense of what issues need immediate support and how to scaffold for the next HoS.

Invest your energy in having a deliberative hiring process and making sure all challenges are unearthed and made clear for the long term head.

Relatedly, Maret's employment page doesn't have too many openings, so concerns of significant faculty turnover seem overblown.

Ding ding ding. But we already knew that.

Faculty intent to return typically isn’t “complete” at this point in the year, so current openings aren’t reflective of what turnover will look like.

In that vein, mid-year changes that have already transpired aren't necessarily reflected in the current postings. It does seem early in the year to have six full-time faculty jobs already up:

Upper School Chemistry/Physics
Middle School Math
Upper School Math
Upper School History
Humanities Department Chair
Directed of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

A quick glance at peer schools, and no one else seems to have that many openings right now.

Just to be crystal clear, Maret’s faculty turnover is an outlier among private schools in the D.C. area. It’s not just a few faculty members who have recently departed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just received a letter from Sue Bosland introducing herself to the parents. I assume she’s the board chair discussed here. Says she joined in 2018, that’s a long time to be on the board.

Just a board member. I just want to mention a fact: school boards do not appoint one of their members as head or interim head. Normally there is a selection process, except of course at Maret, where anything is allowed.

Blah blah blah. She’s not just a board member. She has actual HOS experience. Do you understand that?? It’s a one year interim role to hold the school together. She knows the school better than any other interim would. You sound so ignorant.

Yeah, I bet she’s the only person with HOS experience. Wait—how was she hired at NCS? Wasn’t she hired through a recruitment process? Just a fact for you to think about.

This isn't the hill to die on. Someone with relevant interim HoS experience at a local peer school who also has clear knowledge of Maret as a board member makes clear sense for Maret. She is ideally positioned to have a sense of what issues need immediate support and how to scaffold for the next HoS.

Invest your energy in having a deliberative hiring process and making sure all challenges are unearthed and made clear for the long term head.

Relatedly, Maret's employment page doesn't have too many openings, so concerns of significant faculty turnover seem overblown.

Ding ding ding. But we already knew that.

Faculty intent to return typically isn’t “complete” at this point in the year, so current openings aren’t reflective of what turnover will look like.

In that vein, mid-year changes that have already transpired aren't necessarily reflected in the current postings. It does seem early in the year to have six full-time faculty jobs already up:

Upper School Chemistry/Physics
Middle School Math
Upper School Math
Upper School History
Humanities Department Chair
Directed of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

A quick glance at peer schools, and no one else seems to have that many openings right now.

Three of these are actually the mid-year changes. The sky is not falling.

[Anonymous]

I miss Marjo and her steady hand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I miss Marjo and her steady hand

I agree. The board seems to assume the new HoS has to please everyone, but that’s not the job. The job is to deliver the best possible education for students, regardless of popularity. By that measure, Marjo was a stronger HoS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just received a letter from Sue Bosland introducing herself to the parents. I assume she’s the board chair discussed here. Says she joined in 2018, that’s a long time to be on the board.

Just a board member. I just want to mention a fact: school boards do not appoint one of their members as head or interim head. Normally there is a selection process, except of course at Maret, where anything is allowed.

Blah blah blah. She’s not just a board member. She has actual HOS experience. Do you understand that?? It’s a one year interim role to hold the school together. She knows the school better than any other interim would. You sound so ignorant.

Yeah, I bet she’s the only person with HOS experience. Wait—how was she hired at NCS? Wasn’t she hired through a recruitment process? Just a fact for you to think about.

This isn't the hill to die on. Someone with relevant interim HoS experience at a local peer school who also has clear knowledge of Maret as a board member makes clear sense for Maret. She is ideally positioned to have a sense of what issues need immediate support and how to scaffold for the next HoS.

Invest your energy in having a deliberative hiring process and making sure all challenges are unearthed and made clear for the long term head.

Relatedly, Maret's employment page doesn't have too many openings, so concerns of significant faculty turnover seem overblown.

Ding ding ding. But we already knew that.

Faculty intent to return typically isn’t “complete” at this point in the year, so current openings aren’t reflective of what turnover will look like.

In that vein, mid-year changes that have already transpired aren't necessarily reflected in the current postings. It does seem early in the year to have six full-time faculty jobs already up:

Upper School Chemistry/Physics
Middle School Math
Upper School Math
Upper School History
Humanities Department Chair
Directed of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

A quick glance at peer schools, and no one else seems to have that many openings right now.

Three of these are actually the mid-year changes. The sky is not falling.

Incorrect. The DEIB job has been posted all year, so granted that's somewhat of a different case.

However, the only one that's part of the mid-year change seems to be the upper school science job (there was a recent mid-year retirement in that department):

Middle school math is new
Upper school math is new
Upper school history is new (the mid-year replacement following a resignation in upper school humanities was for English)
History department chair means the interim likely isn't staying in that role (which means three department chairs in three years)

If these are the only jobs that cycle, the turnover probably doesn't have much impact, but if some posters are right and more materialize, Maret will definitely be experiencing pretty high turnover.

[Anonymous]

This is the new head of school at GDS:

https://theaugurbit.com/2025/10/20/former-chicago-head-of-school-highlights-policy-defends-record-during-visit/

I want someone like her for Maret: Competent and qualified.