SSFS Will Stay Open

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the new head of school still coming?

Yes. So are the new LS and MS heads. They were present at the staff-coalition meeting a few nights ago.

Realistically if I were them, and had been blindsighted, but then suddenly found the job come back, I’d say I was going to take it only until I found another job. Then I’d give my notice, not before.

Maybe they have every intention of staying for years. But they also just might be continuing to search for a new job after what happened and you won’t know that till they’re ready to leave.

But also they’re all new, nothing says they’re good. Ssfs has hired maybe an admin in the last 5 years that haven’t survived 1 year on the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just delaying the inevitable unless they address the failure of leadership

They're going to. That's literally what "a path forward" and "more work will be needed" means.

I do expect the school to be a lot smaller the next couple years. But there are plenty of private schools with 200-odd students. They're working with lots of people in the world of Quaker school leadership.

So, so happy at this outcome and most happy for the upper school students who will get to stay and graduate in their community!

But are their plenty that can afford the real estate, buildings, and debt service of a 600-kid school? Because that's what SSFS has to do.

The coalition legal team are pretty sure that the debt will be restructured, and the $15m should cover that plus the school's operating deficit.

How can the debt be restructured favorably when today’s interest rates are so much higher than those of the past ten years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just delaying the inevitable unless they address the failure of leadership

They're going to. That's literally what "a path forward" and "more work will be needed" means.

I do expect the school to be a lot smaller the next couple years. But there are plenty of private schools with 200-odd students. They're working with lots of people in the world of Quaker school leadership.

So, so happy at this outcome and most happy for the upper school students who will get to stay and graduate in their community!

But are their plenty that can afford the real estate, buildings, and debt service of a 600-kid school? Because that's what SSFS has to do.

The coalition legal team are pretty sure that the debt will be restructured, and the $15m should cover that plus the school's operating deficit.

How can the debt be restructured favorably when today’s interest rates are so much higher than those of the past ten years?

And, even if lenders were willing to restructure, they would certainly demand being senior debt holders versus, say, the teachers and payroll.

I don’t pretend to know about the zoning and possibilities on the land, but wouldn’t the current lenders generate considerably more income from foreclosing on the property and selling it to a developer? Presumably, Montgomery County would be supportive of anything that increased housing stock, particularly in an area that is expensive, but not Chevy Chase expensive.

[Anonymous]

The math doesn’t math.

[Anonymous]

I just don’t understand how years of mismanagement and debt can be fixed in a week by a group of volunteers. I’m
Glad the school says it won’t close but I don’t see how this can be well thought through.

[Anonymous]

While I applaud the effort because it must have been extraordinary, how is SSFS not a sinking ship? Is this just delaying the inevitable?

We are a family torn - our kids want to stay to be with their friends (who claim they are staying) but we parents want to move on. Looking at other schools made us realize that SSFS wasn't really living up to the reasons why we chose it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The math doesn’t math.

None of us have seen the math yet. I have no doubt it will be published.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I applaud the effort because it must have been extraordinary, how is SSFS not a sinking ship? Is this just delaying the inevitable?

We are a family torn - our kids want to stay to be with their friends (who claim they are staying) but we parents want to move on. Looking at other schools made us realize that SSFS wasn't really living up to the reasons why we chose it.

The school needs to really step up their game. We left last year. We really wanted it to work. But the quality of education was not keeping up with the tuition increases. At the time we couldn’t understand why the tuition was going up like that when the academics were sinking. But we couldn’t justify the cost so we left. Now we know why the tuition was going up like that.

[Anonymous]

Our high schoolers have received an excellent education and we are staying. We’ve heard that many of the teachers are staying, which is key for us. The teachers are the most important factor for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our high schoolers have received an excellent education and we are staying. We’ve heard that many of the teachers are staying, which is key for us. The teachers are the most important factor for us.

Honest question-is many students decide to move on will they have to cut staff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our high schoolers have received an excellent education and we are staying. We’ve heard that many of the teachers are staying, which is key for us. The teachers are the most important factor for us.

Honest question-is many students decide to move on will they have to cut staff?

If you take their message at face value they staying open for 3 years. No conditions were attached.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our high schoolers have received an excellent education and we are staying. We’ve heard that many of the teachers are staying, which is key for us. The teachers are the most important factor for us.

Honest question-is many students decide to move on will they have to cut staff?

If you take their message at face value they staying open for 3 years. No conditions were attached.

There are many conditions, they just haven't been announced yet. That info will start coming out soon. They are releasing info for parents tonight and then for the whole community on Monday.

As far as cutting staff, I expect there will be fewer than before. But whether that will be due to layoffs or because they left, remains to be seen.

[Anonymous]

If enrollment drops significantly, they will need to reduce payroll.

The land/building will still be a huge expense.

I wonder if they are accounting for the drop in enrollment—the 14-16M number likely projected higher enrollment than they will have now.

Best of luck to them. I hope they keep some of the current board for continuity; they need to help the new folks dig out of this mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If enrollment drops significantly, they will need to reduce payroll.

The land/building will still be a huge expense.

I wonder if they are accounting for the drop in enrollment—the 14-16M number likely projected higher enrollment than they will have now.

Best of luck to them. I hope they keep some of the current board for continuity; they need to help the new folks dig out of this mess.

I hope they get rid of every single current board member. They are all complicit in what has happened financially and for the lack of transparency. In fact we are thinking of staying but absolutely will NOT stay unless a whole new board is put in place.

[Anonymous]

I hear you. It’s an understandable position.

Ousting the entire board means no continuity, no understanding of how they landed in such dire straits, and no awareness of things that have been tried before.