SSFS updates? We are thinking about it for a last minute HS switch

[Anonymous]

New prospective families specially have every right to ask these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

How does something go on for 20 years and the board only finds out a month ago? I still haven’t heard anything that answers that. The reason that’s important to me is I’m supposed to trust the same people to recover and tell me the next time things go wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

The problem is exactly this. The question keeps coming up cause the answer doesn’t add up. “several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago” - does this answer ring true for anyone? When this is the answer the questions keep coming because the answer does not ring true.

Maybe a few better questions

“how can the board be ignorant of everything going on with the school for 20 years?”


“if they weren’t aware till the new advisor was hired a few months ago what made them fire the previous guy who had been here for 25 years in the 1st place?”

“If the new guy saw numbers no one had seen before why did no one else look at the numbers for 20 years?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

As one of those people, it’s because the “culture shift” with the old HOS you reference is not just one little thing in a long list of reasons the school almost closed. It’s a huge issue that hasn’t been addressed at all in terms of how pervasive the problems were. Blaming just one HOS and saying it’s all fixed now is unreasonable. Lots of schools have a HOS people don’t like or say is a bad leader - an exodus of this magnitude in one year is unheard of. As a middle school family, I can tell you that the complaints that the administration lets disruptive classroom behavior and bullying persist despite many parents expressing concern has not changed. And was definitely a reason some of the families we knew left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

How does something go on for 20 years and the board only finds out a month ago? I still haven’t heard anything that answers that. The reason that’s important to me is I’m supposed to trust the same people to recover and tell me the next time things go wrong.

Because the board was asleep at the wheel. They were just agreeing to things without asking questions or without much concern. Many people just take these board positions as an extra role and happy to put in on their resume without actually doing any of the real work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

As one of those people, it’s because the “culture shift” with the old HOS you reference is not just one little thing in a long list of reasons the school almost closed. It’s a huge issue that hasn’t been addressed at all in terms of how pervasive the problems were. Blaming just one HOS and saying it’s all fixed now is unreasonable. Lots of schools have a HOS people don’t like or say is a bad leader - an exodus of this magnitude in one year is unheard of. As a middle school family, I can tell you that the complaints that the administration lets disruptive classroom behavior and bullying persist despite many parents expressing concern has not changed. And was definitely a reason some of the families we knew left.

We had to leave because of bullying. We tried but our child was not protected and we were blown off after repeated attempts.

Before someone says why am I here talking when I’ve left and need to move on. The reason I’m here is because I invested many years and many $$$s and my child’s life in the care of the school. I get questions from people about jy experience while I was there as they consider checking out the school. I want to know if the school is even trying to address these big problems at all. Just because im not there doesn’t mean im not interested to see if they are going back to what they used to be. I’m not in a lot of schools in the area but I research many to understand the strengths and weaknesses so I can make an informed decision about where to send my kid to. So yes I’m still interested in ssfs cause it was a huge part of my child’s life and still effects our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

How does something go on for 20 years and the board only finds out a month ago? I still haven’t heard anything that answers that. The reason that’s important to me is I’m supposed to trust the same people to recover and tell me the next time things go wrong.

Because the board was asleep at the wheel. They were just agreeing to things without asking questions or without much concern. Many people just take these board positions as an extra role and happy to put in on their resume without actually doing any of the real work.

For 20 years no one in a 20+ member board ever asked a question? Did any of them have a kid in the school to even have a basic understanding of how the school was for students? Cause even without being in the board clearly the 200+ students that left were at least observing that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Which the Board has already discussed pretty thoroughly with the community: several new buildings over the past 20 years, unexpected repairs needed, loss of the international program, many families left becuase they didn't like the culture shift that came with the previous HoS, etc. And the community wasn't told because the Board didn't become aware until a few monthd ago when the new financial advisor (or accountant or whatever his title is) came in and actually saw the numbers no one had seen before.

Understandably prospective families may not know all this if they were not on the Zooms, Slack, email list, etc. They deserve the info, which is why it's been laid out here many times. But on this forum, I don't think it's prospective parents who are asking. I think it's the same people who have been asking for weeks now. For some reason they are just pretending not to hear the answers.

How does something go on for 20 years and the board only finds out a month ago? I still haven’t heard anything that answers that. The reason that’s important to me is I’m supposed to trust the same people to recover and tell me the next time things go wrong.

Because the board was asleep at the wheel. They were just agreeing to things without asking questions or without much concern. Many people just take these board positions as an extra role and happy to put in on their resume without actually doing any of the real work.

For 20 years no one in a 20+ member board ever asked a question? Did any of them have a kid in the school to even have a basic understanding of how the school was for students? Cause even without being in the board clearly the 200+ students that left were at least observing that much.

I guess they didn’t ask questions and were just yes men. Many companies also falter because of board issues. SSFS no different. They just didn’t do their due diligence and didn’t take their role as a board member seriously.

[Anonymous]

Board members don't serve 20-year terms. Many of them weren't there when the debt was taken on. A big chunk of that debt was accrued c. 2021 with the new US building. No doubt some of them were just along for the ride and didn't look hard at what the school needed. But many are either already gone, or will be by July when their terms end. I know a lot of posters wanted an all new Board (me included), but the school let us know that's not going to happen. It will be some of the same and some different. I'd imagine that was probably one od the terms of the reopening deal.

The closure can't be simplified to one person or one factor. But I think we've gotten the info that we're going to get about that, from the school and this forum. The school is clearly focused now on the future and making the next three years a success (yes, even with half the student body). New families can decide for themselves if the info available now is enough for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Board members don't serve 20-year terms. Many of them weren't there when the debt was taken on. A big chunk of that debt was accrued c. 2021 with the new US building. No doubt some of them were just along for the ride and didn't look hard at what the school needed. But many are either already gone, or will be by July when their terms end. I know a lot of posters wanted an all new Board (me included), but the school let us know that's not going to happen. It will be some of the same and some different. I'd imagine that was probably one od the terms of the reopening deal.

The closure can't be simplified to one person or one factor. But I think we've gotten the info that we're going to get about that, from the school and this forum. The school is clearly focused now on the future and making the next three years a success (yes, even with half the student body). New families can decide for themselves if the info available now is enough for them.

The fact that it was over so many years and not just suddenly one person making a mistake is what reflects worse on the school for me. Means the problems are deeply rooted in the school. No one spoke up no one questioned what they saw and no one told the families. How long does it take to take out those roots and clean house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Nobody has questioned the validity of these questions. What's being pointed out over and over again is a) these questions are now old and have been addressed and (b) if posters were truly interested in answers to these questions they would know not to ask them here.

[Anonymous]

I guess it depends how much change will satisfy you to consider the "roots taken out"... there will be not only a new Head but all new division heads, a mostly new Board, no doubt some new teachers as well as ones who left. I guess that's not enough? With that much change, won't things already be pretty different?

The financial issues started 20 years ago with the new buildings. The culture issues are more recent -- speaking from experience, the school was thriving back then. The bullying issues people mention here are especially concerning, but that sounds like something important to bring up with the new division heads when they do their Q&A sessions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Nobody has questioned the validity of these questions. What's being pointed out over and over again is a) these questions are now old and have been addressed and (b) if posters were truly interested in answers to these questions they would know not to ask them here.

I do not feel that these questions have been addressed fully in meetings, Slack or even in anonymous forums. People are either trusting of whatever answer they received or they want more assurances that mistakes won't be repeated now that an angel investor brought SSFS from certain doom.

I do hope the newish Board will continue to listen to all stakeholders concerns. Not just current families. There's a lot of people that are invested in the future of SSFS including alumni, former teachers/administrators and the general public who are for better or for worse, possible future consumers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any question about how the school got to where it got and how the debt accumulated and why the community was never notified about any of it until too late - are in my mind very valid questions.

Nobody has questioned the validity of these questions. What's being pointed out over and over again is a) these questions are now old and have been addressed and (b) if posters were truly interested in answers to these questions they would know not to ask them here.

I do not feel that these questions have been addressed fully in meetings, Slack or even in anonymous forums. People are either trusting of whatever answer they received or they want more assurances that mistakes won't be repeated now that an angel investor brought SSFS from certain doom.

I do hope the newish Board will continue to listen to all stakeholders concerns. Not just current families. There's a lot of people that are invested in the future of SSFS including alumni, former teachers/administrators and the general public who are for better or for worse, possible future consumers.

The answers have been broad and somewhat vague. A lot of families avoid the confrontation of asking for more detailed answers. Also some families are afraid to ask because the answer might not be what they want to hear, so they prefer to hope for the best.