Shake Up at SSMA?

[Anonymous]

At the meeting the Board chair said the parent complaints seemed "orchestrated" I guess that is one way to see and dismiss consistent, shared parental complaints. Because the parents want to orchestrate fake complaints because why?...

[Anonymous]

I assure all of you "nothing" has died down. More like the calm before the storm. Investigate other options if you have them. Regardless of the outcome, the kids will be the big losers. The Board is utterly clueless and they were even shocked at all the issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the meeting the Board chair said the parent complaints seemed "orchestrated" I guess that is one way to see and dismiss consistent, shared parental complaints. Because the parents want to orchestrate fake complaints because why?...

The Board chair did not attend the meeting. That is itself a problem, but please don't misattribute a quote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Nope, it's about subpar perfermance in all areas of management!

AGREE 100%!

Ask the ED these questions:

Have you ever worked in a school with pre-school aged children before SSMA?
Have you ever worked in a school with elementary school before SSMA?
Have you worked in a Montessori School anytime in the last 15 years before SSMA?
Have you spent more time in actual urban schools than in academia researching urban schools and theorizing about them?

I guarantee you the answers to every one of these questions is no.

And remember, the ED oversaw the facilities fiasco of 2014 too.
https://focusdc.org/content/focus-dc-news-wire-862014
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/shining-stars-under-enrolled-after-scramble-for-location/2014/08/28/dc3dcd6a-2e08-11e4-9b98-848790384093_story.html

It's ALL about subpar performance. The ED has never worked with small children. She doesn't know what she's doing.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad to see the community association standing up to the board in a strong, new way. Hopefully that will continue, but admittedly I'm not stepping up to run for anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad to see the community association standing up to the board in a strong, new way. Hopefully that will continue, but admittedly I'm not stepping up to run for anything.

Just get involved if you're not already. You don't have to be an officer. Always advocate for your child's education. The next two weeks will go a long way in determining SSMA's future. Just because an issue hasn't impacted you (yet) doesn't mean it won't.

[Anonymous]

SSMA has a new principal.

I looked her up on LinkedIn and she has no experience as a principal from what I can see. And I see nothing on her profile that shows extensive work in a Montessori environment. So she's clearly less qualified than the old principal in terms of running a Montessori school.

But she has years of experience working with kids with special needs. So that's a plus because that's been a problem at SSMA.

I hope she's good. I'm betting that getting someone in the door will calm parents down, even if she has no experience as a Principal or an extensive Montessori background. The ED is playing her cards well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSMA has a new principal.

I looked her up on LinkedIn and she has no experience as a principal from what I can see. And I see nothing on her profile that shows extensive work in a Montessori environment. So she's clearly less qualified than the old principal in terms of running a Montessori school.

But she has years of experience working with kids with special needs. So that's a plus because that's been a problem at SSMA.

I hope she's good. I'm betting that getting someone in the door will calm parents down, even if she has no experience as a Principal or an extensive Montessori background. The ED is playing her cards well.

OK.

It's great that they got someone in there, yes. But, if she hasn't been a principal, how is she qualified again?

And why would you do any of this a month before school is out? It makes no sense. I think the whole thing is appalling and mean-spirited. It just shows you the kind of person the ED is. Watch this new principal leave after a year once she figures it out.

[Anonymous]

The email from the executive director says she's a Montessori educator, although its fairly carefully worded, so I assume she's not currently coming from a Montessori school.

We'll see! I'm glad she'll be in there before the school ends even if I still don't know why this couldn't have all happened in June. I wonder if this has been in the works for a while...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The email from the executive director says she's a Montessori educator, although its fairly carefully worded, so I assume she's not currently coming from a Montessori school.

We'll see! I'm glad she'll be in there before the school ends even if I still don't know why this couldn't have all happened in June. I wonder if this has been in the works for a while...

Her LinkedIn profile shows that she got a Masters in Education in 1994 with a focus on Montessori. Nothing else on her LinkedIn page mentions Montessori. Agree the transition should have happened in June. It didn’t because the ED wanted to set an example. She’s done that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The email from the executive director says she's a Montessori educator, although its fairly carefully worded, so I assume she's not currently coming from a Montessori school.

We'll see! I'm glad she'll be in there before the school ends even if I still don't know why this couldn't have all happened in June. I wonder if this has been in the works for a while...

Right she was at Baltimore Montessori PCS 6 years ago as a Lower El guide

https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/cms/lib/MD01001351/Centricity/Domain/5379/Stafflist2011-12.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSMA has a new principal.

I looked her up on LinkedIn and she has no experience as a principal from what I can see. And I see nothing on her profile that shows extensive work in a Montessori environment. So she's clearly less qualified than the old principal in terms of running a Montessori school.

But she has years of experience working with kids with special needs. So that's a plus because that's been a problem at SSMA.

I hope she's good. I'm betting that getting someone in the door will calm parents down, even if she has no experience as a Principal or an extensive Montessori background. The ED is playing her cards well.

No, it won't calm anything when the ED is the issue. I believe the accreditation is based on a Montessori certified principal so there was a sense of urgency.

[Anonymous]

The latest: the SSMA board is now at war with its own parents association. Apparently, the Community Association is too uppity.

After the CA took a survey with responses from 90 of 270 parents and received input from several guides, they demanded action in a letter to the SSMA board after the board meeting on Saturday. The CA received a letter from the board last night offering a sharp rebuke.

The letter to the Community Association said the CA folks "actively harass, bully and demean guides, PAs, staff and administration to force a false narrative"

And the SSMA board then threatened to "decertify our relationship and form a Parent Teacher Association in the fall from the interested parents who feel SSMACA has moved past its mandate".

That's the response. SSMA is irredeemable, folks. You're going to have to vote with your feet.

[Anonymous]

Are these quotes for real?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are these quotes for real?

Confirmed...Very demeaning and disrespectful toward parents that have provided resources for the school and that sincerely care about their kids education. Just another indication of the lack of awareness and leadership.

All part of a lengthy process that won't end well. Unfortunately the kids will suffer. Adults failing kids again and again...