SSFS Closing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont think most people think its all the fault of RG but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think the exodus of families that happened (largely due to concerns about school culture) made things far worse. Even those who stayed may have been less generous with donations because of dissatisfaction with the school.

Yes, lots of things and many people contributed to this including some from long ago but it really seems that Rodney left the school worse than he found it.

And how do you explain the mass exodus of families this year since he is not there?

his sudden firing didn’t help! (I was not a fan at all and would have been thrilled if instead of announcing his sudden departure (followed by other abrupt departures) they had announced he was leaving in a year. That’s certainly not rg’s fault but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play a big role in what has happened.

This. The choices he made during his time there had a lasting negative impact. They don't just disappear because he's gone.

It wasn't only because of him, of course, but he was a big factor.

So what else was it? Sounds like you need to focus on that because he is not a factor anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are members. We have signed up. There is nothing substantiated or even close.

The school only had 34 9th graders coming in. The class of 2026 has 77. There's no way to keep the school going next year. The board has had years to secure necessary $ and failed.

There is no angel investor or coalition of donors who are swooping in to save the day. Sadly.

Where did you get this number of only 34 9th graders coming in?
Is that the total of rising 8th from within + any new kids that accepted?

We are a rising 9th grade family and are looking for placement but have a reasonable public option. I'm following the Coalition updates, but if there are this few kids in 9th next year (assuming they would even consider staying if the school reopens), that would worry me a whole heck of a lot.

I’m not trying to be mean but what made you decide to come here during such a tumultuous year? Not that you could knit school would close - but new hos, still no assistant hos, fired cfo, new Ms head, new Ls head, pending repairs … not sure what sold you on the school? Did you get great fin aid?

The 8th grade class is usually around 50-60 kids, so 34 is low even for returning kids. A typical 9th grade class should be around 80.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:What exactly happened with RG? There are a lot of vague posts pointing fingers at him. Is the issue really him, or is it that many white people support diversity only in theory—just as long as it doesn’t challenge their comfort.

It sounds like he walked into a situation that was already fraught and in decline. SSFS is lucky anyone took that on when finances were unstable.

That’s a whole other thread. Go read it. But NO. This is not a race issue. If the ppl of ssfs are one thing it NOT racist. I hate when ppl assume if we didn’t like RG it’s cause we were racist. Why can’t he just be an incompetent and enthical narcissist and that’s why students and faculty alike couldn’t stand him?

I’m pretty sure a school that bit, you can’t vouch for everyone’s character. Everyone would be appalled to be called a racist

+1. Our responsibility for breaking down systemic and intrinsic racism doesn’t end when we join a community that says diversity is a priority.

Goodness. There wasn’t systemic and intrinsic racism at ssfs! If there was why are so many ppl wanting to save it? Ssfs had far less than the usual demographic spread of racism. If there is one thing that was good about ssfs it was that.

But RG called it a white plantation (did he even know Quaker history?) found “diversity problems” only his company could fix. If you experienced racism yourself speak to that, otherwise don’t insult the ppl here that the only reason they didn’t like RG was systemic racism.

NP here.

Racism in the United States is not just an individual issue—it’s systemic, embedded in the country’s institutions, laws, and history. To claim that any space is entirely free of racism ignores this reality. Biases, whether conscious or unconscious, exist in all of us, shaped by the society in which we live.

The end of legal slavery did not erase its legacy. Structural inequality persists, and its effects are still deeply felt today. Denial or defensiveness in response to these truths often signals a lack of engagement with the deeper, necessary work of reflection and education.

This conversation is not about assigning personal blame, but about encouraging awareness and responsibility. Recognizing the existence of systemic racism is a critical step toward meaningful change.

Making an assumption about my race and experience is telling. As I suspect it will change how you read this: I offer this as a white parent at a primarily white school.

Nobody is saying that racism did not exist at all at SSFS. Of course it did, just like it exists everywhere. But the comment that RG said about SSFS being a white plantation (did he really say that???) is ridiculous. Speaking as a minority and former member of the SSFS community, I can say that the School did the work and talked the talk when it came to diversity, inclusion, and race - Really, not a month went by that there wasn't something DEI based - a charge toward forming racial affinity groups, or attending diversity and inclusion workshops, having community discussions, having trans members of the community give a talk, and on and on.

Being a minority doesn’t qualify you to assess DEI.

The school protests too much . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSFS wasn’t particularly racist. But was deathly afraid of being called racist

There it is.

And that is a dangerous position. If white parents cannot acknowledge this, they are not as evolved as they want to think they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SSFS wasn’t particularly racist. But was deathly afraid of being called racist

There it is.

And that is a dangerous position. If white parents cannot acknowledge this, they are not as evolved as they want to think they are.

+1

[Anonymous]

People claimed he likened SSFS to a plantation.

That is false.

He said, “Independent schools were built to replicate a plantation mentality.”

That is true.

Enrollment in private schools spiked after Brown vs BOE, as white families fled public schools.

https://southerneducation.org/publications/history-of-private-schools-and-race-in-the-american-south

This is a complex and nuanced topic, not easily discussed in a forum like this. However, the independent school experience—even at well respected liberal schools—is not as rosy for kids of color as it is for white kids.

See any of the @blackatXXX IG pages. There’s even one for SSFS.

https://www.instagram.com/blackatssfs

This isn’t only an SSFS problem. It’s likely worse at other schools that are less diverse and inclusive. But it doesn’t mean there is no racism, either overt or covert, at SSFS.

[Anonymous]

His comment was made at Dalton in NY. It was a criticism of independent schools as a collective, not about SSFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People claimed he likened SSFS to a plantation.

That is false.

He said, “Independent schools were built to replicate a plantation mentality.”

That is true.

Enrollment in private schools spiked after Brown vs BOE, as white families fled public schools.

https://southerneducation.org/publications/history-of-private-schools-and-race-in-the-american-south

This is a complex and nuanced topic, not easily discussed in a forum like this. However, the independent school experience—even at well respected liberal schools—is not as rosy for kids of color as it is for white kids.

See any of the @blackatXXX IG pages. There’s even one for SSFS.

https://www.instagram.com/blackatssfs

This isn’t only an SSFS problem. It’s likely worse at other schools that are less diverse and inclusive. But it doesn’t mean there is no racism, either overt or covert, at SSFS.

+1

[Anonymous]

That cannot be as I have read countless pages of criticism on both former heads on here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont think most people think its all the fault of RG but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think the exodus of families that happened (largely due to concerns about school culture) made things far worse. Even those who stayed may have been less generous with donations because of dissatisfaction with the school.

Yes, lots of things and many people contributed to this including some from long ago but it really seems that Rodney left the school worse than he found it.

And how do you explain the mass exodus of families this year since he is not there?

his sudden firing didn’t help! (I was not a fan at all and would have been thrilled if instead of announcing his sudden departure (followed by other abrupt departures) they had announced he was leaving in a year. That’s certainly not rg’s fault but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play a big role in what has happened.

So people hated him but left because he left?

How dense are you? Clearly you’re an RG Crony. People left and continue to leave cause RG destroyed the school. His leaving alone couldn’t fix it clearly.

Not dense. Just not naive or short-sighted. You still haven’t named any factors other than RG, who is gone, that led to low enrollment for next year and the school closing. I’m not a crony but you sure seem to have a personal vendetta.

So that many families saw the school spiraling for a variety of reasons, and that’s why they must have pulled out isn’t proof enough the school was in bad shape?

I never implied RG was the schools only problem. I simply said ppl didn’t dislike RG cause they were racist. It’s because he was a horrible hos doing long term damage to the school which is likely to effect enrollment for years

There are definitely a variety of reasons. You seem to be focused on one reason, in your opinion, and that reason is gone. So being clear on what the other reasons are would be most helpful.

This is because you don't see any problems with the school itself or you're just curious to see what problems I have been seeing in this school in the last several years?

There are entire threads with the problem with this school in the last few years. Quality of the academics (specially in the US) had dropped post pandemic. Displine in the class room was an issue. 4 head of Us in 4 years was an issue. The lack of course offerings compared to other school of similar tuition was an issue. The tuition hikes without increasing course options was an issue. These are just a few reasons why the school didn't seem like a value added anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That cannot be as I have read countless pages of criticism on both former heads on here.

You have to hit certain topics regarding his business dealings. not just say you dont like him

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont think most people think its all the fault of RG but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think the exodus of families that happened (largely due to concerns about school culture) made things far worse. Even those who stayed may have been less generous with donations because of dissatisfaction with the school.

Yes, lots of things and many people contributed to this including some from long ago but it really seems that Rodney left the school worse than he found it.

And how do you explain the mass exodus of families this year since he is not there?

his sudden firing didn’t help! (I was not a fan at all and would have been thrilled if instead of announcing his sudden departure (followed by other abrupt departures) they had announced he was leaving in a year. That’s certainly not rg’s fault but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play a big role in what has happened.

So people hated him but left because he left?

How dense are you? Clearly you’re an RG Crony. People left and continue to leave cause RG destroyed the school. His leaving alone couldn’t fix it clearly.

Not dense. Just not naive or short-sighted. You still haven’t named any factors other than RG, who is gone, that led to low enrollment for next year and the school closing. I’m not a crony but you sure seem to have a personal vendetta.

So that many families saw the school spiraling for a variety of reasons, and that’s why they must have pulled out isn’t proof enough the school was in bad shape?

I never implied RG was the schools only problem. I simply said ppl didn’t dislike RG cause they were racist. It’s because he was a horrible hos doing long term damage to the school which is likely to effect enrollment for years

There are definitely a variety of reasons. You seem to be focused on one reason, in your opinion, and that reason is gone. So being clear on what the other reasons are would be most helpful.

This is because you don't see any problems with the school itself or you're just curious to see what problems I have been seeing in this school in the last several years?

There are entire threads with the problem with this school in the last few years. Quality of the academics (specially in the US) had dropped post pandemic. Displine in the class room was an issue. 4 head of Us in 4 years was an issue. The lack of course offerings compared to other school of similar tuition was an issue. The tuition hikes without increasing course options was an issue. These are just a few reasons why the school didn't seem like a value added anymore.

Very helpful. And the issues go beyond the past few years, obviously. The school is closing from things that happened over at least the last 20 years, which is when the board decided to build more buildings using debt. And there is more than even that. If it’s about understanding what happened, then you have to look at all of it. This didn’t happen in 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:His comment was made at Dalton in NY. It was a criticism of independent schools as a collective, not about SSFS.

Perhaps, but saying a female summer camp counselor was racially profiling him just because she was doing her job and checking where he was going on campus during Covid certainly was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont think most people think its all the fault of RG but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think the exodus of families that happened (largely due to concerns about school culture) made things far worse. Even those who stayed may have been less generous with donations because of dissatisfaction with the school.

Yes, lots of things and many people contributed to this including some from long ago but it really seems that Rodney left the school worse than he found it.

And how do you explain the mass exodus of families this year since he is not there?

his sudden firing didn’t help! (I was not a fan at all and would have been thrilled if instead of announcing his sudden departure (followed by other abrupt departures) they had announced he was leaving in a year. That’s certainly not rg’s fault but that doesn’t mean he didn’t play a big role in what has happened.

So people hated him but left because he left?

How dense are you? Clearly you’re an RG Crony. People left and continue to leave cause RG destroyed the school. His leaving alone couldn’t fix it clearly.

Not dense. Just not naive or short-sighted. You still haven’t named any factors other than RG, who is gone, that led to low enrollment for next year and the school closing. I’m not a crony but you sure seem to have a personal vendetta.

So that many families saw the school spiraling for a variety of reasons, and that’s why they must have pulled out isn’t proof enough the school was in bad shape?

I never implied RG was the schools only problem. I simply said ppl didn’t dislike RG cause they were racist. It’s because he was a horrible hos doing long term damage to the school which is likely to effect enrollment for years

There are definitely a variety of reasons. You seem to be focused on one reason, in your opinion, and that reason is gone. So being clear on what the other reasons are would be most helpful.

This is because you don't see any problems with the school itself or you're just curious to see what problems I have been seeing in this school in the last several years?

There are entire threads with the problem with this school in the last few years. Quality of the academics (specially in the US) had dropped post pandemic. Displine in the class room was an issue. 4 head of Us in 4 years was an issue. The lack of course offerings compared to other school of similar tuition was an issue. The tuition hikes without increasing course options was an issue. These are just a few reasons why the school didn't seem like a value added anymore.

It’s telling when alum “Lifers” leave to teach and coach elsewhere. I just checked the website and was shocked at the number of people no longer listed that I NEVER imagined would leave (and some I imagined didn’t have options to leave, but I suppose post-COVID lots of positions probably opened up elsewhere).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d love to hear from the moderator about what the line is to avoid having your posts deleted or not…

Currently it seems as if any criticism of RG warrants removal.

This has been going on for a while. Not just this thread either.

I think one of the lines may be truth versus slander based on rumor and misinformation.