SSFS HOS leaving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s going well, actually. Upper school.

3 days in, it’s good. But 3 days in what can go wrong.

[Anonymous]

Great start to the year for us (Upper School) - happy kid, got the classes they wanted, clear and thoughtful notes from teachers, and big smiles and good energy all the way around. Hooray!

[Anonymous]

New middle schooler came home happy and talking about their new friends and teachers. Can't ask for much more from the start of MS.

[Anonymous]

New family to the Upper School - so far so good. My kid likes their classes, teachers, classmates, and it's been a really warm welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...all the kids registered for my DC grade did not show up this week..found out they made alternate choices for their kids for this school year but are still showing as registered for the first week..wow

Geez, relax people. Not the PP, but this sentence is still technically correct even if only 1 registered student didn't show up. It doesn't mean that every student didn't show up.

[Anonymous]

I've been reading through this thread for a while and finally need to set the record straight on a bunch of things. I am a current SSFS employee for several years with alot of accurate information.
1-when Rodney was hired the board knew and welcomed him and The Glasgow Group because they knew it would bring attention and money to the school, which he did
2-prior to Rodney, Tom Gibian put people in leadership positions in the school with no experience and this is why today, the school is in this dire financial position
3-both the middle school and PAC were built 10 years ago but the board did not set aside any money for repairs or maintenance and last year the roof of both buildings began to fail which will cost millions to replace
4-the previous COO spent money on patch repair jobs across campus which is why the school buildings are in such disrepair now (modulars for LS classes with caved in floors that Rodney finally made her get rid of, mold in the LS covered up this summer with cheap laminate flooring and a coat of paint, a MS building with HVAC that is currently failing)
5-the school launched a campaign over 8 years ago to build the upper school building but didn't collect on all the money pledged because the advancement team didn't know what they were doing so we have a new building that is already in debt and brings in water every time it rains
6-the board "pushed" Rodney to resign because they and many old Sandy Springers want the school to go back to being majority white and Quaker
7-you will already see a pullback of all DEI work and an exodus of students and employees of color
8-the board is using Christine to make changes that they want and then they will either fire her or she will quit
9-the board will be closing the boarding program because they believe it is losing the school money
10-the board has brought back Tom Gibian so that he can run the school
Its time for some truth to be shared on this forum instead of gossip and assumptions. You don't have to like Rodney but he is not the cause of the schools financial problems which began YEARS ago. Ultimately, all these changes and decisions are being made by a few loud voices on the board in an attempt to make Sandy Spring great again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been reading through this thread for a while and finally need to set the record straight on a bunch of things. I am a current SSFS employee for several years with alot of accurate information.
1-when Rodney was hired the board knew and welcomed him and The Glasgow Group because they knew it would bring attention and money to the school, which he did
2-prior to Rodney, Tom Gibian put people in leadership positions in the school with no experience and this is why today, the school is in this dire financial position
3-both the middle school and PAC were built 10 years ago but the board did not set aside any money for repairs or maintenance and last year the roof of both buildings began to fail which will cost millions to replace
4-the previous COO spent money on patch repair jobs across campus which is why the school buildings are in such disrepair now (modulars for LS classes with caved in floors that Rodney finally made her get rid of, mold in the LS covered up this summer with cheap laminate flooring and a coat of paint, a MS building with HVAC that is currently failing)
5-the school launched a campaign over 8 years ago to build the upper school building but didn't collect on all the money pledged because the advancement team didn't know what they were doing so we have a new building that is already in debt and brings in water every time it rains
6-the board "pushed" Rodney to resign because they and many old Sandy Springers want the school to go back to being majority white and Quaker
7-you will already see a pullback of all DEI work and an exodus of students and employees of color
8-the board is using Christine to make changes that they want and then they will either fire her or she will quit
9-the board will be closing the boarding program because they believe it is losing the school money
10-the board has brought back Tom Gibian so that he can run the school
Its time for some truth to be shared on this forum instead of gossip and assumptions. You don't have to like Rodney but he is not the cause of the schools financial problems which began YEARS ago. Ultimately, all these changes and decisions are being made by a few loud voices on the board in an attempt to make Sandy Spring great again.

Thank you for this information. I knew there had to be more to the story than the gossip mongers among here who blamed Rodney for everything.

[Anonymous]

The PAC is at least 15 years old, and I haven't seen, nor do I expect to see, an exodus of students of color. Other than that, I don't know about the veracity of the 9:22 message, but I do know that the energy at back to school night was very positive, and I'm very happy with my child's teachers/classes this year.

[Anonymous]

US BTS night was full of school spirit and highly educated teachers, and classes were packed with parents. Some new teachers, many have been there for years.

[Anonymous]

New family with kid at US. Child enjoying it so far and we have been impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been reading through this thread for a while and finally need to set the record straight on a bunch of things. I am a current SSFS employee for several years with alot of accurate information.
1-when Rodney was hired the board knew and welcomed him and The Glasgow Group because they knew it would bring attention and money to the school, which he did
2-prior to Rodney, Tom Gibian put people in leadership positions in the school with no experience and this is why today, the school is in this dire financial position
3-both the middle school and PAC were built 10 years ago but the board did not set aside any money for repairs or maintenance and last year the roof of both buildings began to fail which will cost millions to replace
4-the previous COO spent money on patch repair jobs across campus which is why the school buildings are in such disrepair now (modulars for LS classes with caved in floors that Rodney finally made her get rid of, mold in the LS covered up this summer with cheap laminate flooring and a coat of paint, a MS building with HVAC that is currently failing)
5-the school launched a campaign over 8 years ago to build the upper school building but didn't collect on all the money pledged because the advancement team didn't know what they were doing so we have a new building that is already in debt and brings in water every time it rains
6-the board "pushed" Rodney to resign because they and many old Sandy Springers want the school to go back to being majority white and Quaker
7-you will already see a pullback of all DEI work and an exodus of students and employees of color
8-the board is using Christine to make changes that they want and then they will either fire her or she will quit
9-the board will be closing the boarding program because they believe it is losing the school money
10-the board has brought back Tom Gibian so that he can run the school
Its time for some truth to be shared on this forum instead of gossip and assumptions. You don't have to like Rodney but he is not the cause of the schools financial problems which began YEARS ago. Ultimately, all these changes and decisions are being made by a few loud voices on the board in an attempt to make Sandy Spring great again.

The explanations offered here are full of contradictions. If Rodney was hired to bring in money and attention (which should lead to money), where's the money? Left out of your post is any explanation of the mass exodus that took place before Rodney was pushed out. Why do you continue to work at SSFS if it is the sinking ship that you are describing? Maybe you should have followed Rodney.

My kiddos are happy so far at the start of this school year and I am cheering for SSFS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been reading through this thread for a while and finally need to set the record straight on a bunch of things. I am a current SSFS employee for several years with alot of accurate information.
1-when Rodney was hired the board knew and welcomed him and The Glasgow Group because they knew it would bring attention and money to the school, which he did
2-prior to Rodney, Tom Gibian put people in leadership positions in the school with no experience and this is why today, the school is in this dire financial position
3-both the middle school and PAC were built 10 years ago but the board did not set aside any money for repairs or maintenance and last year the roof of both buildings began to fail which will cost millions to replace
4-the previous COO spent money on patch repair jobs across campus which is why the school buildings are in such disrepair now (modulars for LS classes with caved in floors that Rodney finally made her get rid of, mold in the LS covered up this summer with cheap laminate flooring and a coat of paint, a MS building with HVAC that is currently failing)
5-the school launched a campaign over 8 years ago to build the upper school building but didn't collect on all the money pledged because the advancement team didn't know what they were doing so we have a new building that is already in debt and brings in water every time it rains
6-the board "pushed" Rodney to resign because they and many old Sandy Springers want the school to go back to being majority white and Quaker
7-you will already see a pullback of all DEI work and an exodus of students and employees of color
8-the board is using Christine to make changes that they want and then they will either fire her or she will quit
9-the board will be closing the boarding program because they believe it is losing the school money
10-the board has brought back Tom Gibian so that he can run the school
Its time for some truth to be shared on this forum instead of gossip and assumptions. You don't have to like Rodney but he is not the cause of the schools financial problems which began YEARS ago. Ultimately, all these changes and decisions are being made by a few loud voices on the board in an attempt to make Sandy Spring great again.

Thank you for this information. I knew there had to be more to the story than the gossip mongers among here who blamed Rodney for everything.

Not sure how you’re concluding that this person instead of the numerous others is somehow the “real story”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been reading through this thread for a while and finally need to set the record straight on a bunch of things. I am a current SSFS employee for several years with alot of accurate information.
1-when Rodney was hired the board knew and welcomed him and The Glasgow Group because they knew it would bring attention and money to the school, which he did
2-prior to Rodney, Tom Gibian put people in leadership positions in the school with no experience and this is why today, the school is in this dire financial position
3-both the middle school and PAC were built 10 years ago but the board did not set aside any money for repairs or maintenance and last year the roof of both buildings began to fail which will cost millions to replace
4-the previous COO spent money on patch repair jobs across campus which is why the school buildings are in such disrepair now (modulars for LS classes with caved in floors that Rodney finally made her get rid of, mold in the LS covered up this summer with cheap laminate flooring and a coat of paint, a MS building with HVAC that is currently failing)
5-the school launched a campaign over 8 years ago to build the upper school building but didn't collect on all the money pledged because the advancement team didn't know what they were doing so we have a new building that is already in debt and brings in water every time it rains
6-the board "pushed" Rodney to resign because they and many old Sandy Springers want the school to go back to being majority white and Quaker
7-you will already see a pullback of all DEI work and an exodus of students and employees of color
8-the board is using Christine to make changes that they want and then they will either fire her or she will quit
9-the board will be closing the boarding program because they believe it is losing the school money
10-the board has brought back Tom Gibian so that he can run the school
Its time for some truth to be shared on this forum instead of gossip and assumptions. You don't have to like Rodney but he is not the cause of the schools financial problems which began YEARS ago. Ultimately, all these changes and decisions are being made by a few loud voices on the board in an attempt to make Sandy Spring great again.

The tone here is too obnoxious to not take it with a grain of salt. Maga reference ? Really? I recognize some true statements in here but the vast majority sounds like someone trying their hand at a little RG damage control.

[Anonymous]

Former MS family here! We are a Black family and we left because of Rodney, point blank. Many families (of all ethnic backgrounds) left due to inflexibility (and contradictions) around high school contract signing and acceptances. It was a fiasco that resulted in a formal petition signed by 36% of the 8th grade families requesting an extension on the commitment and deposit date (which they moved up after telling us we had time to wait to hear back from other schools). The level of condescension that we were meant when we shared the results and made the formal ask were all I needed to make the decision for my family to leave at the EOY. Rodney was literally bullying me via email (I led the petition with two other moms), claiming petitions go against Quaker values (despite the Quakers being the first religious organization to form a petition against slavery in 1688, a point which I raised and just set him off even further). He continued responding defensively and I eventually just stopped engaging.

We miss the teachers everyday, and my child ended up getting into another amazing high school, but the experience many families had in those final weeks/months left us sad and feeling disposable. I only found out tonight from another former SSFS parent about Rodney's departure and the school is absolutely better for it. Many of our children of color would still be there if it weren't for him. How ironic given his "DEI" expertise. We ran for the hills. They lost a lot of good kids and families in 2023.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former MS family here! We are a Black family and we left because of Rodney, point blank. Many families (of all ethnic backgrounds) left due to inflexibility (and contradictions) around high school contract signing and acceptances. It was a fiasco that resulted in a formal petition signed by 36% of the 8th grade families requesting an extension on the commitment and deposit date (which they moved up after telling us we had time to wait to hear back from other schools). The level of condescension that we were meant when we shared the results and made the formal ask were all I needed to make the decision for my family to leave at the EOY. Rodney was literally bullying me via email (I led the petition with two other moms), claiming petitions go against Quaker values (despite the Quakers being the first religious organization to form a petition against slavery in 1688, a point which I raised and just set him off even further). He continued responding defensively and I eventually just stopped engaging.

We miss the teachers everyday, and my child ended up getting into another amazing high school, but the experience many families had in those final weeks/months left us sad and feeling disposable. I only found out tonight from another former SSFS parent about Rodney's departure and the school is absolutely better for it. Many of our children of color would still be there if it weren't for him. How ironic given his "DEI" expertise. We ran for the hills. They lost a lot of good kids and families in 2023.

Yup, this is the Rodney I knew.