Anonymous wrote:
One school is still going. The other was never started. In 2009, she was a co-founder and original head of school of National Collegiate in SE, which is an IB school. She was a co-founder with the present Head of School. The IB certification for the school mentions her prior experience and her PhD: Assistant Headmaster and Director of Operations and Student Affairs at New Mission High School in Boston, MA, ten years experience as a middle and high school teacher in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C, Ed.M and Ed.D in Educational Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education

Here's the link:

https://www.dcpcsb.org/sites/default/files/report/National%20Collegiate%20Prep%20PCS%20-%20Charter%20Review%20Appendix.compressed.pdf

The second DC PCS was Washington Day School PCS. It was supposed to be a K-8 schhol. And it had a final charter application in 2012 but was never approved. It also has the same bio details including her PhD.

Here's the link:

http://www.dcpcsb.org/sites/default/files/241812526-1-Washington-Day-School-Application-Copy.pdf

So SSMA is the 4th Charter School she has worked for, including the one in Boston, Mew Mission.

She clearly has a lot of experience in education. But a lot of it is as a researcher and consultant (including as a charter school consultant). From what I can tell she has never worked in a school with pre-school or elementary kids. The sense I get is that she feels comfortable in an established bureacracy. But her lack of organization, poor interpersonal skills and aloofness make running a new school for younger kids a lot more challenging. Just my opinion

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest at SSMA: most parents don't know this yet but there is a mass exodus of teachers and administrators coming. The way this situation with the principal was handled has had a massively negative impact on retention.


If you have a good relationship with your child's guide, ask your guide if he or she is coming back next year.

I’m a parent of an incoming Pk3 and I’m so nervous after reading this thread, I’ve put our IB school back on our lottery list. My child is in the 30s on other waitlists, but I don’t know we’ll get any other offers by fall.

Besides the mass exodus of great teachers, what’s the worst case scenario of what could happen at SSMA by the time classes begin in the fall?

This is a response to you and to a few other resent posters.

SSMA has the makings of a really good school. It has dedicated guides, a diverse student body and a strong parent community. What's more is it provides a free quality Montessori education. Those are huge positives. I have nothing negative to say about the quality of instruction.

But, of course, the school also has some huge negatives. And that's why there are people on DCUM stirring the pot. SSMA has a Facebook group and a lot of private discussions occur there for people in the SSMA community. These back and forths can be heated but they're private. Not everyone uses Facebook though. So I suspect some people have taken to DCUM to express their concerns for that reason and as a way of warning people outside the SSMA community of the issues at play.

The heating, air conditioning and turnover issues are all symptomatic of the core issue at SSMA which is admin. The ED really does care about education. There's no question about that. She has dedicated her life to it. And this is her third attempt at setting up or leading a PCS in the DC school system. But unfortunately she is a disaster as an administrator: unorganized, thin-skinned, and sometimes downright rude and nasty. The reason guides are leaving en masse is the same reason that the school has had 4 principals in five years: when people see how the ED operates up close, they become alarmed. She operates first and foremost by instilling fear. Ask anyone who works there. Seriously.Just ask, "Does Shining Stars have a culture of fear?" And see what response you get. Anyone not loyal to her -- and she has brought in a few people from her personal life like friends, Uber driver, babysitter, friend's personal trainer, etc, etc -- had better show loyalty to her or she will tear them apart. And either she ejects them or they leave of their own accord. This year will be particularly bad. Think about how the principal left: mid-year, mid-day, 5 weeks before school ended. Why? It goes to the ED's character. This was shockingly mean-spirited.

When the next year begins, it's basic organization that will be the problem. The worst case scenario is chaos on the organizational level: not enough teachers, classes out of ratio because they have no subs, classrooms not ready for students, air conditioning breaking again, no one at carpool to take children into the classrooms, school supplies not ordered. The ED is disorganized and the principal masked that disorganization. With her gone, the chaos has already started. And so some very good people are going to not be there next year. And when those people leave, other people will leave too - because that's how organizations work; people stay because of other people and leave because of other people.

So the worst case scenario is not just disorganization but also a loss of qualified teachers. And it's all so disappointing, heartbreaking even. Shining Stars is a great school in so many ways. But the ED is her own worst enemy.

P.S. - She did lose a son this year and she lost her mother last year too. I can't say if that has affected her behavior.

What happened to the two other schools she cofounder? What were the circumstances of her departure from them? How are they doing?

I thought she moved to DC from Boston to lead Shining Stars, not that she was a veteran of DC charters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The latest at SSMA: most parents don't know this yet but there is a mass exodus of teachers and administrators coming. The way this situation with the principal was handled has had a massively negative impact on retention.


If you have a good relationship with your child's guide, ask your guide if he or she is coming back next year.

I’m a parent of an incoming Pk3 and I’m so nervous after reading this thread, I’ve put our IB school back on our lottery list. My child is in the 30s on other waitlists, but I don’t know we’ll get any other offers by fall.

Besides the mass exodus of great teachers, what’s the worst case scenario of what could happen at SSMA by the time classes begin in the fall?

This is a response to you and to a few other resent posters.

SSMA has the makings of a really good school. It has dedicated guides, a diverse student body and a strong parent community. What's more is it provides a free quality Montessori education. Those are huge positives. I have nothing negative to say about the quality of instruction.

But, of course, the school also has some huge negatives. And that's why there are people on DCUM stirring the pot. SSMA has a Facebook group and a lot of private discussions occur there for people in the SSMA community. These back and forths can be heated but they're private. Not everyone uses Facebook though. So I suspect some people have taken to DCUM to express their concerns for that reason and as a way of warning people outside the SSMA community of the issues at play.

The heating, air conditioning and turnover issues are all symptomatic of the core issue at SSMA which is admin. The ED really does care about education. There's no question about that. She has dedicated her life to it. And this is her third attempt at setting up or leading a PCS in the DC school system. But unfortunately she is a disaster as an administrator: unorganized, thin-skinned, and sometimes downright rude and nasty. The reason guides are leaving en masse is the same reason that the school has had 4 principals in five years: when people see how the ED operates up close, they become alarmed. She operates first and foremost by instilling fear. Ask anyone who works there. Seriously.Just ask, "Does Shining Stars have a culture of fear?" And see what response you get. Anyone not loyal to her -- and she has brought in a few people from her personal life like friends, Uber driver, babysitter, friend's personal trainer, etc, etc -- had better show loyalty to her or she will tear them apart. And either she ejects them or they leave of their own accord. This year will be particularly bad. Think about how the principal left: mid-year, mid-day, 5 weeks before school ended. Why? It goes to the ED's character. This was shockingly mean-spirited.

When the next year begins, it's basic organization that will be the problem. The worst case scenario is chaos on the organizational level: not enough teachers, classes out of ratio because they have no subs, classrooms not ready for students, air conditioning breaking again, no one at carpool to take children into the classrooms, school supplies not ordered. The ED is disorganized and the principal masked that disorganization. With her gone, the chaos has already started. And so some very good people are going to not be there next year. And when those people leave, other people will leave too - because that's how organizations work; people stay because of other people and leave because of other people.

So the worst case scenario is not just disorganization but also a loss of qualified teachers. And it's all so disappointing, heartbreaking even. Shining Stars is a great school in so many ways. But the ED is her own worst enemy.

P.S. - She did lose a son this year and she lost her mother last year too. I can't say if that has affected her behavior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On their staff page (http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/meet-our-staff.html) there are two blanks...one was the principal...not sure who the other one is...and there has been a new UE teacher for each of the two years they have had an UE....there is also a job posting for UE - someone said it was in shambles...changes seem to be already happening....

Someone must be making changes to the website because the Board of Directors page has changed too. Now there are only seven board members:

http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/board-of-trustees.html

My understanding is that this violates the school's bylaws. They must have nine board members.

Anonymous wrote:
The question by the poster at 10:35 suggests your worst case scenario is already happening. What can we do to stop the departures? I know people are going to say make the ED step down. I just don't see that happening. What else can Shining Stars do to retain guides for next year? This much turnover will kill the school.

I think there's the answer. The Community Association needs to select two new board members who will provide proper oversight.

Schools have a period of time (60 days?) to fill board vacancies.

Perfect opportunity for parents to chime in and help select two board members. If parents want to participate in decisions, helping select more board members can accomplish this.

There is zero chance that the Community Association will have any say in who's on the board. "Dr." R will choose two new alies.

Therein lies the problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On their staff page (http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/meet-our-staff.html) there are two blanks...one was the principal...not sure who the other one is...and there has been a new UE teacher for each of the two years they have had an UE....there is also a job posting for UE - someone said it was in shambles...changes seem to be already happening....

Someone must be making changes to the website because the Board of Directors page has changed too. Now there are only seven board members:

http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/board-of-trustees.html

My understanding is that this violates the school's bylaws. They must have nine board members.

Anonymous wrote:
The question by the poster at 10:35 suggests your worst case scenario is already happening. What can we do to stop the departures? I know people are going to say make the ED step down. I just don't see that happening. What else can Shining Stars do to retain guides for next year? This much turnover will kill the school.

I think there's the answer. The Community Association needs to select two new board members who will provide proper oversight.

Schools have a period of time (60 days?) to fill board vacancies.

Perfect opportunity for parents to chime in and help select two board members. If parents want to participate in decisions, helping select more board members can accomplish this.

There is zero chance that the Community Association will have any say in who's on the board. "Dr." R will choose two new alies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Parents have zero role in a charter school’s board member selection process.

You can suggest someone to the Board chair, but they are under no obligation to give your ideas any consideration.

I know for a fact that SSMA is required by the American Montessori Society to meet basic board governance criteria to remain an accredited school. And that specifically means

1. No board member may serve more than two consecutive terms. There is at least one who has done so.
2. The board must develop a succession plan for when key staff departs
3. The governance committee must consult with the PTO to select new board members

The SSMA board is not fulfilling its role as an accredited Montessori institution in terms of governance if it does not follow this process. And that accreditation can be revoked.

Montessori accreditation is not needed for them to operate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Parents have zero role in a charter school’s board member selection process.

You can suggest someone to the Board chair, but they are under no obligation to give your ideas any consideration.

I know for a fact that SSMA is required by the American Montessori Society to meet basic board governance criteria to remain an accredited school. And that specifically means

1. No board member may serve more than two consecutive terms. There is at least one who has done so.
2. The board must develop a succession plan for when key staff departs
3. The governance committee must consult with the PTO to select new board members

The SSMA board is not fulfilling its role as an accredited Montessori institution in terms of governance if it does not follow this process. And that accreditation can be revoked.

Montessori accreditation is not needed for them to operate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Parents have zero role in a charter school’s board member selection process.

You can suggest someone to the Board chair, but they are under no obligation to give your ideas any consideration.

I know for a fact that SSMA is required by the American Montessori Society to meet basic board governance criteria to remain an accredited school. And that specifically means

1. No board member may serve more than two consecutive terms. There is at least one who has done so.
2. The board must develop a succession plan for when key staff departs
3. The governance committee must consult with the PTO to select new board members

The SSMA board is not fulfilling its role as an accredited Montessori institution in terms of governance if it does not follow this process. And that accreditation can be revoked.

Anonymous wrote:^^ Parents have zero role in a charter school’s board member selection process.

You can suggest someone to the Board chair, but they are under no obligation to give your ideas any consideration.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On their staff page (http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/meet-our-staff.html) there are two blanks...one was the principal...not sure who the other one is...and there has been a new UE teacher for each of the two years they have had an UE....there is also a job posting for UE - someone said it was in shambles...changes seem to be already happening....

Someone must be making changes to the website because the Board of Directors page has changed too. Now there are only seven board members:

http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/board-of-trustees.html

My understanding is that this violates the school's bylaws. They must have nine board members.

Anonymous wrote:
The question by the poster at 10:35 suggests your worst case scenario is already happening. What can we do to stop the departures? I know people are going to say make the ED step down. I just don't see that happening. What else can Shining Stars do to retain guides for next year? This much turnover will kill the school.

I think there's the answer. The Community Association needs to select two new board members who will provide proper oversight.

Schools have a period of time (60 days?) to fill board vacancies.

Perfect opportunity for parents to chime in and help select two board members. If parents want to participate in decisions, helping select more board members can accomplish this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On their staff page (http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/meet-our-staff.html) there are two blanks...one was the principal...not sure who the other one is...and there has been a new UE teacher for each of the two years they have had an UE....there is also a job posting for UE - someone said it was in shambles...changes seem to be already happening....

Someone must be making changes to the website because the Board of Directors page has changed too. Now there are only seven board members:

http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/board-of-trustees.html

My understanding is that this violates the school's bylaws. They must have nine board members.

Anonymous wrote:
The question by the poster at 10:35 suggests your worst case scenario is already happening. What can we do to stop the departures? I know people are going to say make the ED step down. I just don't see that happening. What else can Shining Stars do to retain guides for next year? This much turnover will kill the school.

I think there's the answer. The Community Association needs to select two new board members who will provide proper oversight.

Schools have a period of time (60 days?) to fill board vacancies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On their staff page (http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/meet-our-staff.html) there are two blanks...one was the principal...not sure who the other one is...and there has been a new UE teacher for each of the two years they have had an UE....there is also a job posting for UE - someone said it was in shambles...changes seem to be already happening....

Someone must be making changes to the website because the Board of Directors page has changed too. Now there are only seven board members:

http://www.shiningstarspcs.org/our-school/board-of-trustees.html

My understanding is that this violates the school's bylaws. They must have nine board members.

Anonymous wrote:
The question by the poster at 10:35 suggests your worst case scenario is already happening. What can we do to stop the departures? I know people are going to say make the ED step down. I just don't see that happening. What else can Shining Stars do to retain guides for next year? This much turnover will kill the school.

I think there's the answer. The Community Association needs to select two new board members who will provide proper oversight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The question by the poster at 10:35 suggests your worst case scenario is already happening. What can we do to stop the departures? I know people are going to say make the ED step down. I just don't see that happening. What else can Shining Stars do to retain guides for next year? This much turnover will kill the school.

As one poster said, those who can get jobs elsewhere are going to. There is nothing else Shining Stars can do to retain Guides; there must be a leadership change.