Why do people keep leaving? What it mostly comes down to is BASIS Independent McLean values money over people and will always be run as a business and not a school. That, and it requires people to basically sell their souls to work there. If you can not care about what's best for students, families, or your colleagues...If you can be a puppet for the central office/private equity group, you can be successful working there.

For those wanting to know specific reasons why people keep leaving, here's why some folks have left in the past few years:

-Admissions has become so desperate to fill the school, they will let in anyone. Even when the teachers/deans/directors advise not to admit a student who may not be the best fit, there is pushback from central office because they don't care whether the student will be successful or not, they just want the tuition $$. Accepting students who are not a good fit not only hurts those students, but it hurts the peers of those students whose classroom experience is now diluted because teachers and deans are focused on helping the student who should have never been admitted in the first place.

-The school does not care about its staff as human beings. Only as employees who can make them $$. People have resigned after being denied taking unpaid leave to visit a dying family member in hospice or using PTO to take care of a newborn. Staff are reprimanded by the Head of Operations for celebrating each other's birthdays or sending care gifts when colleagues are sick. Things that build connection, community, and a sense of appreciation at other workplaces are not allowed here.

-The model keeps changing. It doesn't just impact families and students when BIM decides to change its model to save some $$. The early learning teachers' workloads doubled when they changed the model from a two-teacher classroom with different subject matter experts to a one teacher and one teaching fellow model with a few weeks notice before school started. Everyone was impacted when they cut a middle school dean position a few months into the school year with no plan on who would take on middle school student support. And, when they cut an Engineering teacher and then decided it didn't matter if the course was taught by a subject matter expert and made anyone who would fold under their pressure give up planning time to teach the class. Whether or not the school actually has a high school dean (and not just a teacher that they make work extra) changes every year, too. Have you noticed they removed listing class sizes on their website and marketing materials? It's so they can change those on a whim as well.

-There is no professional development, coaching, or support for anyone on campus. The people in leadership positions are not qualified (because when they hire smart, qualified people they push back on all of the above to the point of exhaustion and leave). The people who stay really embody everything that makes a poor leader: bad communication skills, no adaptability, micromanagement, a know-it-all attitude, no accountability, no expressions of appreciation, no integrity, no building of culture or community, etc.

It is truly a toxic workplace. And even if it hasn't yet, it will unfortunately inevitably trickle down to the student experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

Who else is going now??!!

Are there new resignations since the two in operations?

They appear to have three immediate teaching job openings listed at the moment. That's the real tell; they have to advertise any open position.

I pity the other teachers who are having to cover the missing gaps in the schedule.

They also keep reposting those three open positions, which means they are having a difficult time finding teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

Who else is going now??!!

Are there new resignations since the two in operations?

They appear to have three immediate teaching job openings listed at the moment. That's the real tell; they have to advertise any open position.

I pity the other teachers who are having to cover the missing gaps in the schedule.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

Who else is going now??!!

Are there new resignations since the two in operations?

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

Who else is going now??!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

The communications director announced on LinkedIn that she is leaving. Anybody else? I talked to one teacher who is very open to moving next year but won't desert the kids right now.

Given this head is new (again), but at least been with Basis a long time - why are the admin and teachers leaving under him?

The Hos is not the reason why people re leaving. Specially the admin staff since the Hos doesn't manage them. I personally think the new hos is promising . Our DC is happy at Basis so we are hoping he stays and makes some changes.

The only reasons people leave a school during the school year are a fabulous opportunity elsewhere (rare during the school year), personal issues like moving or family crises, and just getting too fed up with the school to stay.

Whether it's the HoS, the head of ops, the corporate ownership, or all of the above, BIM is clearly not a positive workplace environment now. Students are lucky if they stay insulated and don't happen to lose a favorite teacher suddenly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

The communications director announced on LinkedIn that she is leaving. Anybody else? I talked to one teacher who is very open to moving next year but won't desert the kids right now.

Given this head is new (again), but at least been with Basis a long time - why are the admin and teachers leaving under him?

The Hos is not the reason why people re leaving. Specially the admin staff since the Hos doesn't manage them. I personally think the new hos is promising . Our DC is happy at Basis so we are hoping he stays and makes some changes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

The communications director announced on LinkedIn that she is leaving. Anybody else? I talked to one teacher who is very open to moving next year but won't desert the kids right now.

Given this head is new (again), but at least been with Basis a long time - why are the admin and teachers leaving under him?

The previous HoS tried to put his stamp on the school but was undercut at every turn by corporate management. Sounds like this guy is coming in fast and hard with this particular style and doesn't mind driving away the old guard if that's the price to pay.

Management instability is a feature at BIM, not a bug.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

The communications director announced on LinkedIn that she is leaving. Anybody else? I talked to one teacher who is very open to moving next year but won't desert the kids right now.

Given this head is new (again), but at least been with Basis a long time - why are the admin and teachers leaving under him?

Anonymous wrote:seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

The communications director announced on LinkedIn that she is leaving. Anybody else? I talked to one teacher who is very open to moving next year but won't desert the kids right now.

seems like another wave of BIM resignations is happening this week. Genuinely curious to see how many quit over winter break.

Anonymous wrote:This Thanksgiving, I am so thankful to no longer be affiliated with this disaster of a school. I hope the current staff and families are happy there and will continue to feel that way, but I can’t believe how much happier my children and I are to be done with BIM.

+1 the toxic environment is even more obvious in the rear view mirror

This Thanksgiving, I am so thankful to no longer be affiliated with this disaster of a school. I hope the current staff and families are happy there and will continue to feel that way, but I can’t believe how much happier my children and I are to be done with BIM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happened to the Academy program?

Add it to the list of “what happened to…” The HoS who was committed to see our kids graduate, and the next one, and the next one, etc.. making great learning spaces in the empty half of the building and not trying to lease the space to share the school with a BUSINESS to generate income to make up for only getting or keeping to less than 50% of projected enrollment. Having a cafeteria. Having appropriate facilities for older students including not having to share a micro gym - sometimes at the same time as - elementary school students. Having multiple sports teams. Having amazing capstone opportunities each year during project week with unparalleled learning experiences instead of half day childcare activities. Having only the best teachers who don’t quit with abnormal frequency during the school year. The list goes on. So disappointing.

thank you. so many promises made and then broken. bait and switch again and again. it is not right. You cannot trust what they tell you about anything. Their track record proves that.

Anonymous wrote:What happened to the Academy program?

Add it to the list of “what happened to…” The HoS who was committed to see our kids graduate, and the next one, and the next one, etc.. making great learning spaces in the empty half of the building and not trying to lease the space to share the school with a BUSINESS to generate income to make up for only getting or keeping to less than 50% of projected enrollment. Having a cafeteria. Having appropriate facilities for older students including not having to share a micro gym - sometimes at the same time as - elementary school students. Having multiple sports teams. Having amazing capstone opportunities each year during project week with unparalleled learning experiences instead of half day childcare activities. Having only the best teachers who don’t quit with abnormal frequency during the school year. The list goes on. So disappointing.