The leadership has officially committed to the changes we requested regarding staff retention and school governance. It is a relief to see these concerns acknowledged and addressed. We should remain attentive as the administration begins this period of transition.
July 20, 2019
Final supporters
INSTRUCTIONS: Please read the letter below and, if you are in agreement with the requests and approach laid out, please sign the petition.
To Robyn Stearne, Head of School, and members of the Board of Trustees of The New School of Lancaster:
The mission of The New School of Lancaster is to facilitate the unfolding of each child’s unique potential through an outstanding Montessori education that enables a child to meet future challenges, and that encourages a love of learning, independent thinking, social responsibility and individuality in a peaceful atmosphere of respect and acceptance among children and adults.
We are parents and community members who care deeply for The New School, having seen our children flourish over the years in an educational community that, while imperfect, clearly strove to fulfill its mission in every aspect of day-to-day life. One of the Montessori model’s finest contributions is the opportunity for children to grow in curiosity, responsibility, and thoughtful dialogue and decision-making. This learning-through-example depends upon the adults in our school community. We have been lucky to send our children off every day to a place full of caring, committed, highly qualified teachers and staff whom we trust to model the New School mission for our children.
Given this, we are very concerned by the further teacher resignations announced in the May 30 email, in a year that has already seen unusual numbers of staff departures. Why are so many core faculty members leaving our school community, and what will it mean for our kids? By our calculations, over 50% of the current elementary and middle school faculty will not return next year.
We understand that transitioning to new leadership in any school can be a bumpy road. But many experienced, long-term teachers have chosen to leave within a very short period of time, some without securing future employment. We worry more resignations may be coming over the summer, and we worry about the continuity and quality of our children’s experience, as well as the morale of existing staff.
In addition, we were unsettled to learn of recent changes in our Board’s bylaws, especially the elimination of public board meetings and the effective elimination of term limits for both the President and Treasurer positions. We need a Board structure in keeping with our school’s mission that prioritizes values of collaboration, dialogue, and respect in its operations. Otherwise we risk a departure from the Montessori goal of parent education via involvement.
In order to ensure a school culture that builds on our many community strengths and that will retain excellent Montessori-trained teachers moving forward, we believe transparent communication and collaborative decision-making is essential. Towards these ends we propose:
- Implement a safe exit interview process for all teachers and board members who have resigned over the past school year and commit to responding to the issues identified.
- Adopt a formal problem-solving process with input from school leaders, teachers and parents that provides a safe process for raising concerns going forward and ensures follow-up on identified school concerns.
- Invite a neutral, third-party consultant to work with a team of parents, Board members and teachers from every grade level to implement a school climate improvement process, including a school climate survey appropriate for a Montessori context.
- Hold at least one Board meeting annually that is open to parents and teachers who would like to attend. Re-establish a routine communication channel between Trustees and the school community.
We offer these observations with the goal of promoting positive growth, renewing trust, and emboldening a sense of commitment to the mission of The New School of Lancaster amongst students, parents, teachers, administrators, and Board members.
We write this letter because we cherish the Montessori education our kids have enjoyed over the past years, and we look forward to a similar level of quality, care, and community for them and many other children in the years to come.
We request an all-community public meeting facilitated by a trained mediator, held no later than June 24th. The Head of School and Board should be present, in order to openly discuss these concerns and your response to our specific recommendations.
Signed,
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
June 8, 2019
80 Comments
I previously went to the New School and chose to leave because of changes in the administration and staff. I was part of the group of students who helped to choose the new principal and found that I didn't agree with how she wanted to change the school. She is too focused on profit and not the experience of students.
I am a grandparent of three students at the school (the Brogan children; one just graduated) and have been so impressed with the caring and superior teachers at the school. It is very concerning to see that so many of them have resigned over the recent year.
It is with a sad heart that I felt I had no choice but to resign my long time post at the New School. I am sorry things are being handled the way they are and am hopeful that changes in the right direction can be made. This school was built on trust and collaboration, community and integrity. Bring those things back!
I support every one of the points in this post, but feel even more strongly about #4. ALL board meetings used to be open, and I would like to see a return to that policy, or every other meeting at the very least.
Our family has been at The New School for 13 years. I am saddened to see the teachers we know and love leave at an alarming rate. I hope that we will be able to work together to support our teachers and rebuild the New School community.
We have a long history at The New School and our daughter went from her Toddler year through the end of eighth grade. Our son also thrived at The New School for four years. The New School was a warm, inclusive loving community for our entire family. Board meetings were open and inviting, as they should be. The current Top down "leadership" is not in the spirit of Montessori and is troubling to hear about. Often when matters reach this level of distress in an organization, the head of the organization is called upon to resign, not dig their heels in further. Teachers should feel free to sign the petition without concern that they may lose their jobs. Open communication is vital, especially at The New School. It is heartbreaking to see destructive policies and even more so to know the children will suffer because of it.
I have been honored to speak at the New School about protecting the Amazon rainforest and environmental activism. My nieces and nephew went there and I am very concerned about this issue. Please take the time to consult outside third parties to help resolve things. This will only benefit everyone involved. Thanks.
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The leadership has officially committed to the changes we requested regarding staff retention and school governance. It is a relief to see these concerns acknowledged and addressed. We should remain attentive as the administration begins this period of transition.
July 20, 2019
Final supporters
INSTRUCTIONS: Please read the letter below and, if you are in agreement with the requests and approach laid out, please sign the petition.
To Robyn Stearne, Head of School, and members of the Board of Trustees of The New School of Lancaster:
The mission of The New School of Lancaster is to facilitate the unfolding of each child’s unique potential through an outstanding Montessori education that enables a child to meet future challenges, and that encourages a love of learning, independent thinking, social responsibility and individuality in a peaceful atmosphere of respect and acceptance among children and adults.
We are parents and community members who care deeply for The New School, having seen our children flourish over the years in an educational community that, while imperfect, clearly strove to fulfill its mission in every aspect of day-to-day life. One of the Montessori model’s finest contributions is the opportunity for children to grow in curiosity, responsibility, and thoughtful dialogue and decision-making. This learning-through-example depends upon the adults in our school community. We have been lucky to send our children off every day to a place full of caring, committed, highly qualified teachers and staff whom we trust to model the New School mission for our children.
Given this, we are very concerned by the further teacher resignations announced in the May 30 email, in a year that has already seen unusual numbers of staff departures. Why are so many core faculty members leaving our school community, and what will it mean for our kids? By our calculations, over 50% of the current elementary and middle school faculty will not return next year.
We understand that transitioning to new leadership in any school can be a bumpy road. But many experienced, long-term teachers have chosen to leave within a very short period of time, some without securing future employment. We worry more resignations may be coming over the summer, and we worry about the continuity and quality of our children’s experience, as well as the morale of existing staff.
In addition, we were unsettled to learn of recent changes in our Board’s bylaws, especially the elimination of public board meetings and the effective elimination of term limits for both the President and Treasurer positions. We need a Board structure in keeping with our school’s mission that prioritizes values of collaboration, dialogue, and respect in its operations. Otherwise we risk a departure from the Montessori goal of parent education via involvement.
In order to ensure a school culture that builds on our many community strengths and that will retain excellent Montessori-trained teachers moving forward, we believe transparent communication and collaborative decision-making is essential. Towards these ends we propose:
- Implement a safe exit interview process for all teachers and board members who have resigned over the past school year and commit to responding to the issues identified.
- Adopt a formal problem-solving process with input from school leaders, teachers and parents that provides a safe process for raising concerns going forward and ensures follow-up on identified school concerns.
- Invite a neutral, third-party consultant to work with a team of parents, Board members and teachers from every grade level to implement a school climate improvement process, including a school climate survey appropriate for a Montessori context.
- Hold at least one Board meeting annually that is open to parents and teachers who would like to attend. Re-establish a routine communication channel between Trustees and the school community.
We offer these observations with the goal of promoting positive growth, renewing trust, and emboldening a sense of commitment to the mission of The New School of Lancaster amongst students, parents, teachers, administrators, and Board members.
We write this letter because we cherish the Montessori education our kids have enjoyed over the past years, and we look forward to a similar level of quality, care, and community for them and many other children in the years to come.
We request an all-community public meeting facilitated by a trained mediator, held no later than June 24th. The Head of School and Board should be present, in order to openly discuss these concerns and your response to our specific recommendations.
Signed,
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
June 8, 2019
80 Comments
As a former longtime parent and Board member, I am truly concerned by these developments. Term limits, open board meetings and true transparency are essential to a healthy organization.. Best of luck to the parents and this petition. I hope the school survives.
I previously went to the New School and chose to leave because of changes in the administration and staff. I was part of the group of students who helped to choose the new principal and found that I didn't agree with how she wanted to change the school. She is too focused on profit and not the experience of students.
I am a grandparent of three students at the school (the Brogan children; one just graduated) and have been so impressed with the caring and superior teachers at the school. It is very concerning to see that so many of them have resigned over the recent year.
It is with a sad heart that I felt I had no choice but to resign my long time post at the New School. I am sorry things are being handled the way they are and am hopeful that changes in the right direction can be made. This school was built on trust and collaboration, community and integrity. Bring those things back!
I support every one of the points in this post, but feel even more strongly about #4. ALL board meetings used to be open, and I would like to see a return to that policy, or every other meeting at the very least.
Our family has been at The New School for 13 years. I am saddened to see the teachers we know and love leave at an alarming rate. I hope that we will be able to work together to support our teachers and rebuild the New School community.
We have a long history at The New School and our daughter went from her Toddler year through the end of eighth grade. Our son also thrived at The New School for four years. The New School was a warm, inclusive loving community for our entire family. Board meetings were open and inviting, as they should be. The current Top down "leadership" is not in the spirit of Montessori and is troubling to hear about. Often when matters reach this level of distress in an organization, the head of the organization is called upon to resign, not dig their heels in further. Teachers should feel free to sign the petition without concern that they may lose their jobs. Open communication is vital, especially at The New School. It is heartbreaking to see destructive policies and even more so to know the children will suffer because of it.
I have been honored to speak at the New School about protecting the Amazon rainforest and environmental activism. My nieces and nephew went there and I am very concerned about this issue. Please take the time to consult outside third parties to help resolve things. This will only benefit everyone involved. Thanks.
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As a former longtime parent and Board member, I am truly concerned by these developments. Term limits, open board meetings and true transparency are essential to a healthy organization.. Best of luck to the parents and this petition. I hope the school survives.