Saltus School To Reduce Students and Staff
Saltus Grammar School today [Dec 14] announced “changes to its strategic direction,” including reducing its student enrolment from 1015 to 900 over the next two years and making eight staff members redundant.
Saltus, whose student body numbered in excess of 1100 students at the beginning of the decade, say they are “experiencing declining enrolment as the local and international business communities respond to the global economic recession.”
“Without a doubt we have been affected by the reductions in the international business sector. We continue to have a healthy demand at all levels for admission to Saltus from Bermudian parents. Since 2008, most of our attrition has come from international families relocating overseas.” said Headmaster Ted Staunton.
“We see this as a prudent time to critically review all programmes offered by the school and become a smaller and more student‐centred institution. We will, of course, continue to focus on our mission, academic excellence, personal integrity and service to others.”
“The unfortunate consequence of the reduction in students is the effect it has on our bottom line and the need for us to focus on cost savings across the school. All budgets have been reduced, including our payroll budget; we are disappointed to be forced to reduce the size of our valued faculty and staff. All budget reductions have been made by focusing on what is in the best interests of our students. They are our first priority, as is building a stronger school in the midst of what may be a multiple year economic turndown.”
Turning to staff redundancies, Mr. Staunton noted that, “a total of eight positions will be eliminated. This will be accomplished by a combination of retirement, non‐renewal of one‐year contracts, reductions in non‐ essential programmes and the elimination of staff consultants. Positions that will be made redundant will continue until August 2011. We will be contacting all employees whose positions will be affected within the next few days and our Human Resources Department will provide outplacement support.”
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- Knock On Effect | December 14, 2010
Platinum period.
Nah. Just not enough kids getting off the bus with weed.
what? maybe i’m dumb, but i don’t get it?
Say it isn’t so! I thought Saltus had a bottomless money pit. Another unpleasant sign of the times. Maybe Saltus could earn some revenue as a consultant to Government showing Bermuda how to run an excellent school within a budget.
There still is a bottomless money pit. For the prices that Saltus charge (just over $18,000) with 1000 students, there is no way that they could not operate within an $18M budget.
Mind you, it is an excellent school, but there are many good universities in the US and Canada that cost less than Saltus.
I’m sorry but I would hardly call Saltus an excellent school.
Saltus could not be hired as a consultant because they are local and Government only spends millions on overseas consultants. Forget telling Government how to run an excellent school as they could teach them how to run an excellent Government
not to mention running the country’s budget the same way…..
What goes around comes around!! Saltus rejected applications of Bermudian children in the high days of XL subsidising their school and filling their classrooms with certain exempt company children while us locals – many of us have had generations from our family attend the institution were left on the sidelines. I remember Mr. Kermode so patronising telling us lot “not to worry -some expats don’t come to the Island and others will leave.” Guess the time has now come for most of them to leave! We found a better alternative, in my opinion, and ultimately grateful for their stance but it looks like it’s now come back to bite them in the butt! Not so great for Bermuda is it?! My sympathies to the staff.
WELL SAID!! You have clearly had the same experience that I had. I was just saying this to a friend the other day. Saltus has betrayed it’s alumni (at least the ones who arent making loads of $$$) while preaching the importance of tradition. Shame on them.
This seems to have been a common theme – This happened to a few of my family memebers as well – even with them 4 generations of Saltus Graduates! And they wonder why we don’t worry contribute to the annual “Saltus Appeal”.
Yet another knock on effect of your Government making foreigners unwelcome. As you sow so shall you reep. I guess term limits are coming back to bite you in your blind asses PLP.
Before you rejoice too much, Saltus is not alone in facing this dilemma. We have a public-financed school system that is mismanaged. Our decent private school system was fueled by those expat dollars. Will they be able to maintain the standards and resources in now that all those expat kids have been sent packing?
No rejoicing here. All very sad.
What they are really saying is they would rather reduce enrollment than accept a greater ratio of Bermudian children……especially since the ones they are “reducing” are mainly young men who don’t get the best of grades!!! They wasted money on a Centre for Learning to only get rid of those teachers and most students who needed it…..I am sure that Mr Gosling is turning over in his grave!!!!
where is downsizing a bad thing?
when you’re the one being downsized…
like my Momma always says..”Lord Loves a workin man..don’t trust ..see a doctor and get rid of it”.
Saltus is not talking about the huge numbers of kids that go away to school because the parents don’t believe that they would get a proper education is they stayed.
The number of kids that leave Saltus would shock you.
@ Whoyafoolin
It is not that talking about race issues in Bermuda makes people ‘uncomfortable’, most are just sick and tired of hearing the same story over and over and over again with no real movement forward on the issue. No doubt 50 years ago you may/would have been rejected from a private school in Bermuda because of your colour and also if you were a woman. But individuals of both races and genders worked very hard to give everyone the opportunity for an education.
If you are going to make a complaint at least state an alternative to the problem. For instance how do you suggest things change? Should government make all public schools private, subsidizing the cost, and have an all black private school rejecting people of other races. Would that make you feel better. To be honest I really wouldn’t mind if it would stop all this race chat.
The majority of people on island think that $18,000 a year is an extortionate amount of money to send a 5 year old to school. It is literally cheaper to go to a University in the UK, including flights and accomodation.
@ Budgie: Why is there no real movement on the issue of race in Bermuda? Probably because people such as yourself are sick and tired of listening to the real talk from a non-white perspective and seize the first opportunity to shut down any meaningful dialogue. Why is it that in the mid 90s tuition costs at a private institution was a mere $6,450.00 per annum and today the cost has almost tripled? How many of these private institutions can honestly state that their student body and faculty reflect the racial and ethnic balance of Bermuda as a whole? It would be interesting to know what criteria is used in the selection process at some of these private institutions.
it’s called inflation….i.e. $1 in the ’90′s is worth more in the 2000′s…
eco 101…
Attributing all individual shortcomings and issues within the community to “nasty white people” does not fall in the definition of “meaningful dialogue.”
Looking for racism as an explanation and/or excuse to each and every problem is not “meaningful dialogue.”
Whether the PLP faithful care to admit or not, this is a direct result of the Government’s mismanagement of the Bermuda economy.
This column is further evidence that people in Bermuda can make a race issue out of anything. Congratulations to all of you!!!! You must be so proud.
“No doubt the poor brothers will go down first.” Well if you truly belive this maybe the “poor brothers” should stop voting for the people that are sinking the ship.
I mean you don’t make any sense you admit Bermuda is in trouble but you won’t blame the PLP. Your’re like the black people who say the regiment is racist because they draught more black people every year, BUT YOUR’RE 70% OF THE POPULATION of course they will be more blacks.
Whether people like Whoyafoolin want to accept it or not the private schools have to be run as a private company. They have to work within their financial means. They are not charitys. The product they produce is educated young adults ready for college. If they do not have a record of producing a good product parents will not buy their services. The schools may be run by a Board of Directors but the real shareholders are the parents of current students.
Given the record of the public schools, potential top executives are not coming to Bermuda unless they can be assured that their children will have a good education available to them. They are not coming to Bermuda unless they can bring their families. If a school is going to accept financial support from an IB company that IB company is going to expect something in return. All students, not just the IB offspring, benefit from the IBs assistance.
Saltus is having to downsize. Rents are lower. Dwellings are standing empty. Mortgages are going to be called. Jobs in IB are disappearing. Trickle down jobs generated by IB are disappearing. On & on it goes all because of the PLP Governments ineptitude & attitude towards IB.
Its the economy stupid.
Veebyes/Triangle Drifter, are you implying that some of the international businesses are dictating to certain private institutions in Bermuda? You say that private schools are not charitys (I hope you are not a product of Saltus). Did you mean charities? What’s the difference between private schools and a charity? They both give scholarships and are always seeking volunteers and money.
Didn’t Mr. Gregory Slayton and the headmaster of Saltus give that school a bad review? Why was that? Was it because they felt the school was producing a good product? Answer that! I have spoken to parents of current students, teachers and board members and I have a clear insight. So get over it and accept truth. When board members are withdrawing their own children and sending them overseas to boarding schools then I guess that’s because they are happy with the product as well huh!
Looks like you shall retain the name ‘Stupid’. Nuff said…
As a white Bermudian I too am fed up with the stereotyping of whites saying that they all inherited millions. Currently in my 50s I’ve never inherited a dime and both my parents are passed on. I’ve had to struggle from the ground up. Only I didn’t have the excuse of race when things didn’t go my way. I couldn’t blame evil whites whenever I failed at something. I had to get right up and start again.
Only thing is, my parents taught me a good sense of values. I didn’t knock up loads of girls in order to feel like a man. Didn’t leave school as soon as I could to get alow paying job with no future. Didn’t get a heavy set of gangstah wheels at 21 to show off. Didn’t become a parent until my 30s – after I had a wife.
Just go back of town and see all the run down houses with nice wheels outside. That’s what you did with all your money huh! Now who feels stupid? I notice a VW for sale on Emoo for $68,000 today. Says $100k invested in it. Just makes me laugh.
But Whitey is to blame for everything of course. HAHA don’t make me laugh!!
Oh shut up. One white person has a sob story as opposed to pretty much all blacks in Bermuda who had to struggle and still do. Do me a favor and cry me a river. Whites like you will never get it unless you walk in a black person shoes. Go visit Tuckers Town and tell me how many people who look like you live there. 99%
There’s more than one. All you have to do is ask the source instead of lapping up the propaganda spewed by others with a vested interest in having you believe one side of the story.
And telling people to shut up when they are expressing their experiences and then expecting these same individuals to listen to you and demand compassion is a little bit counterproductive.
But what do I know right? I am just a white boy…
I’m really f#cking tired of hearing the tired story of “poor black person, rich white person”. I’m white, and poor, and I work damn hard for what little I have. Black Bermudians do not own the right to play the hardship card. This isn’t about that.
This is about a basic economic decision (cutbacks) based on financial realities (lack of resources due to a drop in demand). It’s another unfortunate economic truth, and there are similar stories for many, if not most, of the businesses on the island.
Poor blacks have CRVs with shiny wheels on and gangstah leans, rich whites have Subaru J10 Limey Specials. What does that tell you?
That you’re a racist.
The 3 most serious things an individual can undertake in their life .. in order are …
1) starting a family
2) buying a house
3) starting a business
**Bringing a child into this world with inadequate resources to support the child is a selfish concept with the most negative affects **
It’s not selfish … it’s the very height of irresponsibility , nothing more , nothing less. Regretably , in Bermy it’s a national pastime and we can see where it’s got us.
Completely agree with Tired of nonsense…
I am a White Bermudian teenager whom attends Saltus. Both of my parents work- one of them even has two jobs. We aren’t so well off as others are… infact I (ME) have to pay some of my school fees- luckily I have a part time job. Now Whoyafoolin… can you please tell me again that ALL white people are rich?
Also Saltus is a school which has both black and white students…. so don’t start telling people that Saltus rejects blacks when CLEARLY they don’t.
Thanks for your time
Sure. I bet your house is huge, your parents both make more than the average black Bermudian and you hang out at Speciality Cinema drinking lattes.
Dude who do you think owns Speciality Cinema you avatar says it all dumb.
LOL
Again through these 70+ comments no one has made any suggestions on how to make the situation better for low income families trying to educate their children. ALL low income families of any race. It’s silly that we still use ‘white’ and ‘black’ as everyone is going to turn beige soon anyway (See Russell Peters stand-up, actually quite funny).
There is no doing! There are no action items to move forward with! Bermudians seem to do such a good job of picking out the problems but never think of solutions.
Schools fees have constantly been rising despite the economic downturn and some parents have made tremendous sacrifices to give their child(ren) a quality education. The board members of these private institutions need to be considerate of the fact that not all of the parents who pay school fees are receiving subsidies of any kind. There may be a few black students from the public school system receiving scholarships, however, the parents of the non-scholarship students who, in some cases, earn far less than those who are getting a free ride, are the ones absorbing the exhorbitant increases. This tremendous strain has, unfortunately, impacted the mostly black families, some of whom have had to withdraw their child(ren) and, sadly, I don’t hear any concern about that. A glance through the yearbooks of these private institutions, over the past few years, will give a clear picture of this reality. One particular institution expects parents to make a commitment before even knowing what the anticipated school fees for the next school year will be. They are obviously only concerned about their own finances and not the finances of those hardworking parents who also assist in keeping the school afloat. On top of paying school fees, parents are expected to volunteer their time, provide bonuses to the teachers in the form of expensive gifts (at the end of every term), fund the school library (Birthday Book Club) and the list goes on. In some instances, they fail to pursue the school fee dodgers, and once again, the faithful parents are having to pay for that shortfall. It will be interesting to see how many more black families will be impacted by these imminent changes.
You hit it right on the head Knock on Effect….it’s the economics that is impacting everything. It’s all about the numbers…in 2009 1/3 of Bermuda’s workforce was foreign according to Government’s statistics…so why is BDA still building hotels and trying to make more jobs? If every Bermudian worked we still would have too many jobs and still need foreigners. Right now with all the new hotels it looks like we will have less white-collar foreigners (cause the exempt companies are downsizing) and more blue collar foreigners….so this means less foreigners in Saltus and more foreigners in public school…Is more jobs really what Bermuda needs and if we want to keep a high number of exempt companies expect high rent, food, private school fees to continue!!!
A shame that this has to be turned into a race issue. It has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with a school having to operate within its means. It is about accountability, something the public school system knows nothing about. Yes, I am a proud former Saltus parent. Yes I got involved with the school. Yes, I atteneded almost every PTA meeting. Yes, I volunteered many hours of my time for school events. No, I did not regard my childrens education as a mere commodity being purchased.
Saltus, along with the other private schools, will survive. They will trim their sails to suit the conditions. They have strong Boards, great teachers & parents who are active in their childrens school lives.
and yet again, no mention of the white families struggling to pay school fees and some of them having to take their kids out of private school because they can no longer do it. In fact…lets just say “families” – not “black”, not “white”. I’m sick of this crap. I’m one of them, so I know!!! And I know many more!
Triangle Drifter, stop drifting and face reality! (Take it from someone who has had to swim against the current). I do know that many expatriate workers have numerous perks paid by their international business employers, that most locals don’t enjoy. These individuals can, therefore, afford to have two and sometimes three children together in private schools. They are, obviously, not feeling it like some of the less fortunate Bermudian families, who are struggling to educate one child. Does this economic disparity involve race? You may not want to view it from a racial perspective (it may make you feel a little uncomfortable) but the reality in Bermuda is that when changes of this nature occur in the private schools, usually the first people impacted are the black families. This is not a race issue…this is FACT!
@ Whoyafoolin Brother…when this whole island goes down the drain with this present Government in charge…it will be the whole island brah. Not just blacks…whites as well!!!Bermuda is white and black and a sinking ship doesn’t care about color. We’ll all drown! Peace!
Yet at the same time I know of expats who send their children to public school, yes public school (even though they can afford private schools) and their children do very well. And guess what… some of them are not even black!
Some parents get caught up with keeping up with the Joneses instead of keeping up with their children’s homework.
The public school system is not as bad as the media or others make it out to be.
you are forgetting that when you say “most locals don’t enjoy”, or comparing expats to “less fortunately bermudian families”, you are also including white bermudian families. They do not get the expat perks, and are should be included in the group you are speaking of.
Not really Truth is killin me, if the ship sinks and the whole island goes down the drain, no doubt the poor brothers will be the first to drown. I’m certain that the whites have their floation devices in tact and ready. Isn’t Triangle Drifter already drifting?
Should have read “floatation devices”.
Ok you have to be kidding me right??? How will the white have flotation devices in tact and ready, when we are all in the same predicament!!! Are you serious!??!! This is a perfect case of profiling if I ever saw one. All black folk are poor and all white folk are rich? Only black folk have to worry, white folk have no worries at all!!?? Yah right, give me a break!! SMH, another person that needs to wake up and smell the coffee. You know what i work hard every day and struggle like crazy. I have two jobs! I can’t afford to put any child in any school therefore i won’t have a child until I can. I live paycheck to paycheck I don’t over spend. I have to pick what i bills i pay along with rent on a monthly basis! I’m white, I have NO PERKS as you would like to think. I’m willing to bet you’re alot better off them i am. *looking around* i don’t see my flotation device can you maybe point it out for me!?
yeah right…there are no middle class or lower class whites in Bermuda. What ignorance…as in completely uninformed.
Just because Saltus is a private school doesn’t mean it is a better school. Some of the gov schools are darn good.
I agree that parents try to keep up with the joneses! The Public system isn’t that bad its what you put in, not talking about the teachers only..parents have to play their part too.
The public school system is broken and in urgent need of attention. Blaming the media for revealing its deficiencies is akin to shooting the messenger.
Parents, teachers, administrators, the union(s) & Government need to collectively take responsibility for initiating a whole scale revamping of the DoE but this starts with the current Minister of Education (Dame Jennifer as of right now, but we’ve seen how fast that revolving door moves) being open, honest & transparent about grades, exam results, teacher evaluations and graduates’ expectations.
What I meant to say was some of the government schools are far better then Saltus.
I call bullsh*t Not Suprised…
ALL whites own at least 3 or more houses on Harbor Road, Fairylands and Tuckers Town on top of the at least one building they own in town.
ALL whites don’t really need an eduaction as ALL whites naturally inherit millions of dollars in inheritance once their parents pass on. That is on top of the silver spoon and millions they automatically receive for the mere sake of being born.
Actually it is a well known fact that once a white person gets into Saltus that all tuition fees are waived and free school uniforms are provided with these expenses being alloctaed to the black student’s tuition.
All whites, in the event of a total economic meltdown, will be granted a further million from the white owned banking and other financial and/or non-financial institutions as well as the UBP just to ensure that the white race survives, while simultaneously only calling black mortgages and other loan facilities in order to fund this white survival technique. That is on top of the secret fund that becomes available immediately accessible for whites in the unthinkable event that they become redundant due to the poor state of economy.
I think these “facts” which you conveniently ignored are the “flotation” device whoyafoolin is referring to.
You ain’t fooling me….
Except for the fact that you graduate with hardly anything.
Thank you Tired of nonsense…well said! Not surprised is too busy taking care of self (“…I won’t have a child until I can”)and, therefore, can’t relate to this reality.
I sure hope you are kidding Tired of Nonsense… If only i owned one house and not three! If only i inherited some money when my parents died.. if only my kids would have their tuition fees waived at their schools.. if only I had a fall back plan if i couldn’t pay my rent. You are kidding me. I’m white, and i struggle like many of my white (and black) friends. Please don’t stereotype. You haven’t walked a mile in my shoes, so don’t pretend to know the facts. But know this.. education is the way out – for everybody – white or black – rich or poor. Work hard, get educated and give yourself options. This is what is missing on this island. we all know the problem, but nobody wants to face the solution. WORK!
You forgot one!
Along with a flotation device, all whites will be issued with a mega-yacht in case of a tsunami or the island sinking.
It’s called sarcasm….which I truly hope was incorporated into your response…
If you actually believe what I wrote above…which many would like you to believe is the truth…then we are all in some serious trouble…
And what is wrong with not having a child until ones expenses are in order to ensure that the child can be fully supported?
It is called being responsible…not selfish…being selfish is having a child when you know that you cannot afford such a responsibility and then expecting the taxpayer to subsidize all the expenses that are associated with child rearing…that is selfish…
The (not so) funny thing is Tired of Nonsense was making a joke/being sarcastic and you actually believed him/her. I can’t believe people in our community actually think this way.
whoa whoa,,,lets go back to that secret fund
@Give me a break,
My mother has been renting for close to 20 years now as she was a single parent of two children working multiple jobs to support her two children and thus even in the 90s couldn’t afford a piece of the Rock. When my father passed neither my sibling or I received one dime in inheritance, because he had not one dime to his name to pass on. On top of that a big chunk of my monthly paycheck (just about 50%) goes to my current, and by far best landlord to date, who is a black Bermudian and owns more than one property. And you know why I “choose” to give away 50% of my pay check everyone else? Well that would be because I cannot afford a piece of my own homeland, much less a piece of Fairlyands, T. Town and/or Harbour Road. The same goes for my sibling and my still struggling mother.
Despite all these financial difficulties my family faced and continues to face I am not a black Bermudian but once of those nasty white ones that the politicians and their zealot supporters warn you about on a daily basis as being extravagantly rich.
I know, I know that can’t be true as the powers that be have told us that ALL whites own everything and it is just and always will be just ALL black Bermudians who are struggling to make ends meet while ALL whites sit up on their self-made pedestals and scoff at all the peasants beneath them struggling.
Kool-aid and brainwashing comes to mind when I hear this constant stereotyping. Unbelievably naive is another
Tired of nonsense the truth prevails. I really don’t have time for your sarcasm. You may think that “being selfish is having a child when you know that you cannot afford such a responsibility…”, but I have a different perspective, what about those wealthy folk who hire nannies to perform their parental responsibilities because they are too busy making money or wining and dining?
Sorry mate, but I don’t understand what your reference to rich ppl hiring nannies is supposed to show me? I don’t agree with the nannies thing as I believe that a child should be raised by their own flesh and blood.
But it is their money (i.e. not taxpayers) and their families and thus their decision.
Having a child and/or children knowing full well the costs, especially in BDA, of raising another human being, and then demanding that the Govt and by extension the taxpayer assist you with the financial difficulties that you knew it would entail is selfish. Bringing a child into this world with inadequate resources to support the child is a selfish concept with the most negative affects being felt by the child themselves.
So again I don’t get your point. Please enlighten.
Whoyafoolin, or should I say Warpedreality. Bringing a child in the world and not being able to provide for them is selfish! A handful of people on this rock have nannies and some black!! WHOOOAAA hard to belive huh? I’m making money to pay the bills. I want to be able to give my child the best education possible whether that public or private school and college and education so they can make the beest of themselves. I want to be able to afford, FOOD!! As well school uniforms, rent to put a roof over their heads, nursery school, books etc. I will not ask you about your life as your so stuck up in your you can’t see passed your nose. And I am too busy making money to pay the bills, rent and buy food to i no longer have time for you warped narrow minded opinion. I think you need to revist the websters dictionay and look up the definition of what selfish is before you call others that. GIMME A BREAK!
Whoyafoolin – what issue do you have if, out of necessity, both parents work and are able to hire a nanny to ensure their child (or children) receive the best possible care? This is a bad thing? How? Please explain.
what about them?
Thanks for your support in this and your are 100% and got where i swas coming from, but i’m not waiting around for any enlightenment from Whoyafoolin. I think they need enlightening big time.
I think you may want to give up Tired of Nonsense as nothing you say will deter Whoyafoolin and besides the discussion of Nannies is moot as all have left with the Titans of IB. He does not have time for your sarcasm or irony as he does not nor does he want to know what it is….fun though
Awww! Sara and Billy have to be pulled from private school? That’s so sad.
Not only are international businesses downsizing, they are also relocating. They’ll be turning off the lights when if they leave.
They will not turn out the lights if you can communicate with them. Col.Burch had his pay-you-back attitude while he was in power,now we need a positive Diplomatic Approach.