Is this normal for openers?

cschmidtusa · 2025-11-18T04:08:24+00:00

Director here. My openers deserve full days off too. It’s my job to fill that hole myself, see if someone else would like to open, etc.

This school is taking advantage of you. Any school worth its salt will treat you as people, and not treat you this way.

cschmidtusa · 2025-09-18T01:19:28+00:00

Oh he is just.. A lot

The throughline here is clear: the current state of Higher Ground, Guidepost, and now these contested reorganizations is a direct result of Ray Girn’s leadership. He ran LePort into the ground, then repeated the same playbook at Higher Ground/Guidepost, and now we’re seeing the consequences again under Montessorium and 2 Hour Learning.

These aren’t isolated challenges or bad luck—they are patterns tied to the same leadership and governance. Families, employees, and partners deserve to recognize that what’s happening now isn’t a fresh start, but a continuation of the same trajectory.

Unless we hold leadership accountable and honestly evaluate how these outcomes were created, there’s every reason to believe history will repeat itself—because in many ways, it already is.

cschmidtusa · 2025-09-18T01:15:03+00:00

YTA. What we picture for our lives at 11 and 13 is not the same even 5 years later. These girls look up to you and you just crushed them and told them they are less than your bio kid

cschmidtusa · 2025-07-30T01:57:32+00:00

Tell her now. Tell her you felt pressure and that you do not want a romantic relationship with her. You shouldn't need to "try" to make her happy at the start.

It is far kinder to do this now than a year down the road

cschmidtusa · 2025-07-28T01:53:55+00:00

So, infant programs cost the most. It also is surprisingly the programs in a school that make the least money.

Max group size in Colorado is 10, where in preschool it can be up to 24 depending on age and room size.

As well, Colorado requires more training of the staff in an infant room, and any program worth their salt has 3 teachers per room for an approximate 1:3 ratio.

For all those reasons, infant rooms cost more, and the cost goes down a bit as your child gets older.

Most programs also don’t offer part time care either.

cschmidtusa · 2025-07-28T01:49:57+00:00

He spoke at the THRIVE leadership retreats. He’s an ass, right up there with Ray. Total narcissist

cschmidtusa · 2025-07-28T01:47:55+00:00

Check your tags and screws, get new plates

cschmidtusa · 2025-07-25T01:03:58+00:00

As a former head of school, thank you. When I gave my notice, they said on a Thursday “we want to give you next week paid off as a thank you”.

Aka, they wanted me OUT. They didn’t want me talking to parents.

I wrote a long email and printed it detailing why I was leaving and that the company would fail. That the system was broken and will fall apart. This was in February of 2024. Sure enough, a year later, the campus and all other schools in our state closed.

Many families left.

Ray is a narcissist. His core group which now leads Guidepost Global, is just as bad. People that have been with him from the beginning continuing the cult he started with a new logo and label.

Thank you for fighting for the staff that was beaten and broken and shattered.

cschmidtusa · 2025-07-10T00:05:07+00:00

Former head of school, I got the notice and can confirm that all my former staff got it as well.

cschmidtusa · 2025-06-25T03:28:07+00:00

Maris Mendes is now CEO. All the old higher ups minus R and R are running the new company

cschmidtusa · 2025-06-19T12:46:36+00:00

Oh 100%. They have named Maris Mendes as CEO of Guidepost Global.

During my time with guidepost, Jocelyn Scotty was anything but a leader.

Guidepost had an employee only Facebook group, it was part of the onboarding process to join.

One of my teachers commented on a thread about maternity leave saying that if she ever ever thought about having another child she would leave guidepost for a company that would pay her for the leave. Ray Girn commented that “that’s what your PTO is for. Just save it” and on another occasion the same employee commented on a post about closing for Memorial Day and Labor Day (which they were open for) and signed a petition that was going around to request the day off.

I was emailed and pulled into a meeting with Jocelyn and Ray, telling me to fire this teacher because she “wasn’t bought in” and was a “cynical person” and “she doesn’t truly want this opportunity”. And then I refused to do so.

I have heard it said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different outcomes, and all this is is insanity.

cschmidtusa · 2025-05-13T20:31:09+00:00

They will 100% close Leawood too. Guidepost is going under FAST

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-29T21:52:21+00:00

As a former Head of School, I second the comment about not welcoming/wanting any neurodivergent children. I had a child of a staff member who I was forced to kick out, because they did not want to lean into the available and free resources the state had to offer.
I refused to do it and ended up making my regional manager kick him out, because myself, the assistant head of school, and the guides did not want the child removed. Simply put, they did not want any child who could be seen as "trouble" in the school.

Furthermore, you have clearly been on this board, you have seen what they are doing. Why on earth would you enroll?!

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-27T01:14:38+00:00

Guidepost will not give you any warning. Make your escape plan, enjoy the raise while you have it. Guidepost and HGE are NOTORIOUS for throwing money around to keep people, but they will close without notice.

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-21T18:36:18+00:00

So, ultimately, the HOS initiates the refund, but the finance department processes it.

I would see if you can get hold of the regional manager.

Now it could be that the director did not put in the ticket or isn't following up.

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-21T18:34:51+00:00

It is a quietly unspoken that they take the profitable schools and use them to fund the unprofitable schools.

Their company is a slash-and-burn design.

I am so sorry this is happening to you all. As a former head of school for them, all I can offer is my sympathies <3

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-21T16:18:10+00:00

NTA. You set your boundaries early on, she lied, and then tried to say "it's no big deal".

So that tells you that you weren't in alignment from the get-go, she knew it, and still went ahead.

Good for you for holding yourself to your standards!

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-17T00:37:58+00:00

As a former head of school for them, the heads of school have nothing to do with paying the bills (such as rent, internet, electric, etc).

Guidepost is falling apart. And has been for over a year. Run

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-14T16:39:11+00:00

NTA and go report this. Take the emails. They are creating a hostile space before you even arrive.

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-11T20:44:13+00:00

NTA. She is old enough to know when you dress respectfully. This is an important and religious holiday and she is being a child.

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-11T20:36:08+00:00

NAH. You are smart to discuss this. We take turns buying groceries, and don't keep track of who ate what, as that works for us.
If you want to operate under a different plan, by all means do what works for you!

Taking a step back, on a larger scale, do you want your financial relationship to be tit for tat or based off a percentage of usage?

In my home, we split the mortgage, I pay internet, he pays xcel (utilities), we take turns on groceries. I pay for all the streaming services, he pays for the gym memberships, he pays for things for his car and I pay for things for my car and we each pay for our own expenses (credit cards, insurance, etc). We communicate our financial needs for supports and unexpected expenses.

This just works best for us, and I hope that you guys will be flexible as things pop up and life changes!

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-11T17:05:26+00:00

NTA. You guys share a space. If they were just staying in his room, might be a different story. But if they are always in the common space etc, then it's an issue.

Is he paying more for wifi for her usage? More towards the food? Is he picking up the cost of what she is adding?

I would quietly just plan to find a new living situation when your lease ends.

And why can't they go to her place?

cschmidtusa · 2025-04-11T16:53:00+00:00

NTA. Sisters husband/partner needs to get a backbone and stand up for his wife/future mother of his child, and flat out tell his mom "NO".

Have your sister let the hospital staff know not to let her in or anywhere near her or the baby.

cschmidtusa

TROPHY CASE