Whittle School & Studios

Whittle School & Studios is a for-profit educational company founded by Chris Whittle. It aims to be the "world's first global school" with a network of campuses around the world. The school opened campuses in Washington, D.C., and Shenzhen in China in fall 2019,[1] but struggled to attract students and revenue. On July 8, 2022, the D.C. campus suspended operations.[2]

History

By 2019, Whittle School & Studios had raised more than US$900 million in cash and costs borne by developers of the school's campuses.[3] The goal was for much of the company's and school's leaders to come from China, India, and the United States.[4] Whittle said students were prodded into boarding for two years at an international campus and to graduate speaking at least two languages.[3] The school also claimed to offer "hands-on, personalized learning".[4]

Several high-profile initial hires—including Jim Hawkins from Harrow; Dennis Bisgaard, who was tapped to run the Washington campus; and Rebecca Upham, who was executive chairwoman of the DC campus—left the company before the start of the 2021-22 school year.

In March 2021, the company said it would merge with the Varkey Education Group before the 2021-22 school year, obtaining new capital and allowing it to pay creditors.[5] The merger was never consummated.

Several contractors and vendors hit the company with liens after it failed to pay invoices worth more than $35 million.[6][7] Turner Construction, Arup, Children's National Hospital, Sterling Infosystems, and K&S Management and Supply have filed lawsuits in D.C. courts and other jurisdictions alleging nonpayment on outstanding invoices.[8] In November 2021, Whittle's CEO acknowledged these claims and indicated that the school planned to make payment on the outstanding amounts, but the number of claims and liens has continued to climb in early 2022.[9][6]

The company was sued in New York courts by Zurich Insurance, which alleged nonpayment of workers' compensation premiums of about $120,000.

In December 2021, the company emailed parents telling them that they were unable to pay teachers.[10] In February 2022, the school's building was slated for a foreclosure auction because the company did not make payments toward a construction loan of $162.4 million taken on by the landlord to fund the Renzo Piano-designed improvements requested by Whittle. The auction by Alex Cooper Auctioneers was scheduled for March 24, 2022,[11] but canceled in April.[12]

In 2022, the company canceled plans to open a location in Brooklyn but did open one in Suzhou, China.[13]

In May 2022, the school enrolled fewer than 130 students.[10]

On July 8, 2022, the DC campus suspended operations.[14]

References
  1. "Whittle School and Studios". Whittle School and Studios. Whittle School and Studios. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  2. "Whittle suspends operations at D.C. school after financial problems". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  3. Rendon, Jim (October 23, 2019). "The Master Salesman of For-Profit Education". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  4. Brody, Leslie (November 14, 2019). "Education Guru Chris Whittle Tries a Comeback With New School in Brooklyn". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  5. Brody, Leslie (March 11, 2021). "Entrepreneur Chris Whittle Looks to Bolster For-Profit School Network". Wsj.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  6. "Contractors allege Whittle School & Studios owes more than $30M for unpaid work". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  7. "Case Search Results". Iapps.courts.state.ny.us. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  8. "Whittle School Latest Claims". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  9. "Whittle School CEO Addresses Unpaid Bills". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  10. Anderson, Nick (May 25, 2022). "This pricey school promised a global education. It's barely solvent". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  11. "Whittle School Foreclose Building". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  12. Denham, Hannah. "Foreclosure auction canceled for D.C. home of Whittle School" (Apr 13, 2022). bizjournals.com. Washington Business Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  13. Denham, Hannah (December 20, 2022). "The Whittle School's D.C. shutdown continues to reverberate". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  14. "Whittle suspends operations at D.C. school after financial problems". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.

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