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Forbes
21 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Giant Montessori School Chain Files For Bankruptcy
Just three years ago, Higher Ground was calling itself 'the future of education.' A promotional video touted 'a mission to redesign education from the ground up' with a mixture of 'rigor and individualization' across its family of 150 schools. Now most of those schools have been shuttered by foreclosure, and the company has filed a pre-arranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. Ray Girn graduated from the University of Toronto in 2004 with a BS in Psychology, then went to work in LePorte Schools, a chain of Montessori schools in Southern California. By 2010 he was CEO of the chain and, in his telling, raised a 'nascent family business' into 'what became North America's largest Montessori network.' He also met his wife, Rebecca. In 2016, the Girns launched Higher Ground Education in Austin, Texas. The mission, said Girn, was to 'mainstream and modernize Montessori education through extending its principles across infancy and into high schools.' Rebecca was the Chief Programs Officer and General Counsel. Higher Ground grew both through acquisition and creation. It was the parent group for Guidepost Montessori, a huge network of Montessori schools located across the US and in some overseas locations. The Academy for Thought and Industry, later rebranded Guidepost Academy, that promised 'a school dedicated to a union of classical and Montessori approaches to education: a classical liberal arts emphasis on history and great books, and a Montessori emphasis on independence and agency.' Higher Ground drew the attention of venture capitalists. HGE created their own program for certifying Montessori teachers (MACTE accredited). They acquired a variety of other businesses, including Tinycare, Neighborschools, FreshGrade, and, the remains of AltSchool, the San Francsico-based tech-based microschool start-up that was drawing glowing reviews in 2015, but by 2019 was instead drawing headlines like Fortune's "How an Education Startup Wasted Almost $200 Million." In 2022, Girn announced that he was launching a Montessori think tank called Montessorium. The result was a business that calls itself 'Montessori all grown up.' The Montessorium initiative is headed up by two other Austin entrepreneurs. Matt Bateman also came from LePorte (Girn appears to have brought several LePorte folks with him) and was Higher Ground's Vice President of Pedagogy; currently his LinkedIn profile lists his occupation as Philosopher (self-employed). The other Montessorium leader in MacKenzie Price, an education entrepreneur who has been trying to expand her network of cyberschools into other states. Her signature business is 2HourLearning, which promises that students can get a full education in just two hours a day with a computerized tutor. Montessorium promises to 'combine the full suite of Montessori practices and hands-on materials with a state-of-the-art personalized learning software platform.' The HGE network of schools was also growing. In 2018 HGE operated 12 schools; by 2022, the number as 101, and by 2024, HGE had 150 schools in its stable. And yet, Higher Ground was in trouble. In January of 2025, Bateman left the board. In February of this year, Maris Mendes, Senior Vice President of School Launch at Higher Ground (and another LePorte hire) announced that Girn was leaving the company he had created. And that wasn't the only bad news: We face the reality today, not only of a significant shift in the leadership of the organization, but also the reality that we have made mistakes that we are in the midst of acknowledging and resolving. In our eagerness to meet the vast vision of our mission, we overextended ourselves, growing our school network beyond what we could effectively support, both financially and operationally. As a result, we are now in the midst of closing nearly 1/3 of the school communities that have so lovingly been built over the past 9 years. Girn's bio at his newest venture describes his departure: After some years of growing differences with Higher Ground Education's board and lead investors, in 2025, Ray left the organization to pursue his missionary work on his own terms once again. That disagreement appears to have been over whether to continue the 'hyper-growth' of the business, or to transition to a more 'mature, stable, and profitable' operation. According to court documents, after several board departures, Girn reappointed himself to the board at the end of March, the resigned again a few weeks later. Elliot Haspel at The74 reported analysis by Mendes, then the newly-minted co-CEO: According to Mendes, the driving force behind the closures is the same hyper-scaling strategy Higher Ground's investors saw as a selling point; she writes that, 'In our eagerness to meet the vast vision of our mission, we overextended ourselves, growing our school network beyond what we could effectively support, both financially and operationally.' By the end of May, virtually all HGE executives, including Mendes, had left to join Guidepost Global Education (GGE), an international operation that shares the same branding and logo as HGE's Guidepost Montessori. At this point, court documents note, HGE did not have any elected officers. Just seven schools remained in the HGE portfolio. An e-mail to Higher Ground Education for comment was returned as undeliverable. On June 27, Higher Ground Education, LLC, filed a pre-arranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. It states that in early 2025, HGE defaulted on several key loans and could not secure refinancing or new capitol, resulting in the foreclosure and sale of the vast majority of their assets and schools. "The Debtors simply could not maintain or generate sufficient liquidity to fund operations," the disclosure statement explains, despite having raised over $335 million in funding since 2020. The statement also reveals tyhat the business "has never had positive cash flows from operations—resulting in the continuous need for external funding." Operating losses exceeded a staggering $440 million over the past five years. That negative cash flow included both losses at the school level and monthly corporate costs of $2.5 million. Many attempts at finding the money failed. 2HourLearning is proposed as the plan sponsor, providing $8 million to finance the bankrupcty case. 2HourLearning would acquire the company that results from the restructuring. GGE would contribute some intellectual property and curriculum assets back to the new company. The U.S. Department of Justice has already spoken up in objection to the $8 million funding and menuevers that promiote junior creditors, including GGE, to a higher priority. As reported by Benjamin Hernandez at Bloomberg Law, U.S. Trustee Lisa L. Lambert objected to Higher Ground's proposal to roll up $2 million of existing debt to a higher tier of payment priority. Hearing is scheduled for September 3 for the case (Case No. 25-80121-11). But this whole story is about far more than business miscalculation followed by collapse. The implosion of HGE and Guidepost Montessori was sudden and left uncounted families adrift mid-year with no school for their children. CBS reported from Denver, where five Guidepost schools closed with no notice: "The teachers are so loving and caring. It's sad that my daughter isn't going to be with the teachers that she's come to know and trust," said Cait, whose daughter has been at Guidepost Montessori since she was 4 months old. "Now we're given four weeks to try to find that that same availability and also aligning with the values and the care that we want for our child." LoudonNow reported on a Guidepost school that closed so quickly that teacher and student belongings were still locked inside. Elena Tyng and her husband, both police officers, have two sons enrolled at the school and have been relying on family to help out while they look for other options. 'I got the email Wednesday but we were asleep and woke up to a text message about it from a friend and I was like, 'oh my god, what are we going to do?' she said. As reported by WTMJ in Milwaukee, parents at one Guidepost schools had at least a few weeks notice of the school's closing in March: "I'm frustrated, and I'm really angry," parent Monte Driscoll told TMJ4 News. 'They're taking advantage of families and children—families that are trying to do the best for their kids—and then putting them all in a frantic, frustrating situation.' Those events were repeated for around 140 schools. The collapse of Higher Ground Education may seem like a simple business story, but when businesses falter and fold in the education space, there are always students, parents, teachers, and families that are collatoral damage. If the plan finally wins approval, 2HourLearning will add to its growing set of edu-business holdings. Maris Mendes is now the U.S. CEO of Guidepost Global Education. The Girn's have launched a new school, 'A dream school. Handcrafted by pioneering educators. Nestled on four-and-a-half acres of gorgeous Texas Hill Country.' I have reached out on X to Girn for comment and will add it should he reply. The bankruptcy plan includes representation for the many stakeholders, foreign and domestic investors, the Girns, and the subsidiaries of HGE. It expresses a desire to preserve jobs and service for the seven remaining schools. But for the rest of Higher Ground Education's customers, it's already too late.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Barack Obama jokes about divorce rumours: ‘She took me back!'
Barack and Michelle Obama have addressed ongoing divorce rumours. Appearing together on Michelle's podcast Higher Ground on Wednesday, they admitted to having experienced "some really hard times" in their relationship. Barack joked that his wife 'took me back' amidst the speculation about their marital status. Michelle said that despite the difficulties, she has never considered "quitting" her husband. Watch the video in full above.
The Independent
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Barack and Michelle Obama address divorce rumours amid ‘really hard times'
Barack and Michelle Obama have addressed divorce rumours, admitting that they've 'had some really hard times'. The former presenter joined his wife on her podcast Higher Ground on Wednesday (16 July), where he joked that she had 'taken him back' amid speculation that the couple were having relationship problems. Co-host Craig Robinson said it was lovely to have them in the same room, with Michelle quipping: 'I know, because when we aren't, folks think we're divorced.' She later opened up that despite 'some really hard times', she has never thought about 'quitting my man'.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barack Obama could win his fifth Emmy — but would that make him the most-awarded ex-president?
Former President Barack Obama won the presidency twice, but the 22nd Amendment prevented him from going for the hat trick. The same rules don't apply to the Emmy race, where the 42nd commander in chief is closing in on his third individual Primetime Emmy. Obama's name was included among the Best Narrator nominees when nominations were announced on Tuesday for lending his voice to the Netflix docuseries Our Oceans, made in collaboration with Higher Ground, the production company run by the former POTUS and his FLOTUS, Michelle Obama. Obama is no stranger to this particular category having been nominated — and won — twice before. He received his first Best Narrator statuette in 2022 for narrating the Netflix-Higher Ground collab Our Great National Parks, and repeated the following year for another joint effort, Working: What We Do All Day. He and Michelle also won two Daytime Emmys in 2022 for producing animated children's shows. The president-turned-producer notably hasn't accepted these awards in-person, though: he's remained a no-show at both the Primetime Emmys and the Creative Arts Emmys. More from Gold Derby 'Squid Game' and Diego Luna are the year's biggest Emmy snubs: Poll Snubbed by Oscars, redeemed by Emmys: How eligibility rules revived 'Super/Man,' 'I Am: Celine Dion,' and 'Will & Harper' This year, one of America's most popular former presidents is going toe-to-toe with America's Dad. Tom Hanks looks to be Obama's primary competition as the narrator of NBC's wildlife docuseries The Americas. Other names in the mix include nature doc icon David Attenborough for BBC America's Planet Earth: Asia), Idris Elba for National Geographic's Erased: WW2's Heroes of Color, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Prime Video's Octopus! While Obama can boast to having the most Emmys of any ex-president, he's not the only former Oval Office occupant to have received major entertainment industry awards. Here's a rundown on all the presidents who have received Hollywood recognition. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) The Emmys liked Ike. Eisenhower received the ceremony's first-ever Governors Award in 1956 as a tribute to the 34th president's embrace of television as a communication medium. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) Obama is the president to beat the Emmys, but Carter has the Grammys on lock. The 39th president — who died in December 2024 at age 100 — scored 10 nominations over the course of his post-Oval Office life and notched four wins, most recently receiving a posthumous Grammy in February. All of Carter's statuettes were for Best Spoken Word Album — now called Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording — for the audio versions of his many books. He received his first Grammy in 2007 for Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis (he tied with the memoir Ossie and Ruby by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee), followed by 2016's A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety, 2019's Faith: A Journey for All and 2025's Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Years before he left Hollywood for politics, the 40th president was honored by the still-young Golden Globes with the 1957 Hollywood Citizenship Award. It was the second and final year that the organization handed out that particular prize, which recognized recipients' achievements in citizenship. Reagan is also one of two presidents with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bill Clinton (1993-2001) The 42nd president joins Carter as a Grammy winner with four nominations and two victories. Clinton received his first statuette in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album For Children as part of the ensemble featured on the album Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks. One year later, he scored a solo Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Album category for narrating his autobiography, My Life. Meanwhile, his wife and former presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, won her own spoken word Grammy in 1997 for the audiobook version of It Takes a Village. Barack Obama (2009-2017) Besides his aforementioned Emmy run for Best Narrator, Obama has been featured in three Emmy-winning productions, including a 2014 episode of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, but wasn't personally in contention in those cases. The Higher Ground-backed documentary American Factory also received a directing Emmy in 2020. The Obamas' production company also has several Daytime Emmys to its name courtesy of its animated children's fare: in 2022, We the People and Ada Twist, Scientist won Outstanding Short Form Program and Outstanding Preschool Animated Series, respectively. Beyond the Emmys, Obama is also a Grammy recipient. He's received three Best Spoken Word Album nominations to date and has two wins: one in 2006 for his acclaimed memoir Dreams of My Father and the other in 2008 for The Audacity of Hope, which he received in the middle of his historic campaign for the presidency. For the record, Michelle Obama is also a two-time winner: she won the spoken word category in 2020 for her memoir, Becoming, and again in 2024 for The Light We Carry. Donald Trump (2017-2021; 2025-present) The 45th and 47th president received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 when he was still hosting NBC's hit reality series The Apprentice. That show also received two Emmy nominations for Best Reality Competition Program in 2004 and 2005, but lost to The Amazing Race both years. Best of Gold Derby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2, including the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Collins Everything to know about 'Too Much,' Lena Dunham's Netflix TV show starring Megan Stalter that's kinda, sorta 'based on a true story' Cristin Milioti, Amanda Seyfried, Michelle Williams, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actress interviews Click here to read the full article. Solve the daily Crossword
Black America Web
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Larry David And The Obamas Team Up For An HBO Sketch Comedy
Sometimes comedy makes strange bedfellows. The co-creator of Seinfeld and the star and creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm is teaming up with the most elegant first family to ever grace the White House for an HBO sketch show about the history of America. 'David will act as co-creator will act as executive producer, writer and star of the limited series consisting of six half-hour episodes, produced by the Obamas' company, Higher Ground,' HuffPost reports. This will be David's first return to HBO since ending Curb Your Enthusiasm a year ago, and the jokes are already coming. 'Once 'Curb' ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow,' David said. 'Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.' HuffPost notes that 'Curb' showrunner Jeff Schaffer will be back with David to co-write and direct episodes. 'President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. …But then Larry David called,' the logline of the yet-to-be-named project noted. Barack Obama's statement added: 'I've sat across the table from some of the world's most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.' Jokes aside, shortly after leaving the White House, the Obamas launched 'Higher Ground' production company that has already produced the 'Oscar-winning documentary American Factory , the kids series Waffles + Mochi , and the movies Rustin and Leave the World Behind . There is no set date for when the HBO series is set to premiere, but see how social media is reacting to the news below. Larry David And The Obamas Team Up For An HBO Sketch Comedy was originally published on
