Five Pitfalls Of Non Profit Board Governance

IN THIS ISSUE Where's HEG Working? In The News Solutions For Your School 5 Pitfalls To Avoid For Board Success Toolkits BUY & SELL SCHOOLS      HEG provides consulting services in connection with the sale of Private K-12 Schools globally, and Language Schools & Career Colleges in Canada, including:   Career Colleges: 1). Solo Career Business College based in British Columbia with EBITDA of +$100,000. (School No. 1063) 2).Nursing College in California in final stages of receiving accreditation and seeking investors (School No. 1077) Language Schools: 1).  Group of successful Language Schools based in key urban centres Canada with EBITDA of approximately +$750,000. (School No. 1037) - Signed an LOI 2). Highly regarded Language School and Career College with a popular Work/Study Program in British Columbia. (School No. 1031) - Signed an LOI 3). Successful Language School and Training College in Western Canada with EBITDA of approximately +$80,000. (School No. 1097) - Signed an LOI 4).Solo centrally-based Canadian language school with EBITDA of +$100,000 that is the leader in its region. (School No. 1022) K-12 Private Schools: 1). Growing K-12 international school of 450 student in SE USA with EBITDA of $950,000. (School No. 1011) 2). Thriving K-12 private international school of 450 students in Vietnam with EBITDA of +$1.4 million, (School No. 1034) 4). Prestigious day/boarding high school in NE USA on 120 picturesque acres with enrollment capacity of 500 students and I-20 Visas to recruit international students (School No. 1055) - Signed an LOI 5). Special needs high school in Texas with revenues of $500,000. (School No. 1097) Contact HEG by email or phone if you would like to find out more about these schools or would HEG to provide consulting services in connection with the sale of your school.   ONLINE STORE Visit Our Store For Helpful Toolkits TESTIMONIAL "HEG  is a very professional team that brings a myriad of talents to private schools and are quite focused and results driven. They work efficiently and are task-driven. As a start-up school we have so many items in our punch-list to complete and Doug and the HEG team came in and helped us with almost every aspect of the operations in a very short time frame. They are flexible and a joy to work with. I would recommend them to any group that wants to start a world-class international school or improve the performance of your established private school." -- Dr. Jorge Nelson, Head of Chadwick International School

Message From HEG's President I'm just back from working with clients in the New Orleans region. What  a fantastic part of the world with its vibrant culture and lifestyle. However, I write this article now while looking out the window at classic Vancouver weather...rain. It's remarkable to think that this will stay the same for the next five months (though it does mean snow on our local ski hills). I know many of you in the NE USA are dealing with the challenges of the recent inclement weather and hope that you're fairing well with the storm. As I've shared in earlier eNewsletters, our firm focuses on three areas: 1.     Starting Schools and/or setting up branch schools;  2.     Improving/operating established schools; and  3.     Buying and selling private schools. In most cases, the successful schools we work with promote a number of common attributes to ensure the sustainable operation of their high performing schools: ·         Clear and Shared Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives ·         High Standards and Expectations for All Students ·         High Levels of Collaboration and Communication ·         Curriculum, Instruction and Assessments Aligned with State Standards ·         Frequent Monitoring of Learning and Teaching ·         Focused Professional Development ·         Supportive Learning Environment ·         Effective School Leadership One overriding characteristic is effective board leadership. Today, I'm taking a different approach by sharing five pitfalls boards need to avoid to ensure that they stay focused on healthy board practices.          To your success,   Doug Halladay President Halladay Education Group   Where's HEG Working Right Now? Here's an update of what HEG's working on:    Market Study and Business Plan for a new Faith-Based Non-Profit Private K-12 School in BC  Market Study and Business Plan for a new Private K-12 Non-Profit International School in Oman Market Study and Business Plan for a new Private For-Profit High School in California  Strategic Plan/Action For a Private Non-Profit K-8 Adventist Preparatory School in Florida   Strategic Plan For An International Private For-Profit School in Latin America Market Study and Business Plan For A For Profit International IB School in Asia  Formation of a new Private K-12 Canadian For-Profit International K-12 School in Saudi Arabia    Providing consulting services to school owners in connection with the sale of their Canadian Career Colleges, Language Schools, and Private K-12 schools globally  If you're interested in our firm's consulting services, and would like to discuss your needs further, please contact Doug Halladay by email  or call directly at 1-604-868-0002.  In The News Rising Enrollments And Waitlists At BC Independent Schools More students than ever before are attending B.C. independent schools this year, especially in northern B.C. where preliminary reports suggest an enrolment jump of more than 12 per cent. I wrote a story about this Monday after speaking to Peter Froese... Africa's Growth Sparks Controversial Rise Of Private Secondary Schools  Gems Education, a private school group operating in 10 countries, is embarking on a major expansion in Africa, attracted by the continent's strong economic growth. In September, the company opened its first secondary school in Africa in Nairobi, Kenya...  Monster Storm Sandy Creates Challenges For Boarding Schools In Northeast Responsible for roughly 345 students - 270 boarding students and 75 day students - Proctor Academy, like many New England boarding schools, can't just close its doors like a typical business, or send kids home like public schools. Regardless of a... With New iPads, Apple Targets Education Opportunity With new iPads, Apple targets education opportunity. Summary: Apple announced the fourth-generation iPad and first-generation iPad mini, giving the company its strongest tools yet to convert the education market into believers. Andrew Nusca. By Andrew... Solutions For Your School STARTING A SCHOOL Our experienced team can provide step-by-step 'turn-key' services to start your school in the USA, Canada, &  Internationally. Click here for more info.  STRATEGIC PLANNING  We're experienced developing Strategic Plans for schools globally. Our plan can focuses your school's mission, build consensus, donor confidence, & define priorities for your Board & Staff. No school should be without one. Click here for more info. BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS Great schools have great boards. Can you afford not to ? Our governance workshops & online board performance surveys fine-tunes your board's & focuses your priorities. Click here for more info. SCHOOL EVALUATION Are you sure your school is doing the best it can? Our In-Depth Performance Review assesses your school's performance against benchmarks & provides snap-shot right away. Click here for more info. BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS  HEG provides consulting services in connection with the sale of K-12 Schools, Language Schools, & Career Colleges in Canada, US, and Internationally. Click here for more info. Five Pitfalls To Avoid For Board Success As part of our consulting services working with private school around the globe,  we participate in a number of board development workshops. While every organization is different, there are several traits that are always a "must-have" for leadership roles within any organization or company. Whether you're a seasoned non-profit leader, corporate manager, or member of a rising institution, your board will likely benefit by avoiding the following pitfalls.   1). Setting Tuition Based on Threshold of Pain The reality is that parents have a threshold that they're willing to pay for tuition. However, it more effective to base your tuition (and increases) on priorities of your strategic plans annual goals versus just hoping tuition increases won't upset parents and meet your budget. Basing your tuition on both your current operational and future strategic costs will better reflect financial commitments as well as reflecting back to parents where revenue is being directed (now and in the future). 2). No Criteria in Selecting Board Members Have you ever sat at a board meeting a month before your AGM and someone says "Does anyone know a current parent who might be interested in being on the board?" If you do, you're probably hearing the alarm bells ring. Yes, being on a board can be time consuming, but rewarding if run properly. The first step in finding capable board members is to set-up a Committee on Trustees who will be responsible for determining the profile you're seeking in relation to the priorities of your strategic plan. This avoids the pitfall of filling a spot just because they're a parent at the school. Of course new board members should share common characteristics as well (Work, Wisdom, Expertise, Wealth, Leadership, Clout). 3). Keep The Same Board Committees Year-After-Year You want to avoid keeping the same board committees and members year-after-year with no outside participation. What effective boards do is establish committees based on the annual priorities of their strategic plan and engage stakeholders outside the board to participate in the committees with their expertise to achieve the goals. 4). Have No Interconnected Agenda For Board Committees It's not enough that you have board committees - you need to ensure that they understand their role, function, and a clear picture of their agenda for the year as well as their deliverables at specific board meetings. This avoids having board meetings becoming too focused on current events or the Head of School's report. The Executive Committee should establish the annual calendar noting the actions of each board committee and the board meeting they will report at for approval (not just review of another report). 5). Use A Generic Board Evaluation Process Each spring your Committee on Trustees should prepare a specific survey that measures the performance of the board committees based on the implementation of the annual board agenda of the strategic plan as well as individual trustee's performance. Next Step Doug, if you would like to find out more about how we can help your board to continue to improve their performance or provide a vibrant board retreat, please contact HEG directly by email at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or directly at 1-604-868-0002.   HEG Recommends Here are two of our most popular toolkits which will help you to either  start your own school or develop your own strategic plan.   STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT  Learn how to develop your own Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in a detailed Workbook & Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD's. It's all here to help you develop your own plan. Click here for more details. START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT Are you still struggling with starting a school? Experienced school leaders share how they started their school from the ground up. You'll also receive our bonus CD ($150 value) on developing your strategic plan. Click here for more details. To your success, Douglas Halladay President Halladay Education Group Inc.   P: 604.868.0002 E: info@halladayeducationgroup.com www.HalladayEducationGroup.com P.S. Don't forget to check out our Online Store and our popular Strategic Planning and Start-A-School Toolkits.They're affordable and practical.     You are receiving this because you signed up at HEG's website or you told us you wanted to subscribe. We will never distribute your address to anyone. Period. We promise.

Does Your School Have A Crisis Plan

Hi,

I hope that you and your family have had a great summer. Right now we’re winding up 2 weeks at our family cottage in Point Roberts, Washington. I’ve been cheating a bit coming back to my office to work; but our cabin is only 20 minute drive away (though it seems like another time and place…American wine does that!). I find it a great place to unwind; no TV, Internet, computers, or phone. It can be a bit a technology decompression, but I spend more time connecting with my family and friends (and swimming in the freezing ocean!!!). It’s also nice to relax from all the travel I’ve had to do this summer with trips to Korea; New Hampshire; Boston; Washington, DC; and now Panama.

As I read the latest news on H1N1 flu and its impact on schools, it reminds me of when I was Head of an International Girl’s Boarding School in Canada and had to deal with SARS. I was in Hong Kong recruiting students and fundraising at the time it broke out there, but no one knew it at the time. Two months later while I’m on holidays in California at Spring Break, SARS is beginning to spread around the globe and alarm bells are ringing. Over the next few months, the illness spread to more than two dozen countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. However, since this was a new disease there was very little information available on how to deal with it at our school (with about two dozen students returning from Asia). I’m sipping wine in Napa and 800 miles away, and our school is preparing to receive our boarding students in the next 5 days. Yikes!!!

At this point we needed to switch in to our crisis plan. Fortunately, we’d prepared a flow chart for school response to any crisis (e.g., personnel, environmental, attack, illness), so we had a plan in place to deal with the situation. Does your school have a crisis plan ready for situations like the H1N1 flu outbreak?

Today I’m going to talk about how your school can develop your own crisis plan and how to proactively deal with emergency situations as they arise.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.

>> TWITTER: Get my updates by signing in @ www.twitter.com/halladay

P.S. Don’t forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. In The News

2. Useful Services

3. Do You Have A Crisis Plan?

4. Products At Our Online Store

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1. IN THE NEWS
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>> ENROLLMENT UP
The Newark Advocate; By SETH ROY • Advocate Reporter • August 27, 2009 NEWARK — Licking County private schools have seen their enrollments both rise and fall this year..


>> GREENWICH PUBLIC SCHOOLS BRACE FOR H1N1
Greenwich Time - Like private schools, the public schools are taking most cues from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that call for schools to stay open...


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2. USEFUL SERVICES
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(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of your school’s comprehensive Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for continued school improvement.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our interactive online survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATION

A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member are you confident that you’re making the right decisions? Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan for immediate improvement.

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3. DO YOU HAVE A CRISIS PLAN?
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Our local newspaper was filled with stories about H1N1. I know that newspapers need to write about bad news stories to sell papers, and the likelihood of getting the flu is 1 in a million, but do you have a plan if your school is the one?

Schools are encouraged to prepare a Crisis Management Plan with basic information about those situations that face schools. Most of these events are rare, but preplanning offers a thoughtful response during periods of stress. Annually updating your school’s Crisis Management Plan encourages discussion during non-pressured times and creates an even more useful resource. If kept in a notebook, new policies can be easily added yearly to make this a useful resource.

Your crisis plan should cover situations like:

• Abduction/Missing Person
• Assault/Battery
• Bomb Threat/Threatening Call
• Bus Accident
• Chemical/Hazardous Material
• Classroom accident
• Community Crisis
• Dangerous animal on campus
• Evacuation
• Field trip/student travel trip incident
• Fights
• Fire/Explosion
• Food Poisoning
• Gang Fight
• Grief/death
• Hostage Situation
• Kidnapping of child from campus
• Lockdown
• Natural Disaster/Weather Emergency
• National catastrophe
• Rape on Campus
• School Family Tragedy – death of child, parent, teacher
• Suicide
• Teacher Down or Incapacitated
• Toxic Waste/fumes
• Trespasser/Intruder
• Threats
• Utility/Energy Problem
• Vandalism
• Weapon on campus
  

When developing your plan you need to consider the following. Do you have the following in place:

• Crisis Response Coordinator?
• Crisis Response Team?
• Crisis Response Procedure Checklist?
• Directory of Contact Numbers?
• Backup Referrals and Resources?
• Color Code System?
• CODE RED STOP! Stay In Room/Shelter in Place
• CODE YELLOW CAUTION! Stay in School/Shelter in Place
• CODE GREEN GO! Evacuate school
• CODE BLUE LISTEN! Serious Situation
  
• General Administrative duties and Teacher duties?
• Grief/ Death Resources for the Classroom?
• Shelter-In-Place?
• Emergency Supplies?
• School Grounds and Buildings Diagram?
• Security plans?
• Post Communication after crisis
• Post Evaluation Form
• School Accident Report
  

Don’t wait for a crisis to happen to force you into developing a crisis plan; do it now at the beginning of the year with your staff and be prepared.

To find out more about our firm’s school services, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs.

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4. PRODUCTS AT OUR ONLINE STORE
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Here are 2 popular Toolkits that will help you to start and/or lead your school more effectively.

(A). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all there to help you develop your own plan.
(B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share with you how to start a school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your own strategic plan.
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To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

P.S. Do not forget to check out our secure Online Store for ways to invest in improving or starting your own school or non-profit.