How Effective Are Your Board Committees?

Hello,

I had an early meeting today in the west-end of Vancouver near English Bay. After the meeting I took advantage of the location on English Bay and went for a stroll along the sea wall at the entrance to Stanley Park (and a stop at Starbucks). I’ve traveled all over the world, and nothing beats this location with views of our north shore mountains that reach right down to the edge of the ocean, and the winter air getting ready for another season of snow on our local ski hills (and the Olympics). Please click here to check out the photo of my stroll.

Today I’m going to continue sharing tips in the eNewsletter below about how to make your board governance more effective. Your board has three duties:

1. Duty of Care: Using your best judgment
2. Duty of Loyalty: Putting your personal and professional interests aside for the good of the school
3. Duty of Obedience: Being true to the organization’s mission

Today, I want to share how your board can operate more effectively through the use your board committees. This is relevant to those starting a new school as well as established public and private schools. The purpose of your committees is to:

• Accomplish the work needed to be done between board meetings
• Where the majority of board’s work is takes place; they’re the workhorses
• Enable sharing of time & talent, & provide for work & evaluation
• Debate & make recommendations
• Oversee the implementation of the board’s annual goals from the strategic plan
  

Does your board have committees that are focused on the implementation of your strategic plan or do you have the same old committees no matter what year it is? If so, you need to read on for more insight.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.

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P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store for our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.

IN THIS ISSUE

1. In The News

2. Focus On Our Key Services

3. More Tips On Better Board Governance

4. Products At Our Online Store

1. IN THE NEWS

>> PRIVATE SCHOOLS CHARTED A CONSERVATIVE FISCAL COURSE
Prep Schools Face Cuts in Student Aid confirms what most of us have suspected for some time now. Private school endowments have taken a hit in these tough economic times ...

2. FOCUS ON OUR KEY SERVICES

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL
Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. That’s why you need a firm with experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING
We can lead the development of your school’s Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for 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 informative online self-assessment survey) will fine-tune your board’s performance and focus priorities.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS
A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member, are you sure your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with our “In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan.”

(E) BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS
HEG and our certified Brokerage Associates assist buyers/sellers with the purchase and sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, and Career Colleges in Canada, United States, and Internationally. HEG and our Licensed Brokers are experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools.

3. TIPS ON BETTER BOARD GOVERNANCE

It’s critical that you’ve effective committees on your board. This is where all the work needs to be done; not at the board meetings. Effective committees are charged by their agenda that is aligned with the monitoring and implementation of your board’s annual strategic goals (based on your 5-year strategic plan…you have one don’t you?). The Chair and Executive Committee determine the number of committees and membership. The structure should include:

• Size: Should be large enough to ensure critical mass and small enough to ensure participation
• Staffing: May have 1 staff member to serve as secretary & liaison; staff provide info, but don’t make decisions
• Membership: Can have non-board members and use it as a testing ground for potential board members
• Duration: They may either be permanent or temporary, but should be based on your strategic needs
• Charges: Have 1 for each committee and job descriptions for committee members and chair
  

Tips about forming your board committees:

• Document responsibilities, guidelines, annual goals, and review/revise as needed
• Appoint an effective chairperson and members who support and complement fellow members
• Document job descriptions for each member, expectations, and tasks
• Make timely reports
• Be goal-driven and action oriented
  

Please re-read the last bullet again. Be “goal drive” and “action oriented.” Think about it; your committee’s purpose should be based on the delivery of your annual strategic goals, not meeting just for the purpose of meeting.

BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP

To help your board move from good to great, we can provide our one-day board governance workshop with your school’s trustees. Our thoughtful workshop provides feedback to analyze and develop a clear set of strategies to guide your school’s leadership with the ongoing development of your school and governance.

The Board Governance Workshop and Survey refocuses Trustees on the Critical Elements of Effective Board Performance. This includes a comprehensive 360° online “Board Performance Self-Assessment Survey” based on years of research that assesses your board’s performance and a one day workshop to identify and resolve critical governance issues, review best practices, and focus areas for board development. This includes:

1. Presentation of governance best practices for school trustees.
2. Participation in hands-on case scenarios that highlight effective board practices.
3. Building a profile of your board’s performance gap based on confidential responses to the online survey and identifying areas that need immediate improvement (the survey is implemented as part of the school evaluation process).
4. Facilitation of a one-day workshop that assists the board in developing strategies and action plans to close your performance gap for the governance of leadership of the school.
5. As part of the process, the Board members candidly discuss and reach consensus on issues surrounding the performance of your board and lay the groundwork for long-term improvement.
   

You receive a follow-up “Summative Board Performance Report” providing a comprehensive overview of the board’s survey results, issues, and a plan of action for improvement.

To find out more about our firm’s board governance workshops, or learn more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs in more detail.

4. ONLINE STORE

Here are 2 popular Toolkits to help you to either start your own school or develop your own strategic plan, step-by-step.

(1). 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 here to help you develop your own plan.

(2). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)
Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share how they started their own school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your strategic plan.


To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President

Halladay Education Group Inc.