Fundamentals of Strategic Planning

Hello,

Are you slowly getting ready for Christmas and the holiday season? I noticed on my return from Saudi Arabia that the stores here in Vancouver are promoting X-Mas 24/7. WalMart is now open 24 hours a day. Nothing quite says Christmas like a visit to a big-box retailer at 2 am.  ;^)

I noted two recent newspaper articles that caught my attention. One article commented on the alarming decrease in public school enrollment and subsequent increase in private schools here in the Vancouver region. The writer commented that "many parents, sensing that their own efforts to instill etiquette and self-discipline and aptitude are lost at the school-house door, are taking more control over the educational fate of their children. "

The second writer's article was an online article  on the latest " Program for International Student Assessment" (PISA), which is a comparative survey of the academic performance of 15-year-olds around the world - an authoritative study released every three years. What caught my attention was the fact that Chinese teenagers from Shanghai far outscored their international peers in all three subject matters that were tested last year: reading, math, and science. The rise of China as an economic and political juggernaut has become familiar, but now there's another area in which the Chinese are suddenly emerging as a world power: education.

There is a saying by Peter Drucker that "The best way to predict the future is to create it". Circumstances like the ones described above don't just happen. They are planned out and take into consideration the current and future environment and strategies to maximize success in reaching them. Private schools and their success don't just happen because they're in the right place at the right time, they took the time to look at their environment and develop strategies to maximize programs to match market demand. An increase in Shanghai's student performance was not just luck; their leaders put a plan together to ensure that their students and teachers became more capable.

Do you want to improve your school's or system's performance? Developing a strategic plan is the answer. Today I'm going to share with you the critical elements of a strategic plan. Please read on. Remember what Yogi Ber said, "You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.

Key Elements Of Successful Strategic Plans

If you want to improve your organization's performance - be it a new or established individual school - or an entire education system, you need to develop a systemic approach to your strategic plan that answers the following four questions:

The planning process itself should be sequential and build on the work developed in the previous stages. As seen the diagram below, you need to identify where you are via an internal/external analysis of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOTS). At the same time you need to determine where you want to be and what is blocking you (issues) from reaching your vision and mission. To overcome these barriers, you develop your strategic goals and objectives, which are measurable.

Following this you need to then develop your action  plans to coordinate the implementation and monitoring of the  goals and objectives. This is illustrated in the diagram below:

To get a better understanding of HEG's proven strategic planning approach, please check the links below:

• Click here to read comments by our clients on our services as well as our planning process.
• Click here to review our strategic planning options (customized to your organization).
• Click here to download HEG's Eight-Step Strategic Planning Process.
• Click here to invest in our Strategic Planning Toolkit.

NEXT STEP

HEG and our team are experienced with the development of strategic plans, with experience in the USA, Canada, Malaysia, China, Korea,  Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc. If your group needs support with the development of your plan, then you should seriously consider our services. There is still time to make arrangements to development a strategic plan in the spring of 2011. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email HEG or call  our direct line at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more.

How To Develop A Business Plan & Feasibility Study For A New School

Hi,

I'm back at our head office in Vancouver after spending eight weeks working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia leading a major strategic planning project for the Saudi K-12 education system. It was an extremely gratifying and challenging project and I gained considerable insight into the Saudi education system. It's quite a switch in weather returning to Vancouver and our first (and hopefully last) snow flurry. I had a switch of 90 degrees F. in temperature.

As always, I'm avidly following my beloved Vancouver Canucks hockey team and the franchise's 40^th year. Perhaps this will be the year that they win the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, they lost 7 to 1 to Chicago last night!

Our firm has been swamped with requests to complete market/feasibility studies and business plans for new schools globally. The world economy and demand for high quality K-12 private school education and US offshore accredited universities continues to grow.

Today I want to share with you how our firm determines the overall costs of starting a K-12 private international school (be it for- or non-profit). Of course, many of the elements can cross over to other types of schools, locations, etc. It should be noted though that we never develop a business plan in isolation, as you also need to conduct a market/feasibility study to gauge market demand, enrollment projections, fee sensitivity, etc. All of this HEG can provide globally.

Please read on to find out more about the fundamental elements of developing a business plan for a new private school. Remember, this is the foundation that all school development decisions should be based on!

To your success,

 

Doug Halladay 

President 

Halladay Education Group 

P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits

Measurable Planning to Maximize Performance

When clients retain HEG to determine the overall project costs to start an international school, it can be difficult to estimate the costs of any given international school project without knowing the costs of the local environment and the market in which the school will operate. This is why it is important for HEG to complete on-site research and inspection of the market.   Our firm typically uses a four stage development process to prepare schools for operation, focusing on: Market Study and Business Plan School Development Plan Implementation of School Formation Plan Operation and Management of the School Normally, our starting point with a client is to develop the feasibility-market study and business plan to determine project capacity, market demand, enrolment, financial projections, facility requirements, and ensure clarity in the start-up preparation and due diligence. Please note that our firm is experienced in a variety of educational programs (e.g., US, IB, Canadian, Special Needs, Single Gender, Elite Sports, British) and accreditation groups (e.g., WASC, ECIS, IBO, NEASC). When developing a business plan, there are four major cost components to a school formation project: Land Construction of the buildings FF & E; and Soft costs such as marketing, accreditation, consulting, recruiting and all other costs necessary to execute the business plan with which we will form the school. Each one of the four major components has different cost behaviours and characteristics, such as: (1) Land: The size of land required for a school depends on enrolment and availability of land in the area.  In a perfect world, we would like to see a combined elementary and high school campus to have at least 25 acres to 50 acres of land. However in a high cost urban area like Singapore, Hong Kong and Honolulu where we have had numerous clients, the land area of a school could be as little as three acres due to the high cost of land in those cities. In the Songdo project in Korea, which is a high-end American International School we consulted for near Incheon, Korea, the school has a total land area of 17-acres for 2,100 students. The Canadian International School in Singapore was constructed on 3.3 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 sq. meter or 2.471 acres) for 2,000 students. As you can see, depending on the plot ratio (F.A.R.) permitted by the local jurisdiction, we can design a school that could suit any size of enrolment and still meeting the school's program requirements and budgetary challenges. (2) Construction: The costs of construction will vary from location to location, however you should note local cost for school construction on a per sq. ft. basis. What you may not know is how much the indoor spatial requirements are for your proposed school, which are dependent of your educational program. The typical standards we go by for estimating indoor building areas, depending on the client's budget and program requirements would anywhere from 100 to 200 per sq. ft. depending on your school type. A typical high-end international school, one which charges USD 15,000 to $25,000 a year for tuition, would usually have excellent amenities such as performing arts center (auditorium), black box theatre for their performing arts center, swimming pool, gymnasium, state of the art science labs, computer network connections, library, cafeteria, industrial shops, arts center and  band room. (3) Furniture, Fixture and Equipment (F F & E): This cost component is again difficult to estimate without knowing the local costs and your school's programming requirements. In a high costs area like Seoul or Hong Kong, F F & E costs could be very high. In a country with very efficient manufacturing industries like China, FF & E costs could be quite low. Your program, grades, and location will influence the type of equipment and apparatus you will need. HEG can draw upon our experience in this area based on the average F F & E of many other HEG projects. (4) Soft Costs: This includes marketing, accreditation, teaching staff recruitment, consulting etc. It is very difficult to estimate these costs without knowing your local costs. However, marketing costs can be lower in some regions than others; Hanoi as compared to major markets like Seoul and Singapore. The costs of recruiting international teachers will be the same though. Whether the international school is located in Jakarta, Mumbai or Hainan Island, we still have to attend the same international recruiting fairs. Other Costs Required Immediately After Formation: Besides construction and formation costs of starting a new school, school founders may have to budget extra cash to cover the school's deficits due to possible low enrolment during its early years. This extra cash reserve however may or may not be necessary depending on the international school market conditions in which the school operates. Because it is always cheaper to build to a 700-student capacity for the school all at once, the proposed school during its earlier years may have excess capacity that is not generating profits. As a result, the school will need extra cash to meet budgetary deficits in the earlier years. The exact amount of cash requirement the school needs cannot be determined until HEG completes an in-depth business plan. However as mentioned above, in some rare situations, as it was in one school we started in Vancouver, Canada, some schools might not have any operation deficits due to large market demand for private school education in their catchment areas. Again, this is why is it important to conduct a market/feasibility study. It may be advantages to separate construction over a number of phases. As you can see, estimating the costs of school formation and operations is not an exact science by using just ratios and standards. Besides estimating the school formation budget as we did above, we also need to review the school operating budgets for the first five years because the school's operating deficits, if there are any, could have an impact on the amount of capital required to start a new school. It is therefore very important that HEG must complete an in-depth business plan in order to have a better understanding of all the issues and criteria of starting a private school in your region. I trust the above will assist you with an estimate of the project formation and development costs for your school. NEXT STEP Douglas, HEG and our experienced team are experienced with the development of a market/feasibility study and business plans internationally, with experience in the USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, India, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc. If your group needs support with the development of your business plan for a new private school, then you should seriously consider our services. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email HEG or call  our direct line at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more.

Strategic Planning For Schools

Hi,

It's another school year and millions of children are returning to school to shape who they are and what they can be. Our two children return to their private schools as well; one to an all-girl's K-12 school and the other to a gifted K-7 school. Each one serving different needs, but equally successful and viable in their community.

At this point I'm waiting to finalize arrangements to lead a major strategic planning project for a national K-12 school reform initiative in the Middle East. It's an exciting project and one that will provide guidance to the country's decision makers with the strategic development of their K-12 education system.

Interestingly, many of the elements utilized within a national-level strategic plan are also applied within a district, post secondary, and/or K-12 school strategic plan. In addition, this also applies to starting a new school as well.

As Peter Drucker so aptly stated, "The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It." Now more than ever schools need a comprehensive strategic plan to maximize their strengths, foresee threats, reduce weaknesses, and take advantage of future opportunities. The planning process can result in the development of a sustainable leadership tool to support your board and senior administration to lead your organization over the next five years. Do you have a plan to 'create' your future? If you don't, you need one now! Why leave your organization's future to crisis management.

Today I'm going to share with you the process you should utilize to develop your strategic plan for your own private school or public school district. Please read on to find out more.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our strategic planning approach results in the "compass" and "road map" to guide your organization in the development of a measurable plan to focus priorities and maximize performance. The diagram below illustrates key elements of our planning model:

If a plan is facilitated properly, the process will stimulate support in your community and add value to your organization's continued growth. The plan will lay out a road map to achieve your mission and vision; moving away from being "reactive" - solving today's problems - towards being "proactive" - eliminating future problems. Your plan will provide a framework that enables you to focus and coordinate your resources, work towards common goals, and assess and adjust as you move forward. It will address a progression of questions that examine assumptions, gather and incorporate information about the present, and anticipate the world in which your organization will be working in, and determine how you'll get there. It asks:

• Where is your organization now?
• Where do you want to be?
• How do you get there?
• How do you measure progress and know you've gotten to your destination?

As each question is addressed, we can develop a blueprint to improve your organization's performance.

WHERE ARE WE NOW? (Internal/External Assessment)

• Situation Inventory/Environmental Scans
• Quality Assessment & Benchmarking
• Strategic Issues

WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE? (Mission, Vision & Principles)

• Broad, comprehensive statement of the organization's purpose
• Core values/principles to achieve the mission
• Resources involved
• When combined with the mission & principles, identifies organization's uniqueness
• Compelling image of desired future

HOW DO WE GET THERE? (Goals, Objectives & Action Plans)

• The desired result after five or more years
• Specific & measurable targets for accomplishment
• Leads to quality initiative goals & objectives
• Strategies used to accomplish goals & objectives
• Detailed action plan
• Leads to resource allocation

HOW DO WE MEASURE OUR PROGRESS? (Monitoring & Tracking)

• Methods used to measure results
• Ensures accountability & continuous improvement-linked targets
• Performance Measures
• System to monitor progress
• Compiles management information
• Keeps plan on track

Planning Approach

Our strategic planning approach focuses on the following:

1. Determine the scope of your Strategic Planning process;
2. Orient your community to the planning process;
3. Assemble data to determine where your school is now in terms of performance;
4. Re/define the purpose and direction of your school;
5. Assess your current conditions;
6. Identify and prioritize critical issues stopping you from achieving your vision and mission;
7. Develop goals and objectives for success;
8. Develop action plans to support the implementation of your goals;
9. Guide your leadership with the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the action and operational plan.

QUICK SNAPSHOT OF OUR PLANNING PROCESS

1. 
   
   Click here to read comments by our clients on our services as well as our planning process.
2. 
   
   Click here to review our strategic planning options (customized to your organization).
3. 
   
   Click here to download HEG's Eight-Step Strategic Planning Process.
4. 
   
   Click here to invest in our Strategic Planning Toolkit.

Results From Schools That We've Planned For

Schools and districts that have retained HEG to develop their strategic plan have improved their organization's performance ten-fold. For example:

Harbert Hills Academy: This 50 year old school used the plan to re-inspire its operation. With guidance from the plan, the school: increased enrollment by 500%; improved academic performance by 30%; and engaged a capital campaign to build a new girl's dormitory.

Mascenic School District: The district achieved the following: district board of education won board of the year in New Hampshire; Principal won Middle School Principal of the year; one of their teachers was state teacher of the year; and their community voted for a school facility bond that was passed by 82%.

Queen Margaret's School: The school achieved the following: moved from deficit to a surplus; upgraded academic performance from 20th to 95th percentile; increased enrollment by 22%; increased enquiries by 30% and retention by 12%; reduced staff turnover by 30%; and developed set a record in annual campaign and largest donation.

NEXT STEP

HEG and our experienced team are well suited and experienced to help your organization with the development of your school's strategic plan. If you feel that your school needs support with your plan, be it a new one or a more functional implementation of your current plan, then you should seriously consider our services. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email HEG or call  our direct line at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more.

Head of School Search Consulting Firm

Hi,

As always, HEG is busy on current and new projects. We've just been retained to develop a business plan for a new religious orthodox high school in Florida, as well as a Head of School Search for a faith-based private K-12 school in California. However, I'm planning to take Thursday off and drive up to Whistler to enjoy the scenery and even try some zip-lining.

Is your school planning on hiring a new Head of School, Principal, or senior leadership position? Are you trying to figure out the most appropriate process to find the right fit for your school? Research indicates that successful schools have visionary, long-term leadership. While data also indicates that the average tenure for a Head of School is around three years. In addition, candidates that are hired internally extend their tenure to at least six years, but internal candidates are only hired 1 out 10 times. What does it look like at your school? Do you hire and keep your Head of School on for the long-term or do you turn them over every three years?

Today I'm going to share with you the process you may want to follow when searching for a new senior leadership position for your school. Please read on to find out more.

To your success,

 

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group


P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.

 


Head Of School Search Process

At some point during your board's tenure, you're going to have to recruit and hire a new Head of School or other senior leadership positions. For some fortunate schools, they have a succession plan in place, but for most, they're starting from ground zero each time.


Typically, a number of things happen:

1. The announcement of the Head's departure is a shock to the community and affects enrollment and staff retention;
2. The board is dependent on the Head for its direction and momentum, and falls into a vacuum for the vision of the school;
3. The board doesn't have any potential internal or external candidates and has no idea what the optimal candidate should be or how to find him or her.

Most board's don't recognize that there are specific seasons for hiring Heads of School, and as a result many boards move to late to find the best candidate. If a school is in good financial shape and is functioning well with solid leadership, it can handle a change. However, if the school suffers from poor leadership, financial issues, recruiting deficits, or power struggles, they may need to stabilize their structure before beginning the search (perhaps bringing on an Interim Head). On the other hand, having an interim candidate may allow you test his or her leadership capabilities and determine whether they're a fit.


At this point, your board needs to determine whether to retain a professional search firm (such HEG), or do it themselves. Either way, they need a plan before beginning the formal search. The process that HEG utilizes for our search process focuses on the following steps:

Step 1:Define Scope of Search Process

• Clarify search process, Search Committee members, time lines, budget, communication, and procedural rules;
• Communicate to school community what is happening.

Step 2: Develop Position Profile

• Meet with members of the community to determine the school's strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats, and issues that need to addressed by the next Head;
• Develop a "Position Description" and "School Profile" to be used in communicating to the candidates;

Step 3: Candidate Exploration

• 
  
  Implement a comprehensive exploration to identify candidates;
• 
  
  Request a cover letter, CV, personal statement/educational philosophy, references, and transcripts;
• 
  
  Employ a variety of advertising media to post the position vacancy (e.g., Newspaper-Career Section, Internet, Direct Mail, Personal Contacts).

Step 4: Collect & Screen Candidates

• Collect, collate, and screen initial candidates;
• 
  
  References are checked for each finalist and a presented to the Search Committee;
• 
  
  Final candidates are either interviewed by the Search Committee and/or by the Board as a whole

Step 6: Select & Offer Position

• 
  
  Final evaluation of interviews, reference checks, and Search Committee(s) feedback;
• 
  
  Selection of final candidate and offer presented;
• 
  
  Communicate selection to community at large.

Step 7: Transition

• The Board may form a Transition Committee to assist new the Head with 'transitioning' into the new position (e.g., moving, spouse/family issues, entry plan, orientation, welcoming event);
• Provide additional community announcements when needed (e.g., news releases).

NEXT STEP

HEG and our experienced team are well suited and experienced to help your school with your Head of School Search. If you feel that your school needs support with your leadership search, then you should seriously consider our services. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email  HEG or call  our direct line at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more.

Do You Need To Develop A Market Study & Business Plan For A New School?

Hi, How's your summer going so far? Here in Vancouver we're enjoying temperatures in the low-80's with clear blue skies and low humidity. I spend my time between our house here in the farm country south of Vancouver and our cottage in the US peninsula of Point Roberts. I'm pleased to share that HEG is signing off on another Market Study and Business Plan for a new for-profit K-9 IB School in Malaysia. Next is a Feasibility Study and Business Plan for a new Tribal School in Alabama. A critical element before starting a private school or university is to gauge the market demand for the envisioned school and quantify the investment capital needed within a detailed formation and five-year operational budget. This process determines whether there is demand for the specific school program and tuition fee at that specific location, what it costs to open that school, and whether it's a sustainable operation (and if the founder's pockets are deep enough). I've witnessed at least 10 schools close over the last 12 months; some established, some new. What their closures indicate to me is two fold: People are not buying what they're selling. In other words, parents and students are not attracted to the educational program being offered at that school; and The Directors and Board of the school are not operating the school within a financially sustainable business model. If you're thinking of starting a new school, or have an established school, you owe it to yourself to ensure that you can statistically quantify what your market wants, what fees it is capable of paying, and ensuring that the revenue 'coming in' matches or is less than the expenses 'going out.' I know this sounds pretty simple, but why did all those schools close while others didn't? It's just simple supply and demand and responsible governance! Is your group thinking of starting a new school? Today I'm going to share with you the process to develop a market-feasibility study and business plan, which ensures that you're better prepared to open your school. Please read on to find out more. To your success,   Doug Halladay President Halladay Education Group P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.

Developing A Market-Feasibility Study & Business Plan

At HEG, we're strong believers in due diligence when starting a school. We believe that the rationale behind developing a school should be based on quantifiable data rather than emotions. There are a number of qualitative and quantitative survey tools you can use to determine the level of demand for your school (e.g., focus groups, phone surveys, online surveys, mail surveys). The purpose of the Market-Feasibility Study is to provide statistically-based data to help answer the following questions: What is the level of demand for your school? Who is the target market? What is the likelihood of parents enrolling their children at your school? How many students will enroll? What will prevent families from enrolling? What level of tuition would they pay? Will they need financial aid? What is the impact of pricing on enrollment? What is the response to the educational programs What will generate confidence in a brand new private school? This process allows HEG to evaluate your project's capacity for success, markets for enrollment, and ensure clarity in the development of your business plan and start-up preparation. We view the market-feasibility study like building the foundation of a house; you need to establish all the building blocks before you commit your putting resources and capital into building the school. Once you've hard data for projected enrollment demand, we then develop the business plan, which includes proformas for the start-up budget and five-year operational budget. The plan illustrates the opportunity, program requirements, demand, time lines and benchmarks, facility needs, leadership structure, start-up costs, operational budget, and investment structure. An effective Market-Feasibility Study and Business Plan will determine the best location, capital requirements for start-up and operating budget, feasibility of the proposed school model in that regional market, facility/site requirements, and convey the proposition to your financing group. The rationale behind the Study and Plan is to first consolidate the scope and scale of your formation project through an extensive business case analysis and identify the elements and costs associated with developing your school and tasks associated with opening it. Our four-step development model focuses on the following stages: Market-Feasibility Study & Business Plan Development Plan Implementation of University Formation Plan Operation, Management, & Ongoing Support Our process with meeting the Client onsite to establish the key elements of your school, including: vision and mission, timelines, tuition, facilities, staffing, corporate structure and goals, values, and educational program. We then conduct the market study. After the study has been conducted, demographic and community information has been gathered and data analyzed, we then deliver a Feasibility Report addressing the key questions above and then a Business Plan to determine start-up costs and five-year operational budget based projected enrollment. The business plan focuses on: School model Pricing Strategy for Tuition Positioning And Competition Admissions And Enrollment Human Resources Formation Overview Location, Facilities, and FF&E Detailed Proforma Financial Statements and Budgets (Payroll, Capital Contributions, Financial Statement, IRR, Income Tax Loss Carry-Forward, Development Costs, Revenue, Procurement, Depreciation and Amortization, Administration Costs, Physical Plan and Maintenance Costs, Land Acquisition and Mortgage) HEG and our experienced team are well suited and experienced to help assess and lead the development of your school. By utilizing our quality controls, it ensures proper planning, development, and operation of your institution, delivery of a world-class curriculum, and assurance that your school will be sustainable. When you think about all those schools that closed in the last year, my guess is that they didn't do their homework. Many of the clients that we complete the study and business plan for never open their schools. We think it's better to spend a little money now than waste a lot of money later. On the other hand, we provide the blue print for you to build a solid foundation for a sustainable school. NEXT STEP If this article strikes a note with you, and you feel that your group needs to help developing a market/feasibility study and business plan, then you should seriously consider our services. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email  HEG or call  our direct line at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more.

Do You Have An Effective Board-Head Relationship?

Hello,

Vancouver is finely having its long anticipated summer weather, with temperatures in the mid-80's F and climbing. This means that our cherry trees in our back yard are bearing their delicious fruit. Last night while we were enjoying our dinner on the patio, a family of racoons wandered into our yard and proceeded to climb the cherry tree and enoy themselves as well. Ahh, summer in the country.

As you may know, HEG divides its work between helping clients start new schools and supporting established private schools to improve their operations and leadership (Of course, our services extend into other education-sector related services as well). Working with hundreds of clients globally, there is a common element that we assist with; ensuring that there's an effective working relationship between the board and the school's senior leader. Research indicates that effective schools have strong leadership with a clear vision and a plan to achieve it, which is jointly achieved through a partnership between trustees and the Head of School.

Does your organization have a clear constructive working relationship with the board and the CEO? Today I want to share with you the essentials of strong and healthy Board-Head relationship. Please read on to find out more.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.

=======================================================

When we work with school boards, be it new or established, we see many of the same issues. An inability to work effectively with the organization's CEO.

Based on HEG's research into the common practices of effective schools; there is an overlaying common element; a strong and healthy Board-Head relationship.

It is important to understand the role that the Board and Head have in achieving the school's mission and goals. For example, the Board's role is to develop the strategic, long-range plan for the school; "directing/developing" goals and policy, and monitoring their implementation. The Head's role is to lead the "operations" side to implement the goals/policies, with the Head and staff being held accountable for meeting Board expectations, which are clearly outlined and monitored within the goals/policies.

Committees

In most circumstances, Board members develop goals and policies for the school with the assistance of the Head and staff, and do not get down in the trenches (the operational side). However, in some limited cases, a Board member may have knowledge and a passion for a specific skill that may benefit the school (a skill that the school staff do not have, or the school cannot finance); skills that the school may want to tap into and to provide staff access to. But Board members need to make sure that they don't overstep and over commit themselves, and cross over from the strategic side (Board) to the operations side (management).

At a Board level, a goal should be achievable, measurable, relevant, and timely, with it being implemented by the Head and the staff. But since a Board member may have an "advisory role", there is a need to make sure that there's no confusion over the "chain-of-command". It is important to ensure that the Board's authoritative position and its obligation to its constituency be maintained, even when it is in the position to give advice, that by definition may or may not be heeded (e.g., do staff members put themselves in jeopardy if they do not heed it?).

Fundamental Rules

Good Board-Head delegation can be characterized by three simple rules:

1. The Board will express its instructions and expectations only as a group, not as individuals or committees; 
2. The Board will express its instructions and expectations only to the Head, never to persons who work for the Head. However, advice to staff from Board members can be workable with sound ground rules. Since the Board can only instruct the Head when it does so as a group, nothing an individual Board members says can and should have instructional authority. Thus, Board member "advice" is fine, but "commands" are not. So advice can be considered by staff on its merits alone; and
3. The function and agenda for a Board committee should be developed jointly with the Head.

Summary

It is important to ensure that the line between "instructing" (which a full Board does) and "advising" (which Board member can do) does not get blurred and confusing for the Head and staff. The unintended result is that the staff ends up working not for the Board or Head per se, but for various sources of "advice", which they can never be completely sure is really only advice. Staff members are not inclined to tell Board members that their advice is unhelpful.

In other words, the Board should "direct" and "develop" policies and goals and the Head/staff control the "processes", and the Board members wear his/her "instructional hat" at the Board meetings only, not at the committee level. Thus the Head/staff is held accountable for meeting Board expectations (clearly outlined in the goals/policies of the Board's strategic plan), not the individual Board members.

It is important to make sure that staff is free to review the advice and make the appropriate choices (processes) needed to accomplish the goals. Hence, a Board member's place on a committee is two fold:

1. Providing feedback to the Board for the development of goals/ policies (governing) at the Board meeting level; and
2. Advising, with the Head/staff making the final decisions on the processes to achieve the goals/policies, being careful of the balance between the two.

NEXT STEP

Doug, if this article strikes a note at your organization, and you feel that your board could be better prepared for the coming school year, then you should seriously consider these valuables services:

1. Board Workshop and Evaluation; and
2. Coaching for the Board Chair and Head of School.

If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your organization, please email HEG or call  at +1-604-868-0002 to find out more about our services.