Board Governance Workshops And Evaluations

Are you watching the world cup? What the heck is with the horns they keep blowing? It sounds like a swarm of killer bees buzzing in the background.

I'm going to be near Mobile, Alabama next week (June 20-25) working with clients to complete a feasibility study (mail survey) and business plan for a proposed K-12 private tribal school. If you'd like to meet to discuss your project during my free time, please email me to see if we can arrange a meeting.

Last Newsletter I mentioned that the board of St. Margaret's School in Edinburgh was closing the school after 120 years of operation due to declining enrollment and financial losses. Not surprisingly, there's another story on the BBC web site where outraged parents are trying to save the school. Not surprisingly the Board had not even mentioned to the parents the economic issues they'd faced, but rather tried in their own desparate strategies in isolation, and then let parents know there were no solution and the school would close.

Now outraged parents are striking a committee to review ALL options: lay-offs, increased tuition, selling assets, fundraising, etc. I worked witha school where the board wanted to close a program with no consulation with  parents. I felt strongly that they needed to inform parents of the situation and have them help to solve the problem with an ad hoc committee. The board chose not to do this; the parents were outraged, and then at a 'town hall' meeting the board chose to have the parents help review and solve the situation. Of coure now there's bad blood and a public perception that all is not well at the school. Rather than engaging their community in finding the solution at the start, they created a crisis. Bad board leadership.

Will Rogers said "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Is your board on the right track?

Today I want to share with you the essentials of effective private school board leadership. For-profit or non-profit schools need solid board leadership. Please read on to find out more.

Doug , Most school boards are driven by the calendar of events, their Head of School, crisis, or their own personal agenda. Few boards have taken the time to prioritize what their overall needs are and develop a plan of action to achieve it in a coordinated manner. That means your board needs to determine annual goals (or even better a five-year strategic plan), set up your board committees to monitor implementation, and delegate the goal's achievement by operationalizing goals via your Head of School and staff. Many schools spend their time reacting to unexpected changes instead of anticipating and preparing for them. This is called crisis management. Schools caught off guard spend a great deal of time and resources "playing catch up." They use up energy and funds coping with immediate problems with little energy left to anticipate and prepare for the future. It should not have to be that way. Here's a quick snapshot of habits of effective boards... Duties Duty of Care: Use your best judgment Duty of Loyalty: Putting your personal and professional interests aside for the good of the school Duty of Obedience: Being true to the organization's mission Responsibilities Enhance your school's public standing Ensure legal and ethical integrity/accountability Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance Determine the mission Select the Head Support and assess the Head Ensure adequate resources Manage resources effectively Determine, monitor, and improve programs and services Govern More...Manage Less Develop a strategic plan and follow it Link current agenda to strategic agenda Monitor the success of the school's initiatives Develop clear expectations and plan of action for Trustees Direct CEO to prepare strategically Structure meetings to policy and strategy Assess the performance of the board annually Focus on policy objectives, organizational strategy, and relationship between budgets and priorities Does Your Board Experience Any Of These... Trustee behavior that's unproductive and misaligned with mission Board agenda controlled by crisis rather than vision Lack of a plan or goals that results in no board agenda, committee goals, or operational plan Board committees that exist only because they've always been there, not because they're needed No link between budget, programs, or strategic plan Blurring of boundaries and channels between roles of the Board and Administration Board commitment is greater than trustees would like it to be and become too taxing and stressful Inability to attract or keep trustees Poor turn-out at board meetings and AGM's Board Governance Workshop The alternative is HEG's finely tuned  board governance workshop that provides a viable alternative to reactive governance. Our systematic process provides definite objectives and a road map that can be implemented  immediately. We provide a one-day board governance workshop for your school's trustees. Our thoughtful and fun workshop provides feedback to analyze and develop a clear set of strategies to guide your school's leadership with  ongoing development of your school and governance. The Board Governance Workshop and Online 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 to assess your board's performance and a follow-up one-day workshop to identify and resolve critical governance issues identified in the survey, review best practices, and fine tune your board. This includes: Presentation of governance best practices for. Participation in hands-on case scenarios that highlight effective board practices. Building a profile of your board's performance  based on confidential responses to the online survey and identifying areas that need immediate improvement. Facilitation of a one-day workshop that assists the board in developing strategies and action plans to improve your governance of leadership of your school.  As part of the process, the Board members candidly discuss and reach consensus on issues surrounding performance of your board and lay the groundwork for long-term improvement. You receive a "Summative Board Performance Report" providing a comprehensive overview of the board's survey results, issues, and a plan of action for improvement. NEXT STEP Doug, if you'd like to find out more about our firm's board workshops and learn more about how we can help provide the solution, please email HEG or call  at +1-604-868-0002. Book now before the end of June with a prepayment and we'll provide you'll receive a 10% discount.

 

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

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