Is Your School Using Social Media?

Hello,

My flu is getting a little better, but the best medicine is my Vancouver Canucks Hockey team winning last night. By beating the St. Louis Blues, the Canucks are now in 4th place.

As you know, one of the strategies HEG utilizes to stay connected with our current and future clients is to send out weekly eNewsletters to share tips, news, and advice on starting and leading private and public schools more effectively. From the strong retention rates, we must be doing a good job.

HEG utilizes as many technology-based strategies as possible to stay connected with our Inner Circle Members and access to new members. We do this through “Social Media 2.0” technology.

You can find HEG on the following Social Media Sites: LinkedIn, Twitter, Face Book, Plaxo, Blob, PPC’s on Yahoo and Google, Article Submissions, Reciprocal Links, and more.

If your school uses only traditional advertising and has limited online presence, it's missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow schools to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your school’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees.

What does your school do?

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Get our updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

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

In This Issue

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

1. In The News

2. Popular Services

3. Is Your School Using Social Media?

4. Online Store Products

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

1. In The News

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

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the report "Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results from the 2007-08 Private School Universe Survey." This report presents data on private schools in the United States for grades kindergarten through twelve by selected characteristics such as school size, school level, religious orientation, geographic region, urbanicity type, and program emphasis. To view, download and print the report as a PDF file, please click here.

A NEW HIGH SCHOOL WITH A COLLEGE MIXED IN

New York Times - United States

Officials say the economic crisis may cause students to bypass more expensive private schools. Justin Simmons, a 2007 graduate of Brooklyn Technical High...

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2. Popular 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. Please click here for more information.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan for your private or public school, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration to improve your school. Please click here for more information.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have better leadership? Our full-day governance workshop in combination with our interactive online surveys will fine-tune your board’s performance and refocus their priorities. Please click here for more information.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A School assessment and review is critical to knowing if your school is heading in the right direction. You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive. As a board member are you confident that your Head of School and staff are making the right decisions? Is your school "firing on all its cylinders?" Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review. Please click here for more information.

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3. Is Your School Using Social Media?

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If your school has limited online presence, it's missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow school’s to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more to stay connected with your past, current, and future community.

Take advantage of these tools by asserting your school’s presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees. Here is a list of potential social sites your school should have a presence on:

Social-Media/Social-Bookmarking Sites

• Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. Submit items often so that you'll gain a more loyal following and increase your presence on the site.
• Digg: Digg has a huge following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more.
• Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.
• StumbleUpon: You'll open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and "channel surf[ing] the Web. You'll "connect with friends and share your discoveries," as well as "meet people that have similar interests."
• Technorati: If you want to increase your blog's readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
• Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone.
• Squidoo: According to Squidoo, "everyone's an expert on something. Share your knowledge!" Share your industry's secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members.
• Furl: Make Furl "your personal Web file" by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
• Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
• WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company's services with the public for free.
• YouTube: From the fashion industry to Capitol Hill, everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company's latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day.
• Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.

Professional-Networking Sites

Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more.

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.
• Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on "connecting business people" through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.
• Ryze: Ryze lets members organize contacts and friends; upcoming events; and even job, real-estate and roommate classifieds.
• YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.
• Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."
• Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.
• Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
• Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
• MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
• Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
• Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.
• Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
• NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
• Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.

How is your school dealing with today’s social marketing opportunities and growing enrollment, retention, fund raising, and public relations? Do you have a plan in place to implement this? Hey, are you even using pay per click on Google or Yahoo?

To find out more about our firm’s services and how we can help improve your school’s social media presence, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click on the following link for more information:

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4. Products At Our Online Store

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Here are two sets of popular Tool Kits to help you start and/or lead your school more effectively.

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

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan effectively with our step-by-step instructions that contains our Workbook and Manual. Click here to get more details.

>> (B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School? We share with you how to start a school from the ground up. Click here to get more the details.

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

To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

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

www.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.

Improve Your School's Performance With Our In-Depth Review

Hello:

A school evaluation is critical to knowing if your school is headed in the right direction.

You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive. As a board member are you confident that you’re making the right decisions? Is your school firing on all its cylinders? Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Is your board driven by crisis and your calendar, rather than the priorities of your missions?

You need to get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review.

HEG’s School Performance Review is the keystone to building a solid foundation. We review your school's operations and leadership utilizing our in-depth background of leading and managing private schools around the world and comparison to industry benchmarks of successful schools. Our approach identifies what is working and areas in your operations and management that need immediate improvement. We follow our on-site visit with an action plan that identifies a range of solutions and strategies to improve your school’s performance now. You get immediate results that will help your bottom line.

PROCESS:

To establish a complete picture of your school performance against established benchmarks and to determine areas of priority that your school needs to focus on, we provide a two-pronged approach to assess your school’s current situation and gather measurable data:

1. On-site focus groups, and;
2. Multiple surveys of your school’s community (e.g., parents, staff, board).
   

Our thoughtful review process will provide clear feedback vital to successfully analyzing and developing a clear set of strategies to guide your board and administration with the ongoing development of your school. Our assessment process will help to revitalize your school, save you money, and focus your board on areas needing organizational improvement.

Institutional Assessment:

We will appraise your school's operations applying our in-depth background of starting, leading, and managing private schools. After our on-site session we will follow up with a summary report that identifies a range of recommendations and action plan strategies to improve your school.
Our focused assessment process will comprise a two-day onsite session. We will then develop a summary report that prioritizes the critical issues you need to improve upon, as well as the "indicators of success" you need to move towards to improve your new school. Our process focuses on a “SWOT” analysis approach identifying your:

• Strengths;
• Weaknesses;
• Opportunities;
• Threats or Trends.
  

SUMMATIVE REPORT & ACTION PLAN

We then develop a final report that summarizes areas that need to be addressed for short- and long-term success, as well as areas to celebrate. This includes an action plan to mobilize your board. A final written and digital report is submitted to focus your path of organizational improvement. Based on the report HEG can prioritize with your board areas that you may wish to have HEG return to support. We will review your:

• School’s vision - mission - core values -educational philosophy;
• Strategic planning;
• Board Governance;
• Bylaws and constitution;
• Administrative leadership;
• Head of School evaluation and support;
• Physical plant and grounds;
• Financial planning;
• Development and fundraising;
• Curriculum and programming;
• Crisis management;
• Staff evaluation systems, contracts, compensation, and professional development;
• Tuition, bursaries, and financial aid;
• Infrastructure, handbooks, traditions, and reporting systems;
• Marketing and communications;
• Admissions, recruiting, and retention systems;
• School Climate.
  

EVALUATION PROCESS:

We will break our evaluation process into four parts:

1. Determine Scope and Direction: Meeting with the board’s executive committee to determine realistic goals, critical issues, timelines, situational scan, and deliverables;
2. Research Analysis (Internal/External Situation):
3. Collect/Review School Documents prior to the onsite visit to determine school’s present situation (e.g., staff contracts, compensation, bylaws/constitution, handbooks, timetable, staffing chart, admissions material).
4. Statistically-Driven Online Surveys prior to the onsite visit with staff/faculty, board, and parents, to gather data on school performance.
5. Focus Group Sessions (Two-Days Onsite) with key constituents of your community to determine the strengths of your school, weaknesses, and opportunities and trends to take advantage of, including: Board Executive Committee, board members, administration, parents, students, staff, former parents. I will also tour the school and hold several classroom observation sessions.
6. Summative Report: Develop a customized strategic report that will identify areas needing immediate focus and the ‘roll-out’ of a set of multiple recommendations, strategies and action plan to enhance your school’s development. This will include strategies, timelines, and designated staff.
7. Implementation and Monitoring (TBD): Once we identify and agree upon the areas that your school and board need to prioritize, we can also be actively involved with supporting your institution with the implementation of your plan as needed throughout the process. This will be included in a subsequent agreement
   

NEXT STEP:

A School assessment and review is critical to knowing if your school is headed in the right direction. You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive.

Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review.

If you’d like to take the initiative, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call us at +1.604.868.0002 to set up a time to talk about your needs.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Get our updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

Your Board’s Commitment To The Future

Hi

My wife, who is a subscriber to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, received a letter penned from their Board Chairman, James Houghton. It has some very important points that will be valuable to any group that works with directors, be it for- or non-profit.

Here is our quote for the day.

"My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories." - Bjorn Borg, Professional Tennis Player

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

--> Get my updates @ www.twitter.com/halladay

================================
In This Issue
================================

1. In The News

2. Popular Services

3. Your Board’s Commitment To The Future

4. Online Store Products

==================================
1. In The News
==================================

APPLICATIONS HOLDING STEADY AT PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Richmond private school officials will be holding their breath Tuesday, (March 17) when acceptance letters go out to high school students...

SMALLER COLLEGES MUST BE SAVVY IN A DOWN MARKET
Smaller private schools also should frankly assess their course offerings and faculty. Discontinuation of certain courses may be advisable in order to...

==================================
2. Popular Services
==================================

(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. Please click here for more information.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan for your private or public school, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration to improve your school. Please click here for more information.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have better leadership? Our full-day governance workshop in combination with our interactive online surveys will fine-tune your board’s performance and refocus their priorities. Please click here for more information:

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A School assessment and review is critical to knowing if your school is heading in the right direction. You need to keep track of how your school is performing and how to stay competitive. As a board member are you confident that your Head of School and staff are making the right decisions? Is your school "firing on all its cylinders?" Are you sure that your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture with HEG's In-Depth School Performance Review. Please click here for more information:

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3. Your Board’s Commitment To The Future
=========================================

My wife received a letter from the Chairman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. No, it is not personalized, but it demonstrates that a little foresight and public relations can go a long way. What caught my attention is that Mr. Houghton recognized that his stakeholders need to be informed on the strategic direction that the Met is taking and the strategies they are putting into place to ensure that the many subscribers to the Met will continue to enjoy their.

Here is an excerpt from his opening paragraph:

"Over the last few months, we have all heard much about how the ongoing global financial crisis has afflicted so many of the nation’s leading cultural institutions, as well as the foundations and other funding sources that support them. The Metropolitan Museum is a robust institution, but despite its manifest strengths has not been immune to the consequences of this turbulent economy. I am writing to brief you on the circumstances in which the museum now finds itself – and to report on the steps it is taking to provide both short- and long-term remedies without jeopardizing its covenant with the public. Thus the Museum faces the unprecedented challenges of our time fully committed to fulfilling its mission."

Did you note the reference to achieving their mission? Yes, I spoke about that yesterday in my eNewsletter. Good boards need to know their mission and be committed to developing strategies to ensure that mission is achieved.

The Chairman then goes on to explain the strategies they will implement to respond to their situation. This approach demonstrates transparency as well as including their stakeholders in the solution. This will empower their community and trust-building. He then makes reference to the Museum’s principles and polices. Again using them as their sounding stone for their decisions.

How is your board dealing with today’s challenges and empowering your community to be part of the solution? Do you have a plan in place to manage our challenging times?

To find out more about our firm’s board governance services and how we can help improve your board’s effectiveness, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click here for more information.

============================================
4. Products At Our Online Store
============================================

Here are two sets of popular Tool Kits to help you start and/or lead your school more effectively.

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

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan effectively with our step-by-step instructions that contains our Workbook and Manual. Click here to get more details.

>> (B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School? We share with you how to start a school from the ground up. Click here to get more the details.

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

To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

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

Board Governance - The Key To School Success

Hello Inner Circle Member,

Welcome to our 33 new members to HEG Inner Circle eNewsletter.

If you are in Vancouver Canada right now, you will be basking in our clear blue skies and fantastic ski conditions at our local mountains. Yesterday my father in-law flew me over on his Cessna to Victoria for a meeting at Dunsmuir Lodge. This facility overlooks the Strait of Georgia with views all the way west to our snow covered coastal mountains, the Gulf Islands, and the Olympic Mountain Range in Washington.

Most importantly however is that we are basking in our Vancouver Canucks hockey team and their continued winning streak. If the playoffs start today, we would be in fifth place and taking on the Chicago Blackhawks. Special note: Vancouver not won the Stanley Cup in our 34 year history!

Our firm has been busy with new clients in the UAE, Vietnam, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and India. We thank all our happy clients and their trust in our services. Our projects span the development of new International K-12 International Baccalaureate Schools to pre-evaluation of public schools as part of a pre-reform exercise.

Here is the quote of the day.

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.

- Charles Kettering

Today I am going to talk about effective board governance. Research shows that effective schools have effective board leadership. Is your board leading or managing the school? The best way to maximize board effectiveness is to ensure that they fully understand it's governance responsibilities and parameters of its leadership role.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

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

In This Issue

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

1. In The News

2. Focused Boards the Key to School Success

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1. In The News

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TWO LOCAL PRIVATE SCHOOLS MAY CONSIDER A MERGER

... there have been no formal talks about merging. The schools decided to send the letters home to put some rumours to rest and reassure parents and students.

ENROLLMENT TUMBLES AT Cape Coral SCHOOLS

The school plans to once again offer classes for sixth-grade students for the 2009-10 school year. The loss of students has been painful for private schools...

ENROLLMENT AS ISSUE FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS? NO HERE, NOT YET

Area private school enrolments aren't feeling the sting of the slumping economy...

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2. Focused Boards the Key to School Success

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Your can not live with them, you cannot live without them. This is the feeling of many people who sit on boards or work with or for them. However, it does not have to always be that way; at least not if they are functioning properly.

As organizational leaders, trustees not only focus on compliance, legal requirements, hiring and firing the CEO, and fundraising, but also stewardship. This means ensuring that an effective strategic plan is developed, implemented, monitored, and operationalized with the administration of board committees. On top of this, boards need to set performance standards, measure efficacy, and build and develop the board itself.

Here are seven pillars to effective governance.

1). Understand Your Mission or Purpose:

A firm understanding of the school’s mission will aid trustees in helping to oversee policies, programs, and priorities that meet the school’s purpose.

2). Understand Your Values and Beliefs:

This guides how you behave towards your staff, students, parents, and community. This governs how you interact with the rest of your school and provides the means by which the mission is accomplished and how you serve your community. The board is charged with the execution of the mission is in keeping with the values.

3). Knowing What Success Is:

You must understand what represents success for your school and what the mission and values lead to by way of success. To realize the mission, how will the board go about this? The most effective approach is through a strategic plan.

4). Identify Your Priorities:

Your priorities are governed by your mission and describe what your school does. You need to clearly define these or you will have no focus and will cause burn out. Knowing your priorities will determine your school’s actions. These are conveyed through your plan’s goals and objectives.

5). Execute Your Strategies

Your school’s strategies refer to your strategic plan and are based on your mission and values. Your strategies (which are really your goals) inform your board, staff, and community how their interconnected activities combine to make the school successful. These will allow your board to confront difficult issues and make proactive choices. Good boards will oversee implementation stay aligned with their strategies.

6). Measure CEO Performance:

The board’s mandate is to evaluate the CEO’s effectiveness in carrying out the mission and priorities of the strategic plan. Board leadership requires an effective relationship with the CEO. This is accomplished through regular performance reviews based on the priorities of the plan and the degree to which the CEO carries them out.

7). Develop Leaders:

The board’s role is to cultivate and develop its trustees and CEO’s as effective leaders. Your school depends on a commitment to growth who serves your community. Ensuring that your board and CEO receive learning opportunities is key. Board leadership requires that governors understand their roles and keep focused on effective governance as the means to the end.

Achieving the mission.

To find out more about our firm’s board governance services and how we can help improve your board’s effectiveness, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs or click on the following link for more information:

Click here: http://www.halladayeducationgroup.com/online_assessments.php

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com

www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

Private School Business Plan

Hello Inner Circle Member:

I do not know about you, but I am just coming down from this weeks inauguration activities. As a Canadian I am looking forward to the new President and his vision for the future. If you know Canadians, that is about as political as we get.

Please do not ask about our Vancouver Canuck hockey team though. They are setting a new standard for apathy. They have now lost 7 games in a row and set a record for consecutive home game losses. Thankfully the All Start Break is here, so we do not have to expose ourselves to anymore of their hockey for a week.

Though the following quote was written many years ago, it has many links to the inaugural speech of Mr. Obama from Tuesday and his reference to what is required of us now in a new era of responsibility.

Here is the quote of the day.

Nothing of great value in life comes easily. The things of highest value sometimes come hard. The gold that has the greatest value lies deepest in the earth, as do the diamonds.

Norman Vincent Peale
1898-1993, Pastor, Speaker and Author

I received an email last week from an Inner Circle member, Marianne, who asked what needs to be considered when developing a business plan for a new school. Today, Bill Wan, an HEG Executive Associate, and an author of +25 business plans for new schools, will provide input into what you need to consider.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

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In This Issue
================================

1. In The News

2. Developing a Business Plan for a New School

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1. In The News
==================================

ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BROOKLYN TO CLOSE MORE SCHOOLS
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is planning to close about fourteen more schools. This is in addition to the twenty-two schools shut in 2005 and seven more since then....


ECONOMY HITTING PRIVATE SCHOOLS HARD
Lost jobs mean parents can't afford tuition just as big donors pull back because of their stock market losses. While public schools brace for bad news from state politicians because of the budget deficit, private schools already have gotten word from their own chief funders -- the parents of their students...

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2. Developing a Business Plan for a New School
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Hi Marianne,

Thank you for taking the time to contact our firm. Included below are some pointers that may be meaningless to a non accounting person. However, if you have some accounting training, your can contact our Executive Associate, Bill Wan directly to get some pointers or clarification.

It is hard to give out information on such a complicated subject, but here are some pointers to develop a business plan for a private school provided by Bill Wan.

1. Brain storm and list all the set up costs for starting a school. Once you add up all the costs, the sum will be the amount you need to start the school. Set up costs will include building renovation costs if the building is already there, but may need modification to bring it up to code requirements. If the land has to be purchased and building has to be constructed, then such costs should be included. Other set up costs include marketing, consulting services, instructional resources needed to teach the programs, temporary rent for an admission office, etc.
2. Then you should prepare an initial budget for the school for the first year of operation. To do this you need to estimate the number of students for each grade level the school will have in its first year. Once you have the number of students projected for the first year, you can then estimate the number of teachers you will need. With the projected student information, you can calculate how much tuition fees you can generate by multiplying the prevailing tuition fees charged by other competing schools in your regions to the number of students you estimated in each grade level. You can also calculate how much payroll you need to pay teachers (and benefits) by multiplying the average annual teacher salaries in your city to the number of teachers you need.
3. Then you need to calculate the classroom and instructional supplies you need for the school year by using a standard average costs for such programs. Depending on the programs being taught in the school, you may use something like $200 per student to estimate such expenses.
4. After calculating the budget for tuition fees and payroll, you have to calculate other overhead costs. If you are purchasing your own land and building, then you have to calculate the mortgage payments for the land and construction costs for the building you need. If you are renting, then you just have to include the rent. You also have to estimate ancillary expenses such as the costs of operating a few school buses for student pick up, field trips etc. Other costs such as financing charges for the loans need to pay for the set up costs. Repair and maintenance, janitorial, fundraising expenses and other costs have to be included. Also, expenses such as professional development for teaching staff, travel costs for team competition and other special costs have to be addressed as well.
5. Once you have done the first year budget, then you can do the same for the second year and third year etc. You have to adjust the budget for each subsequent year as it will change due to the increase in the number of students. That is if the school starts with Grade 1 to 7 in year one. It will have to add one Grade 8 in year two with x number of students. So you have to adjust the number of teachers and per student costs for instructional supplies etc. I would recommend you do at least a 5-year cash flow projection for the school. You should bear in mind that as the school grows and number of student increases, the rent or mortgage payment has to increase to accommodate the number of students if the existing physical plant reaches its capacity. That normally happens for most new school within the first three years. So that would mean more fundraising and more loans needed to increase the physical plant. This also means more rent and mortgage payments in later years that you hopefully can offset by the increase in tuition fees due to increase in enrolment.
6. You also have to include the financing charges in each year and bearing in mind that the cash will be needed to pay loan payment and interest charges for each year. Some loans may have interest rate increases over the years so that has to be addressed to in your projection. There are other costs and factors to consider and it depending on the type of programs being introduced at the new school.
   

To find out more about our firm’s services and how we can help, you can click on and download a PDF of our firm’s detailed School Formation Services, staff bio’s, and recent school formation projects. Click here.

If you would like more information on how we can help you develop a private school business plan for a new school, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to set up a time to chat about your needs.

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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
www.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. Click on this link:

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School Strategic Plan - Critical Tool

Hi,

I am sad to report that since my last blog a week ago, the Vancouver Canuck's hockey team has not won a single game (4 losses in a row!). Even with their new superstar, Mats Sundin, they are back to their usual ways. Sigh.

However, to alleviate the stress I attended my first yoga class ever last night. I hope it helps.

Today I want talk about what kind of tool your new or established school needs to proactively deal with our new economic climate. You cannot go a day without reading another news article or hearing a reporter talk about the impact the economy is having on every element of our society, including schools. Are you sitting back and hoping for the best or are you putting a plan together to take advantage of your opportunities (yes, opportunities)? I hope that you’re in the latter group.

If you read over some of the news articles I am including, you will note that the situation is global. But what are you doing to prepare your school? Is it a ready-shoot-aim approach?

Here are a few quotes to get your engine revved:

“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.”

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Do you have a plan? Read on to find our more about how you can.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

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In This Issue

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1. In The News

2. Critical Tool

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1. In The News

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Private schools suffering in slow economy
WPTV - West Palm Beach, FL, USA
WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- The tough economy may be having an effect on private school enrollment. An organization that tracks private school tuition in New...

Montreal private school must pay $5 million for alleged sex assaults
CBC.ca - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MONTREAL - A prestigious Montreal private school must pay $5 million in damages to former students who alleged they were sexually assaulted by teachers...

Despite recession, private schools hold their own
Baltimore Examiner - Baltimore, MD, USA
Parents who dole out tuition costs to send their children to private schools are facing the same economic crisis and rising costs as...

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2. Critical Tool

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As the world’s economy shifts, powerful forces are impacting your new or established school.

Now more than ever your board needs a comprehensive strategic plan to maximize your strengths, foresee threats, reduce weaknesses, and take advantage of future opportunities. As others retrench and react to current events, proactive schools develop a plan that builds a foundation to make them even stronger. Your plan can steer you through these turbulent times.

Our proven strategic planning process results in the development of a practical tool to lead your school over the next five years. I’ve taken the liberty of including recent testimonial letters from other private school leaders like you reflecting on our planning process. Click here to access the letter.

Our comprehensive approach normally encompasses three site visits over a five to eight month period to determine where you are now, where you want to be, how to get there, and how you know you’ve gotten there, providing:

• Onsite focus group sessions with parents, students, staff, faculty, board members, alumni, and/or other members of your community to identify areas of priority;
• Five separate statistically-driven online surveys with your staff/faculty, board, parents, and/or alumni to gather data on your school’s performance;
• Facilitated On-Site Retreats with your planning committee to re/define core values, mission and vision statements, and educational philosophy;
• Identifying impeding critical issues and developing solution-based goals, rationale, and objectives;
• Support to apply your plan in your governance model and operationalize it with your Administration;
• Community surveys to gather feedback on drafts of the strategic plan;
• And most importantly, detailed action plans to implement your goals and make your vision a reality.

Our experienced approach results in both the compass and the roadmap to guide your staff and board in using a measurable plan to focus priorities and maximize school performance.

If this is something you feel that your school could benefit from and you’d like to find out more about our process, you will want review the attached “Overview Document” that outlines our planning approach. Of course, we can also work with you on your existing strategic plan to help you use it in your governance model and annual operational plan. Click here to see our process.

As a past Head of School I understand how invaluable a strategic plan is to the long-term success of an institution. At the time of this blog there may still be time to develop a strategic plan this spring or begin preparation to develop the plan for the coming school year. Alan, if you would like to touch base with me about our services, you can contact me by phone at 604.868.0002 or email info@HalladayEducationGroup.com.

If you would like more information on how we can help your develop your own customized school strategic plan, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to set up a time to chat about your needs.

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

info@halladayeducationgroup.com

Trends Your School Should Think About

Hi,

As a Canadian I am an avid hockey fan. Normally as a Vancouver Canuck fan there can be long periods of disappointment since we have never won the Stanley Cup. However, I am back on the bank wagon as Mats Sundin will be joining the Canucks in his first hockey game tonight. I will let you know how the game goes.

As a former Head of a number of school types (e.g., day, boarding, co-ed, single gender, international, prep, special needs, rural, urban) and now the President of a successful consulting firm, all of these entities have had something in common – a strategic plan to determine what the trends are in the local and global community and gauge how the school should move forward. The result is the development and implementation of strategies that will help the school to maximize its strengths against the going trends. This is at both the micro and macro levels. Some of these trends/threats have included: SARS, Mad Cow Disease, Soft Wood Embargoes, 9/11, recessions, poor board leadership, inheriting schools with dramatic drops in enrollment, and on and on. In every case, when one stops and analyzes what the strengths and weaknesses are of the school and then looks closely at the trends and threats, you can put together a plan that allow any school to grow and thrive. Trust me I have been there and I know that by combining the experience of your community and building ownership in your vision, you overcome any challenge and thrive.

Today I want to share with you what I believe are some of the trends that new and established schools should be thinking about.

Doug Halladay

President and Founder
Halladay Education Group Inc.
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

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In This Issue
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1. In The News

2. Services Your School Needs

3. Trends Your School Should Think About

4. Products To Invest In To Start And Lead Your School

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1. In The News
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RECESSION HITS PRIVATE SCHOOLS, TOO
Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu, HI, USA
As many parents struggle to keep their children in private schools, the schools are experiencing their own troubles...


5 WAYS TO AFFORD PRIVATE SCHOOLING IN HARD TIMES
U.S. News & World Report - Washington, DC, USA
But according to a survey by the National Association of Independent Schools, the average median cost of private school tuition was a hefty $15763 during...

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2. Services Your School Will Need
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(A) STARTING YOUR A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a first impression. This is why you need a firm that has experience starting schools in USA, Canada, and Internationally If you would like more information about our services related to starting your school, please click here.

(B) SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can help you to develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for your school that will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration to improve your school. If you would like more information about our services related to starting your school, please click here.

>>> (C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS

Do you want your school to have better leadership? Our full-day governance workshop in combination with our interactive online survey will fine-tune your board’s performance and refocus their mandate. If you would like more information about our services related to starting your school, please click here.

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3. Trends Your School Should Think About
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I have had to lead schools and support schools during some of the most challenging times in the last few decades, including: SARS, mad cow disease, 9/11, closing of local industries, and have always been able to increase school performance. Why? By having a plan in place that understands your school’s strengths and weakness, and looking at the future to determine what the trends and treats are that will impact your school. In today’s economy you cannot run your school by the calendar or from crisis to crisis, you need a coordinated plan that your community buys into and feels empowered to support.

I am not some sort of futurist, but rather an avid reader and one that tries to see patterns. Here are few of the trends that you should think about:

1. With the downturn in the economy there will be a drop in enrollment while parents will be looking for financial aid (and schools will be offering it). In turn, parents will become more in control since there will be more space and offerings to lesser capable students.
2. New models of public and private schools will grow.
3. The prolonged economic downturn will make teaching a preferred career and increase the number of teachers on the market.
4. Schools that successfully integrate technology to customize learning will leave other schools behind.
5. Political tensions will continue to splinter our world.
6. The aging population profile of North America, Western Europe, and Northeast Asia will drastically reduce competitiveness with younger.
7. Increased competition for students and teachers.
8. Rising tuitions may alienate parents, making schools less affordable or attractive to most of the marketplace.
9. Parents will be more consumer-oriented and less flexible to school rules and cultural norms, and moredifficult to manage.
10. A move from read-only to read-write culture, in which young people participate in the creation of the world around them. The "Net Generation," are less interested in experiences where they are passive recipients of media, culture, or, more relevant to this blog, news of global tragedy. They're looking to be engaged and put to work.
11. Traditional educators are experiencing something of a "competitive terror," as the oft-repeated statistics about the number of PhD's that China and India are producing compared to America's stagnant test scores, which will force a new creativeness and experimentation.
12. There is a feeling of something of a "generational imperative" among young people. It began earlier, but particularly in the wake of 9/11, the millennial generation feels a call to service that is putting significant pressure on educational institutions to create experiential programs that facilitate their development as global citizens.
13. There is an increase in for-profit schools. Entrepreneurs recognize that the public’s dissatisfaction with one-size-fits-all schools is more than just fodder for political debates. It is a tremendous business opportunity.
14. There is a growing effort by independent schools to expand marketing efforts beyond the traditional glossy brochure.
    

What can you do about this? The short answer is to develop your own strategic plan.

If you would like more information on how we can help your school develop your own customized strategic plan, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to set up a time to chat about your needs.

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4. Products To Invest In To Start Or Lead Your School
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Here are a set of popular Tool Kits to help you start and/or lead your school more effectively.

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

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan effectively with our step-by-step, Strategic Planning Toolkit and Manual. Click here.

>> (B). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your School? We share with you how to start a school from the ground up. Click here.

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To your success,

Douglas Halladay
President and Founder

Halladay Education Group Inc.

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.