A School Trustee’s Primer for A Changing World. The Agenda for Safe Travel The Strategic Board The Financially Astute Board The Generative Board Avoiding.

A School Trustee’s Primer for A Changing World

The Agenda for Safe Travel

The Strategic Board The Financially Astute Board The Generative Board Avoiding Legal Wrangles Key Trends to Keep on the Radar

“The Times They Are A-Changin’”

How a strategic board operatesDefines and reviews vision, mission,

and values.Routinely conducts environmental

scanning.Collects and analyzes constituent

feedback.Identifies strategic issues.Develops markers of success.Becomes a learning organization.

Reaffirming the mission…“The main value of a mission is as a filter of

activities. Consequently, it should be more exclusive than inclusive. A mission that is too broad is a wide-open door to lack of focus.”

Bruce Butterfield, President, The Forbes Group

Leading with a vision…

What is a Vision statement?A v i s i o n statement tells everyone the type of

community or world the school envisions for its constituency as a result of its work.

Source: Effective Strategic Planning, The Enterprise Foundation

Questions to guide vision

What do we do best?What is our core business?What needs can we satisfy that others can’t?

What kind of image do we want?What value do we want to have to our customers?

What do we want to be in 5 years?

Why vision and mission are key to board effectiveness

They keep the entire school community focused in the same direction.

They serve as a guide against which to make budget decisions.

They keep schools future-focused and boards strategically directed.

They tell the story of who you are.

Environmental scanning

Conditions and trends in the physical, social, economic and political environments that may have a positive or negative impact on the school’s ability to achieve the vision and carry out its mission.

Scan external pressures…Economic (status of and projected changes in

local employment and other relevant markets)Legal and political (the current and projected

future climates)Regional (important themes affecting the entire

area)Technological (current and future impact of

technology)Population (broad trends affecting the target

market)Competition (current and projected future status

of suppliers of similar products or services)Social (current and projected local social factors)

Source: Effective Strategic Planning, The Enterprise Foundation

Collect constituent feedback

360 review of key constituentsParentsCollege-age alumni/aeAll living alumni/aeFaculty/staffStudents

Parents

Parent Surveys help to clarify:Why families choose a school.How to best market a school to prospective

families.How satisfied current parents are with a

school’s program. Where a school is succeeding and where it

needs to improve.

College-age alums

Young Alumni Surveys aid in understanding:The long-term benefits students gain from

attending a school.How well prepared they see themselves

compared to their classmates.How well connected they feel to the school.What kinds of events, communication vehicles

will keep them the most connected.

Older alums

Older alumni surveys can identify:• General info about your alumni body—degrees,

employment, etc.• How they think the school best served them in

their career, life choices, etc.• How well connected they feel to the school

today.• Potential for alumni fund raising.• What alumni services they most value.

Faculty/Staff

Faculty/staff surveys can reveal:How satisfied they are with their career in

general and their position at your school in particular.

When they are thinking of retiring or leaving.What benefits matter the most to them (how

does this differ generationally?).

Students

Student assessments can:Identify curricular strengths and weaknesses.Demonstrate how well your school is equipping

students with 21st century skills.Understand how engaged students are in the

school community.

Identify strategic issuesBased on the identified opportunities and

threats, the board should decide which of these conditions or situations are having the greatest impact on its ability to fulfill its vision and which opportunities must be capitalized upon immediately to achieve the school’s vision.

Source: Effective Strategic Planning, The Enterprise Foundation

Becoming a learning organizationCreate a leadership or board group to drive data collection and assessment.

Identify what you need to know.Establish a research agenda and calendar.Determine the best, most cost-effective method

of finding the information: Outside consultant or school staff? Method? Focus groups, online survey, interviews,

literature or research scan, telephone surveys, etc.

“I Feel A Change Comin’ On”

The financially astute board…

Accepts accountability for the financial future of the institution.

Engages in strategic financial planning.

Knows what the internal and external drivers are that will affect school operations.

Key drivers that affect financial sustainability

DemographicsEconomic stability of recruiting base

Consumer attitudesCompetition

Key demographic trends that will drive change

The make-up of the school age population will change significantly.

Our population will become more racially diverse.

Our population is rapidly aging.

Increased diversityToday 1//3rd of Americans are nonwhite.

Nearly 1/4th of U.S. children have at least one immigrant parent.

Hispanics will account for 60% of population growth from 2005 to 2050.

Sources: Census Bureau, Pew Research Center, Brookings

The 2010 Nonprofit Fund Raising Survey

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”

The Three Levels of The Three Levels of GovernanceGovernance

AttributeAttribute IIIIII IIII II

Board’s Board’s central central purposespurposes

Reconcile Reconcile value value propositions; propositions; manage manage accountability; accountability; discern discern challenges; challenges; think think creatively;creatively;

make sense of make sense of circumstancescircumstances

Scan Scan environmenenvironments; review ts; review strategy; strategy; monitor monitor accountabiliaccountabilityty

Oversee Oversee operations; operations; ensure ensure accountabiliaccountability; select ty; select and assess and assess head; ratify head; ratify policypolicy

Fiduciary ModeStrategic ModeGenerative Mode

Copyright Governance Futures Project

The Three Levels of The Three Levels of GovernanceGovernance

AttributeAttribute IIIIII IIII IICEO-Board CEO-Board relationshirelationshipp

Think tank Think tank peerspeers

Strategic Strategic alliancealliance

Hub & Hub & spokespoke

StrategyStrategy Board Board &Head &Head think think strategically strategically togethertogether

Board & Board & Head plan Head plan strategically strategically togethertogether

Set by Set by Head; Head; ratified by ratified by boardboard

Power Power sourcesource

IdeasIdeas ExpertiseExpertise Relationship Relationship with Headwith Head

Fiduciary ModeStrategic ModeGenerative Mode

Copyright Governance Futures Project

What was our greatest success/setback recently & what explains each outcome?

If we could start anew, what’s the most significant change we would make?

What’s the most important lesson we’ve learned about governance in the last year?

What’s the most significant question we’ve discussed in the last year?

How would we behave differently as a for-profit?

Questions for generative discussion

The generative board: Getting started

Governance as Leadership as the foundation.

Make time for generative conversations.

Discuss how roles change in the generative mode.

Identify what needs to happen on both sides to build trust.

Together take on the really tough issues.

Lean into discomfort.

Getting started (cont.)

Reaffirm what builds and breaks trust (often there is some slippage there).

Talk through the strategic elements of the key issues.

Practice reframing the issues. Allow for wide-ranging discussion as

reframing can take you to places you never even conceived of before.

“Shelter from the Storm”

Legal issues on the horizon

ADA changesStudent safetyEmployee classificationsHealthcareIntermediate sanctions

ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

The new physical accommodations regulations went into effect on March 15, 2011.

These new regulations will impact many new building projects to come.

The Department of Justice is already looking into accessibility issues as they relate to the Internet.

Student safetyBullying:

USDoE disseminating research and resources.

The bulk of the action happening at the state level.

Growing interest in the area of sexual assault and how schools follow up on complaints.

EmploymentEEOC released new employment

regulations in March 2011. Potential surge in age discrimination

actions as Baby Boomers hit retirement age at a rate of 8,000 per day, projected for the next 18 years.

Consultants or employees

Government going after businesses that misclassify employees as consultants.

Fair Labor Standards ActCompliance with the FLSA is another

main focal point:

Exempt vs. Nonexempt issuesFailure to comply can lead to class

action lawsuits and brutal fines.

Healthcare/benefitsNew healthcare law is complex; will have long-

term ramifications for years to come. Nonprofits are expected to bring their

retirement plans into compliance with ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) laws that have generally been applicable only to for-profit retirement structures.

PoliciesPolicies for which Responsibility Rests

with the Board A clear school mission statement, philosophy of education and/or

statement  of values, and vision statement Up-to-date bylaws Conflict-of-interest statements (forms that trustees and administrators

sign annually to acknowledge the policies and identify real and potential conflicts)

Crisis management plan

Joint policy responsibilitySafety and security of the school communityElectronic securityPersonnel (including compensation, salary ranges, faculty

course load, sexual harassment, whistle-blower protection)Evaluation of the head by the board of trusteesHIV/AIDS policy: staff, faculty, students, and education

efforts Admissions (preferences, if any; desired school population

to serve; size of student body) Financial aid (categories of eligibility; merit or need-based

or both) Financial management, especially checks and balances

Joint policy responsibility (cont.) Investment management Document retentionBids required for contract goods and services Gift acceptance and naming Use of buildings and grounds by school community and

outsidersAccurate portrayal of the school in publications, video, and

electronic media, especially regarding admission policies and facilities

Systems to review policies periodically, both internally and externally, with outside professional assistance when needed

“All Along the Watchtower”

Trends of note

More Education Options

The Challenge and Opportunity of Social Media

A Changing Workforce

Consumers with Differing Motivations

More Education OptionsBetween 1999 and 2010, number of charter

schools from 1,297 to 4,919.

U.S. DoE estimated that over 1.5 million were homeschooled in US in 2007, 850,000 in 1999 (76.5% increase).

K-12 students enrolled in online and blended courses was more than a million in 2007-08, a 47% increase since 2005-06.

Sources: Charter Connection. The Center for Education Reform; Grady, S. and Bielick, S. (2010). Trends in the Use of School Choice: 1993 to 2007, National Center for Education Statistics; 1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007, National Center for Education Statistics; Ray, B. (2009). Research Facts On Homeschooling, National Home Education Research Institute; Picciano, A. and Seaman, J. (2009). K–12 Online Learning: A 2008 Follow-Up Of The Survey Of U.S. School District Administrators, The Sloan Consortium.

Effects of Charter SchoolsFor each charter school within a 2 mile radius of a private school, a private school lost approximately 1.19% of its students per year on average. The impact of charters grew larger as charter schools were open longer.

The National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education

Online LearningClayton Christensen and Michael Horn-- “by 2019,

50% of high school courses will be delivered online.”

The Sloan Consortium--“by 2016 online enrollments could reach between 5 and 6 million K-12 (mostly high school) students.”

Ambient Insight—”by 2014, 13.1% of the K-12 population will take some online courses.”

Sources: Christensen, C.M., Horn, M.B., & Johnson, C.W. (2008) Disrupting Class. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; Picciano, A.G. & Seaman, J. (2009). K-12 Online Learning: A Follow-Up of the Survey of U.S. School District Administrators. Needham, MA: Sloan-C. Accessed May 4, 2010; Adkins, S.S. (2009). The U.S. Market for Self-Paced eLearning Products and Services: 2009-2013 Forecast and Analysis. Monroe, WA: Ambient Insight Research.

The Rise of SocialMedia

Rise of social media

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies:

Think of social media as a dialogue, not a monologue. People want to engage, not merely receive messages.

Li, C. & Bernoff, J. (2008). Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press

2011 workforce trendsRecruiting will intensify.Unemployment will remain relatively

high. More companies will tap women for

executive positions. The escalating regulatory environment

will cause employers to need employment lawyers more than ever. Herman Trend Alert, December 2010

A Worker Shortage

There could be at least 5 million potential job vacancies in the US, nearly half (2.4 million) in social sector jobs—education, health care, government and nonprofit organizations.

How They View You

Outcomes/Price=Value

Parent motivationsParents Who Push want a top-notch education

for their children and are open to alternatives to the local public school. They are looking for a challenging curriculum at a reasonable cost.

Success-Driven Parents believe in private school education and are very concerned about getting their children into top-tier colleges. They are less likely to believe that public schools are up to the task and less concerned about cost than the other parent segments.

Parent motivationsSpecial Kids’ Parents want to get their

children the help and attention they need to succeed, but they are choosy — they want the highest quality education at the lowest cost.

Character-Building Parents are already well-represented in independent schools. They believe that private schools provide a better education, and they often have a family tradition of attending private schools. Their key focus is on building students with strong character, morals, and values.

Changing Donor Trends Donors seek transparency—they want to

know how their gifts are being used.

Expanding diversity will mean a different pool of donors with vastly different interests.

Donors will be attracted to becoming part of self-forming communities or gatherings that foster connectivity.

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Andy Warhol

Donna Orem, [email protected]