IN THIS ISSUE

Prayer to Open the Meeting Letter from the Executive Committee Annual Report Facts: Percentage of Schools with Boards increased: '05 to '11 2011 Outstanding Board Awardees Meet Your New Representative for Region II Proposals and Requests for Sessions at the 2012 Convention Are Now Being Accepted UPDATED: Board Member Toolkit

Prayer to Open the Meeting

I Peter 10:8-10 (NAB) "Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."   O God, you draw us steadily into your embrace. Jesus always welcomed people, and let other people welcome him with their hospitality. Paul told the people, "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received."   All-wise God, may we likewise serve one another. First, may we appreciate the gifts that you have given us, and to all around this table: our faith, our talents, and our skills. You give them to us not only for our own use, but as a means of service. Then help us to be good stewards to all our sisters and brothers. In the give and take, in the receiving and the giving, in the sharing of our gifts—may the best that we have to offer somehow be embraced and shaped by your Spirit, to benefit our school/s, our staff and students, our families, and all whose lives we touch. In that way we will glorify you, and give honor to our Risen Lord Jesus. Amen.

Letter from the Executive Committee

May 2011 Dear NCEA Board Colleagues: Once again, we, your representatives on the NCEA Department of Boards and Councils Executive Committee, are delighted to share with you news of our most recent meeting, held during the NCEA Convention and Expo in New Orleans, LA. During the convention, it was our privilege to honor seven excellent boards at the 2011 Outstanding Board Awards Luncheon. The awardees were presented with a beautiful plaque and a banner to display in their school or parish. For their accomplishments, hard work and commitment to excellence in Catholic education, this year’s Outstanding Board Awardees are: - Charleston Catholic School Board, Charleston, SC - Christ Our King-Stella Maris Catholic School Board, Mt. Pleasant, SC - DeSales Catholic School Board, Lockport, NY - Our Lady of Grace School Board, Highland, IN - Santa Fe Catholic High School Board, Lakeland, FL - St. Irene Catholic School Board, Warrenville, IL - St. Mary’s Academy, Portland, OR It was indeed an honor to present the 2011 O’Neil D’Amour Award to this year’s recipient, Dr. John Convey. Dr. Convey is the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Professor of Education and former Provost at The Catholic University of America. The award is given in recognition of an outstanding contribution of statewide, regional, national or international significance to boards of Catholic education. The O’Neil D’Amour Award is presented at the Outstanding Board Award Luncheon each year at the NCEA annual convention. It was great to see that so many of you had the opportunity to attend the convention and we were delighted with the excellent attendance to the many Professional Development Sessions provided for members of boards and councils. Your feedback was positive and we look forward to providing informative development sessions for you again next year at the NCEA Annual Convention in Boston. The Boards and Councils Department provides many additional opportunities for board development. The Webinar scheduled for June is: The Board's Purpose and Sense of Mission. A new webinar, Working With Committees, is now being developed. Please visit /UserFiles/File/boards/WebinarRegistrationForm.pdf to see webinar descriptions and schedules. Webcasts; one-hour, live, interactive, computer-based sessions are also provided. Finances, Resources and Revenue: Creating New Financial Models for Catholic Education was the topic on May 19 and was the last webcast for the current academic year. Topics for next year’s webcast series are: · Parish and School Collaboration · Finances, Resources and Revenue, Creating New Financial Models for Catholic Education · Enrollment Management – Advanced · Capital Campaign A new DVD: Building Better Boards For A New Age, and a new book by Chris McAtee, Living Our Faith: A Catholic Identity Assessment and Planning Process have been released and is available at the NCEA on-line store. The following publications are in process: - The National Study of Catholic School Boards - A Catholic Education Board’s Guide to Bylaws: The Needed Framework of Effective Governance - The Administrator as Chief Executive Officer: A Guide for Administrators As always, your Boards and Councils Department is ready to provide workshops and sessions in your diocese or arch-diocese. Contact Dr. Regina Haney at the NCEA office for additional information. 1-800-711-6232 Before the meeting ended, the committee recognized out-going representatives for their hard work and dedication. Sr. Donna Marie O’Brien, OP of Region II and Henry Sorbet of Region IV were presented with gifts of appreciation. They will be missed. May God bless you for all that you do for Catholic education. Peggy Ladner Member Executive Committee Region IV

Value of the Annual Report

Our theme for the E-newsletter this academic year has been the school board calendar. In this issue, we will conclude the theme with the annual report. The annual report is a mechanism for showcasing to stakeholders what the school community, including the board, has accomplished throughout the academic year. It is also a tool for attracting donors. Furthermore, for those involved in the accomplishments, putting together the report is very satisfying and an opportunity to celebrate. The suggested contents of the report are enrollment data, test scores, anniversaries, key happenings, recognitions, the financial statement and quotations from satisfied students, parents, and staff. The information that you select to include in the report should be useful to predict future results. This information is enhanced with graphics and pictures. A sample of an annual report can be found at www.arlingtondiocese.org. This diocesan sample can be adapted by local schools. As you see, this sample is available electronically. It is also available in printed format. The printed version is used to hand to potential donors or to send to those with whom you want to nurture relationships, for instance, the Catholic business network. Regina Haney Ed.D. Executive Director Department of Boards and Councils NCEA

Facts, Just the Facts

Percentage of Schools with Boards and Councils Has Increased, Nation-Wide, From 2005 to 2011 On a national level, comparing the percentage of schools with boards in 2005-2006 to that of those in 2010-2011 shows that the number of schools with boards increased for the first three years then decreased over the last three. Dissecting this data shows that between the years of 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 there was approximately a 5.8% increase of schools with boards, nation-wide. Though the percentage decreased between 2007-2008 to 2010-2011, the 2010-2011 data shows that it still remains 3.1% above what it was in 2005-2006. This noticeable increase of schools with boards over these recent years is encouraging though the lack of dependable growth is disappointing to all those who advocate for Catholic school boards and their positive impact on the viability of Catholic schools. National Profile Breaking the data down regionally between 2005-2006 and 2010-2011, within each of the six regions of the country (Great Lakes, Mideast, New England, The Plains, Southeast and West/Far West), the percentage of schools with boards is very encouraging and has, infact, increased in three regions, by up to 17%, while the regions that showed a decrease of boards within schools was only to a maximum of -6%. The three regions that showed an increase across these years were The Plains, Mideast, and Southeast. These are the facts, just the facts.   Regional Profile  Key  Schools with Boards       Schools without Boards          Red % : Rate of Increase or Decrease  Blue %: Region's representation                 compared to # of schools nationwide

2011 Outstanding Board Award Winners April 27, 2011, New Orleans Convention

The Department of Boards and Councils is pleased to announce the 2011 recipients of the Outstanding Board Awards:   Charleston Catholic School Board Christ Our King-Stella Maris Catholic School Board  DeSales Catholic School Board Our Lady of Grace Catholic School Santa Fe Catholic High School Board  St. Irene Catholic School Board St. Mary's Academy School Board  Congratulations to each board for exemplifying what it means to be a successful and effecient team; one committed to serving Catholic education while benefiting their schools, communities and churches. Look to future issues of E-News for an article by each award-winning board.  Read about the winning boards and view their contact information here: http://ncea.org/departments/boards/OutstandingBoardAwards2011.asp

Meet Your New Representative for Region II (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania)

We thank Sr. Donna Marie O'Brien, OP for providing excellent service to the NCEA Department of Boards and Councils as the Region II Representative on the executive committee.    We welcome as the new representative for Region II: (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania)   Sr. Lena Picillo, OP. Sr. Lena holds an MA in Private School Administration and is currently working on an MA in Counseling Psychology.  Sr. Lena is the Principal of Aquinas Academy in Livingston, NJ.         Click here to view all Executive Committee members and regions.

Now Accepting Propsals for 2012 Convention

We are now accepting proposals for sessions related to boards at the next NCEA Convention to be held April 10-12, 2012, in Boston, Massachusetts. Please pass on the link below to any interested parties that you believe would be qualified, eager speakers who would like to bring their unique perspective to light for all of our colleagues in the world of Catholic education. We are continuing with the strands of: Governance and Planning Finance, Advancement and Development  Marketing and Enrollment If you would like to submit a proposal for a session please do so here: www.ncea.org/events/2012ConventionProposal.asp

New Board Member's Toolkit - UPDATED Each new member to your board will be well equipped for service on a Catholic board with one of these kits. Key publications along with the UPDATED Building Better Boards for a New Age-DVD, come packaged in a clear plastic valise. Each kit contains: Benchmarks of Excellence: Effective Boards of Catholic Education Glossary of Catholic Education Governance Terms Code of Ethics for Catholic School Board Members Board Member's Prayer 3 Volumes in the Board Member's Thumbnail series:              - "What Makes a Catholic Education Board Catholic?"             - "What does a Catholic Education Board do?"             - "Duties of an Education Board Member" Optional - NEWLY UPDATED - Building Better Boards for a New Age DVD.       The entire kit is $35 Members; $53 Non-Members / With DVD $45 Members; $65 Non-Members                 To order: contact Member Services at 1-800-771-6232