2008 Outstanding Boards Descriptions - National Catholic Educational Association

This advisory board has been in existence for half the life of this 50-year-old K-8 school. It has 6 members elected by parishioners, 2 appointed, and 2 ex-officio. Monthly meetings are planned effectively and conducted efficiently, recognizing the value of everyone’s time. Members are visible and involved in school activities and parish ministries to show support, answer questions, and represent the school.

This forward-thinking board is actively involved in strategic planning and enrollment management. Some members are engaged with the archdiocesan marketing team. It exemplifies fiscal responsibility by strategically reducing parish subsidy while keeping tuition affordable. It works closely with several committees, particularly related to administration and development.

A significant accomplishment in the past year was the development of a full-day kindergarten to begin next year. This utilizes space that has recently become available from recently declining enrollment, meets many families’ needs, and feeds students into the 1st grade, improving the school’s viability. It also funded and installed a "call-back" system in older classrooms to improve safety.

This 12-year-old board of limited jurisdiction (having the authority to set policy) has 23 members appointed by the archbishop and 2 ex-officio members. Its members take ownership of issues, often investing personal time, talent, and treasure. The committees are actively engaged and effective.

The board adheres to the approved budget and is proactive in preparing for future financial challenges. It establishes a long-range plan every three years and reviews progress on a consistent basis. Its major achievements in the past four years have been plant upgrades and a challenging, well-structured strategic plan.

It has also taken an active role in recruiting students to stop the decline in enrollment, completing a capital campaign for renovations, adding an advisory component to the board structure by reaching out to younger alumni, and establishing a tobacco and alcohol policy.

A component of stabilizing enrollment was increasing enrollment from feeder parishes by 10% through various efforts, such as speaking at Masses, inviting grade school students to attend various events and greeting them, contacting parents of 8th grade students, inviting 8th grade students to shadow a high schooler for a day, escorting prospective students and parents at special school open houses, and holding fundraisers for tuition assistance.

This pre-K to 12th grade school is sponsored by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament of Corpus Christi. The 13-year-old board of limited jurisdiction has 13-17 appointed members and one ex-officio. The board demonstrates vitality of vision, leadership, and commitment in all areas of governance (mission, policy, formation, financial viability, advancement, and evaluation of president). It has well-defined roles, responsibilities, and criteria for the selection of members.

In the last five years it has evolved from "saving the business to growing the business," resulting in a significant enrollment increase and the expansion of campus facilities. It has ongoing board orientation, fully functioning committees, and effective meetings with a high level of in-depth conversation that leads to articulation of a clear and shared focus. It has an excellent relationship with the president of the school and publics for positioning the school as a vital part of the community.

Recent accomplishments are the enhancement of the educational program (winning the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class 5A State Academic Championship) and the addition of key staff.

The Finance Committee works to maintain a balanced budget and a stable contingency fund of approximately 15% of the operating budget. The Mission Effectiveness Committee has initiated a new campus ministry program, mission trips to Mexico, a "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" program, and the revision of the bylaws in light of the school’s mission. The Facilities Committee undertook numerous renovation and expansion projects to enhance the learning environment. The Marketing Committee implemented a comprehensive recruiting program. The Advancement Committee maintains a wide-ranging program of activities and campaigns.

This 48-year-old advisory board has a diverse membership of 15 (members of the feeder parishes) elected by the board itself and 8 ex-officio. It meets monthly and whenever necessary. It nurtures members by conducting a new-member orientation seminar, workshops throughout the year, a special-interest presentation at each meeting, and self-assessment surveys. Active committees meet regularly to embrace and enthusiastically address issues. All board members serve on and chair committees.

The board maintains frequent communication with constituents. Meetings are open and minutes are distributed to board members within 48 hours. Within a week, a report on the meeting is posted on the school Web site. Results of surveys are reported on the Web, and quarterly reports on goals and activities are emailed to parents and posted on the Web. Recognizing the importance of strategic long-term planning, all plans are updated and revised on a regular basis, and involve all parties working together.

A new 96-acre, 7-building campus will be opened in July 2008. Most of the $20 million capital campaign goal has been raised. Many efforts are underway to survey needs of students, parents, and faculty and to improve student recruitment and retention.

The Academic Improvement Committee and faculty Instructional Improvement Committee have been working together to improve academics. The Finance Committee is working to better stabilize the current economic status of the school and to implement "Cost-Based/Need-Based Tuition."

This 41-year-old advisory board has 12-17 members appointed by the archbishop. A diverse membership brings many skills to the table and represents the diverse population of the archdiocese. The board has a strong committee-driven structure with clear and concise annual goals set forth for each committee, and a staff member is assigned to each committee.

A central feature is its active leadership role in developing and implementing a long-term strategic plan for the archdiocese’s entire school network. The archbishop and auxiliary bishops demonstrated their commitment to and involvement in the school board planning process by participating with others in a daylong symposium. An annual end-of-the-school-year planning meeting is held to develop committee goals for the next year.

Commitment to self-assessment is manifested in an annual evaluation that dovetails into the goal-setting meeting, and committees regularly assess their progress in attaining goals throughout the year.

A productive and effective method of conducting meetings is practiced so that most business is conducted in an hour and a half. The committees are hard-working and chairpersons submit written reports in advance of meetings. Meetings periodically include segments of education or presentations for the enrichment of board members.

Some significant accomplishments of the past year include a comprehensive marketing plan for the school network from the Marketing Committee; a new wellness policy and revisions to the emergency response procedure crisis plan from the Policy Committee; and an allocation plan for grants to help elementary schools from the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee is also working to develop consistent accounting procedures at all schools.

The 30-year-old limited jurisdiction commission of this K-8 parish school has 8 members elected by the parish, 3 appointed by the pastor, and 4 ex-officio. Members are committed to the "big picture" of Catholic education; are willing to grow and learn to respond to changing needs; fulfill committee responsibilities to make meetings effective; communicate with and respond to constituencies; and do not micromanage but take seriously their role of policy, planning, and responsible budget development. The commission addresses challenging issues in a positive and constructive manner so that all feel involved and respected, and their concerns are heard.

The commission recently took a leadership role in adding a third section to each grade over the course of seven years. The commission’s positive direction helped to overcome some serious concerns about whether allowing this growth would serve the parish. The expansion included a major building project to accommodate growing parish and school needs, and led to a 98% full enrollment of 600 students in 2007-08.

Leadership in the budgeting process helped to go from a $100,000 deficit in 2004 to a $100,000 surplus in 2006 that was used to improve technology and facilities. It also developed a long-term plan to increase stewardship and maintain affordability, using a third-party process (shared with most of the high schools their students attend) to stabilize financial aid. The commission also has revised and updated both its bylaws and policy manual to reflect current philosophy and practice.

This is an incredible story of turning a disaster into a blessing. Two parish schools that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina merged into a new school and built a new state-of-the-art building. The Knights of Columbus purchased a skating rink with the insurance money from their destroyed building, and invited St. Thomas School and St. Paul School to share the space. Eighteen days later, the children were engaged in the educational process, including children who were unable to pay the tuition. Working and learning together proved to be beneficial, and eventually it was decided to merge the two schools into one.

Once an official merger of the two schools was declared by Bishop Rodi, the two advisory councils created one advisory council, representative of both parishes, and commenced to create the new school. With a great deal of assistance from the region, a new school building is under construction and scheduled to open for the 2008-09 school year. This story of hope and the miracle of God’s love is documented on a DVD.

The new advisory council of this two-parish pre-K to grade 8 school has 1 member elected by the PTO; 6 appointed by both parishes; and the two pastors, principal, and finance advisor as ex-officio members.

They list their greatest characteristics as: Catholic identity; sharing time, talent, and treasure; unity of purpose; communication; and collaboration.

Their most outstanding achievements have been: to create a temporary educational environment in a skating rink; to identify and develop leadership within the school community; to render assistance to those in need and/or seek assistance for them; to reach out and welcome students regardless of financial ability to pay; to focus on the needs of children and find ways to provide resources to enhance the quality of the curriculum; to plan for the new school building and aggressively seek funding; to carefully monitor the school finances; and to focus on building a strong, vibrant community by sponsoring various activities that appeal to and involve the school and civic communities.

This 40-year-old consultative board has 16 members appointed by the bishop, who represent each geographic region and bring a variety of skills, plus 4 ex-officio members. They are exceedingly generous with their time and energy. The board depends on strong committees, and all board members serve on one or more committees. Each committee addresses specific goals throughout the year. The board meets in August to review accomplishments and set goals for the upcoming year.

Communication with local school boards is a priority. At the beginning of each school year it offers a board leadership day for local board members. The Planning Committee is especially instrumental in recommending decisions related to the location and building of schools. The Finance Committee established Administrator Guidelines for Catholic School Principals and Assistant Principals, and an equitable formula for the allocation of tuition assistance to the five diocesan high schools. It is in the process of developing a Qualified Tuition Assistance Reduction Program for children of fulltime school employees.

The Communications Committee has developed and implemented annual visits to local school boards and is studying improvements to the diocesan schools office Web site. The Board Operations Committee has completely rewritten the Diocesan School Board Policy Manual. The Board Operations Committee plans an annual religious retreat for board members and a leadership day for local board members.

This 34-year-old, consultative, parish K-8 school board is made up of 4 parents elected by the Home and School Association; 7 members appointed by the parish, principal, or executive committee; and 4 ex-officio members. It sees its top characteristics as: strategic planning, committees made up of experienced and committed professionals, practicing continuous improvement, a thorough understanding of the mission and objectives, and stated committee goals.

A comprehensive strategic planning study was undertaken to help understand what was causing the decline in enrollment and identify what can be done about it. New board members were recruited who had the needed professional backgrounds and skills, as well as the passion to help. In the past year the board has realigned the board and established committees that keep the board focused on the areas of greatest importance to the overall strength of the school. These areas were identified during the study. Following the realignment, each board member was assigned a specific committee with stated objectives. Primary foci were academics, marketing, and finances.

The board rewrote the board bylaws/constitution to focus on today’s needs. It conducted a comprehensive study of the facility, which has enabled better management of capital expenses and planning. It refocused fundraising objectives and established a list of whom to target for donations. It embarked on a comprehensive study of the athletic program as an extension of the strategic planning study, but also to make sure the programs are meeting or exceeding the needs of the children.

The board of limited jurisdiction of this 6th-to-12th-grade school has been in existence 24 years. It has 11 members elected by the board itself and 8 ex-officio members. The board transitioned from a consultative board to a board of limited jurisdiction in the last three years and expanded its responsibilities and relationship with the community.

With the shift to a new governance authority and the election of a new principal, decision making has changed from an "ad hoc" basis to a foundation in long-range and short-range planning. It sees its top characteristics now as: Catholic identity and culture; quality academic program; effective governance; maintaining, renewing, and financing facilities to address current and future needs; and a continuous cycle of planning.

The board pursues strategic planning, goal setting, and evaluation each year as the hallmarks of its operation. A self-evaluation of board operation is held in June and a retreat is held in August to set goals for the coming school year. The board is developed through a new member orientation in September and additional information/training sessions throughout the year. It is following the accreditation planning process recommendation to identify steps needed for "continuing improvement."

Special achievements of the past year include extensive improvements in marketing, advancement, community perception, and student enrollment programs. A master plan is being followed for improved maintenance, capital improvements, and the review of existing maintenance contracts. Major facilities revisions were carried out, and the use of technology has been expanded within the instructional program and for communication.