2009 Board Award Descriptions - National Catholic Educational Association

This 16-member advisory board of a K-8 school has been in existence 53 years. Board members represent the parish, parents, faculty, and departments served by the school. Every effort is made to balance gender and ethnicity. Motivation and commitment are leading characteristics of this board, whose members rarely miss any of their 10+ meetings each year and put in a lot of time working for the school outside of meetings. The pastor and parochial vicar are actively involved in the board’s work and attend almost every meeting. The pastor, principal, and board president meet the weekend before each meeting to set the agenda, and meetings are paced adequately. Reports are submitted electronically to members one week prior to meetings, and the school office prepares folders containing all reports and meeting materials for each member for each meeting.

Ongoing training is provided, and members effectively work through disagreements and arrive at a common decision. When new tasks or problems are presented, the president assigns one or two board members to form an ad hoc committee. The board takes a realistic approach to decision making. When making recommendations about policies, programs, or finances, members study current trends, utilize research, survey parents and teachers, and consider the ability of the school and/or families to support them. The total impact on cost, enrollment, space, personnel, and potential effectiveness are always considered.

Recent accomplishments include an effort to get inactive or non-Catholic families to either become more active or pay the higher tuition rate for families that are not active Catholics; monitoring and updating technology; updating the field trip policy; expanding the foreign language program; and teamwork between the enrollment, marketing, and finance committees to hold a meeting with parents to share information about how the budget is developed.

This 12-member board of limited jurisdiction (policy making) that has been in existence 34 years governs a pre-K – 8 school sponsored by the Congregation of Notre Dame. The year ends with an evaluation session in May and begins with a September retreat. Evaluations from the May session and at the end of each meeting are used to evaluate how well they have accomplished their goals and how to improve effectiveness. The congregation’s charism is considered at the retreat and at the opening prayer of each meeting. The charism informs all aspects of decision making, from the budget to school and faculty life. The five-year plan also influences the decision making process.

The board is able to accomplish a great deal because it utilizes committees that are very active, have members with special expertise, are goal driven, meet before each board meeting, and submit reports to each board meeting. The executive committee plans the agenda and time allotments for major issues. Meetings are well organized and efficient, and are followed by a luncheon. Materials are provided to all members before the meetings.

Recently the board strengthened development efforts, began to prioritize needs for the 5-year plan, initiated a study of the best price and coverage of property insurance and of a fulltime financial officer, initiated a study of adding a full-day pre-K program and a foreign-language class, included a vice principal and a campus pastor in the budget, and studied the cost of repairs for the convent and ways to defray the costs.

This 22-member, 24-year-old board of limited jurisdiction governs a grade 6-12 school sponsored by the Society of Mary. Its top characteristics are commitment to the Marianist mission and philosophy; ability to create a vision for the school and effectively monitor its implementation; ability to think and act strategically regarding issues impacting the school today and in the future; development of clearly written policies and strategic plans enhanced by an effective review and updating process; and committees that are committed to providing quality input, analysis, and monitoring of issues prior to reporting to the board.

Recently the board created a 30-year plan and an annual updating process for the 5-year financial plan; increased financial aid from $600K in 2005 to $1,400K in 2008; added foreign language as a core program; created 30-year facilities master plans for each campus; established a drug education and prevention policy for students, including drug testing; and enhanced the faculty professional development program.

This 20-member advisory commission for a pre-K – 8 school has been in existence more than 40 years. Despite its size and diversity, the group works together as a team and there are no private agendas. All board members participate in one or more active, ongoing committees, which form subcommittees as needed to focus on tasks. Each committee is accountable with a purpose, focus, timeline, deadline and report at each meeting. Committees demonstrate an enormous ability to initiate creative and resourceful ideas to ensure the viability and solvency of the school. The pastor, administration, and members of the board work together well and efficiently.

Recently the commission created a comprehensive 5-year plan based on changing demographics and needs; developed a comprehensive curriculum through curriculum mapping; targeted federal funds for 7 public school teachers to provide on-campus services for learning disabilities, speech, and occupational therapy; established a pre-K program; secured designation as a “green” school; maintained school solvency through a sound budget allowing for improvements and modest tuition increases; created a fulltime development director position; and created an alumni base.

This 19-member consultative board for a pre-K – 8 school has been in existence 13 years. Its top strengths are its dedication to Catholic values and excellence; sharing of information and resources with the parish, school, and community; working with other parish ministries, alumni, and the community; connectedness with other parish ministries and the greater community; and excellent leadership by the pastor, principal, and board members.

Recently the board established an Inclusion Program characterized by differentiated instruction to the various learning styles of students. The Inclusion Program serves the approximately 10% of the student population that has various physical challenges and disorders. A part-time Inclusion Coordinator provides training to teachers, makes on-campus speech and occupational therapy available, and builds a resource library of reference items. The Finance Committee monitors the budget and helps teachers’ salaries to be competitive. The Building and Grounds Committee has been integral in expanding the facilities and established a computerized maintenance program to forecast repair and maintenance requirements. The Development Committee developed a marketing kit and ways to nurture alumni.

This 12-member advisory board for a pre-K – 8 school has been in existence 12 years. Its top strengths are its members’ diverse professional backgrounds in finance, law, marketing communications, development, technology, and facilities; a long-range strategic plan; commitment to the mission of Catholic education and faith formation; and the ability to plan strategically and to effectively implement the plans.

Recently the board drafted a strategic marketing communications plan; held a parents-only “state of the school” pep rally; held a back-to-school “community building” event; redesigned the Web site; and began to sell logo wear.

This 17-member advisory board of a grade 9-12 school has been in existence 19 years. Its strengths are that it understands its roles, responsibilities, mission, and tradition; works diligently with the principal and strives for a consensus; emphasizes being visible in the school community by attending events; displays a strong sense of dedication and volunteerism; and creates opportunities to invite others to participate in committees and the board.

Recently the board assisted in the construction of a new additional building; securing WCEA accreditation; implementing a 7-period day that allows more classes to be taken; and developing a strategic plan that includes student standards and expectations, technology, facilities, and development.

This consultative board has been in existence 15 years. The top strengths are meetings open with prayer; members are attentive and respectful; meetings follow an agenda; decisions follow a 5-year plan; and the board follows a common vision but is flexible enough to adapt to changing needs.

Recently the board assisted in transitioning to a lay administration; identifying critical areas for growth and key issues from a self-study; working with the administration on the finances; ensuring near 100% tuition collection; solving the cessation of parish support without increasing tuition by taking $100K from the endowment fund; applying interest from the endowment fund to tuition assistance; raising funds; improving facilities; improving the environment and safety through the Maintenance and Safety Committee; increasing pay 17% over four years; initiating a policy and parent agreement prohibiting student use of Internet social networking sites; developing a harassment and bullying policy; and establishing a grant writing committee.

This 13-member advisory board for a K-8 school has been in existence 7 years. Its top strengths are its commitment to the mission of the school, which it compares to its goals and accomplishments at the beginning and end of each year; expertise in focus areas (members are appointed to the board based on their area of expertise and commitment to the school); collaborative approach in all assessments and decision making; visionary and innovative approach to future planning, always looking at where they want the school to be in 3-5 years; and result and action-item oriented, ending each meeting by identifying action items to be accomplished.

Recently the board participated in the annual report; establishment of a board Finance Committee separate from the parish’s; creation of a long-term strategic plan including financial risk assessment; creation of a 5-year financial plan; regular review of finances and comparison with the mission; creation of a facility needs assessment and 5-year capital improvement plan; updating the 3-year technology plan; creating a multi-faceted 3-year marketing plan; creating and practicing an emergency preparedness plan; holding fundraisers; creating a vice-principal for student services; enhancing curriculum; creating board training and periodic evaluation of accomplishments; and coordinating major school events with the parish.