Sacred Heart School Board
Palm Desert, California
The 13-member advisory board of this preschool – 8 school have been in existence more than 10 years. It’s top five characteristics are:
- It is focused on the mission of the school, especially through regular prayer at meetings and at its annual retreat.
- It is effectively organized into highly functioning committees that meet before each monthly board meeting, and more often, if necessary, which allows the board meeting to focus on decision making and consensus building.
- Through the Finance Committee, it develops and monitors a balanced budget with the administration.
- Through the Marketing Committee, it has made great strides in seeing that the internal and external publics are aware of the school and its programs.
- Provides a realistic and well-owned long-range plan for the school.
Teacher salaries have been raised to the level of the public school district, which has resulted in teacher retention. Yet tuition increases were kept low because of revenue raising efforts such as tuition assistance, the use of a tuition management company, good communication, developing and marketing an effective SCRIP program. A Social Justice Committee focuses on education parents and others on the issues prioritized by the California Conference of Bishops.
