Discover the guiding principles that align all Business Certification professionals.
As the private-independent school market continues to grow and develop, we are facing greater scrutiny by our own school's Board and by government authorities for standards and excellence. The ISM Business Certification Program has been developed to train and support business and finance professionals in their diverse and difficult roles so that schools may enjoy stable operations.
Business and Operations Mission
- We support the mission of our schools.
- We understand that the culture of private-independent schools must be valued and protected, and work tirelessly to support high performing faculty and student cultures.
- We ensure compliance with regulatory and governmental requirements.
Why Do We Do What We Do?
We are passionate about our schools’ missions, and are compelled to act. We arrive at work every day, not because we need a job, but because we believe we can make a difference within our school community.
How We Do Serve Our Schools?
All business and finance responsibilities follow sound business practices.
We support our School Heads and the Boards of Trustees with accurate and timely data, financial planning, and asset and risk management. We efficiently and effectively administer financial and operational resources. By supporting and enhancing programs and services, we enable our schools to operate optimally.
All business activities are guided by our schools' governance structure, strategic plan, and strategic financial plan.
We support, maintain, and nurture relationships with our schools' diverse constituencies.
We know that families enroll in our schools and that donors make philanthropic gifts because of their passions about our schools' missions. We develop relationships with both internal and external constituents so that these relationships can flourish and our school’s reputation is spotless. We understand how finance and operations is critical to the day-to-day success of the school and strive to serve all constituents with enthusiasm and attention to detail.
We ensure compliance with regulatory and governmental requirements.
The CFO is a corporate officer responsible for managing financial risks, financial planning, record keeping, and analysis. We ensure that our schools' operations are fiscally sound and comply with all governmental and regulatory requirements.
Core Values for Business and Operations Professionals
- The school's mission statement is not a meaningless set of words. It is values rich, and we endeavor to bring it to life.
- The school’s mission should clearly reflect our commitment to our students, and finance and operations professionals are unwavering in their support of this commitment.
- We understand that to represent our schools our relationships matter. We strive to build trust with each personal interaction.
- We understand and accept that private-independent schools are collegial in nature, and that student and faculty cultures are foundational to build a high-quality and enduring reputation.
- We understand that much of the information we deal with is highly confidential. A school’s reputation could suffer when privacy and confidentiality is breached. We safeguard all data and honor the privacy of all constituents.
- We are committed to professional growth, industry innovation, emerging issues and opportunities, and the utilization of effective tools to accomplish our work.
Learn More
To learn more about how our Certification Services can serve your school, email our BCP Manager or call 302-656-4944.