Q: Our school has been having some issues with “compliments” versus “harassment”. Some of our female faculty and staff members are not comfortable with comments directed towards them from one of our senior faculty members. I have talked to him, and he seems to believe he’s just being friendly and complimenting his colleagues. I’m not sure what more I can do at this point, but I know I must get this situation—situations, actually—under control. Any advice?

Health care has seen almost as many changes over the last eight years as technology. With so many changing laws, Business Officers and HR Managers have struggled to stay compliant. But you know this—you’re one of the mighty benefit specialists on your school’s administration team. That said, there are options to how you design and administer your health benefits, despite the legislative hurdles. Fighting inflating costs by jumping health providers and brokers each year doesn’t have to be part of your routine. What you do need is a basic understanding of the three key health care plan designs, so you can choose a policy that best reflects your school’s mission and culture—and budget. .

Q: We are a small school with 20 employees, and we fund a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) for employees on our health insurance plan to help pay for the deductible. I was told that we have to file reporting forms because of this arrangement. Based on our size, I thought we were not required to report. Did I receive bad information?

The beginning of the school year often means a temporary respite for Business Managers. The school’s last audit recently wrapped up, and the next audit is in the beginning stages of preparation. The current budget has (mostly) been worked out, and next year’s will start in November. Now might be the perfect time for you to take a break from the Business Office for an extended breather—your schedule won’t get any clearer for the foreseeable future, and vacations have definitive health and professional benefits you can’t get holed up in your office.

In the last issue, we wrote about how to determine your school’s needs before developing a land-acquisition plan. In this month’s edition of The Source for Trustees, we’ll discuss how to take action on your plan.

Most private-independent high schools are college-preparatory, and they take great pride in the success of their alumni in higher education and beyond. But, as in all schools, your faculty and staff are always concerned that they are effectively preparing their students for college.

Retention efforts for your school’s families start on Day One, and as School Head, you have a unique opportunity to reinforce your school’s appreciation of their contribution to the broader community. September, then, is the time to reach out to your new families as the “figurehead” of the school and make them feel personally welcome in their new educational community.

Welcome, new School Heads! It’s a new school year, with new challenges to face and new ideas to implement. We know that, whether you’re new to the role or new to the school, transition can be overwhelming. Knowing this, we’ve compiled a list of three essential pointers to get you started.

Another September rolls around, bringing with it new students—and new Division Heads! Welcome! Knowing that many of you new folks might have first-day jitters, we asked our ISM Consultants if they had any words of wisdom to share. So without further ado, here’s our advice for new—or new-to-school—Division Heads.

Every year, the senior class appoints several notable (and hopefully responsible) representatives to organize their final year of high school. These representatives will approach you, the Division Head, to discuss potential privileges for your eldest students to enjoy. You should attend this meeting prepared to endow those students with certain responsibilities, as well as senior-student privileges.