As you add new Trustees to your Board this summer, make sure that you take steps to build on a successful Board-Head partnership. The following seven procedures are a summary of ISM best practices that enable the Head and Board to work together within a climate of trust and openness.
1. Ensure there is a plan to orient Trustees about the School Head.
When new Trustees come to the Board, part of their orientation process must be to understand the special relationship the Board has with the Head.
2. Ensure the Board is a strategic entity.
All planning documents and the Board’s and Head’s own agendas derive from an updated strategic plan. The result is consistency between the Board and the Head, assuring both parties that they are headed in a united direction—the long-term sustainability of the school.
3. The strategic plan must have an accompanying strategic financial plan.
This plan enables the school to have financial viability, which allows the Head to carry out the operational plan with an understanding of the financial implications. Boards will gain their Head’s loyalty and support by providing a strong financial base that allows the Head and his or her team to move forward in making their school the best it can be.
4. The strategic plan should reflect ISM Stability Markers™.
The Stability Markers are the standard by which the Board can gauge the school’s health and determine steps to move the school in the right direction. Using these markers as the Board and Head work on the strategic plan inspires confidence that every individual is recognizing the greater good of the school.
5. Use the Head's administrative agenda as the basis for evaluation.
This strategic, mission-based document outlines the objectives that the Board expects the Head to accomplish over the coming year. Derived as they largely are from the Board’s strategic plan, which the Board and Head worked on together, this line of planning ensures alignment of goals and unity of purpose.
6. Set up the Head Support and Evaluation Committee (HSEC).
This three-person committee of the Board is designed to ensure the Head’s fulfillment of the planning document’s operational level goals. It provides a sounding board (and sometimes a “sounding off” board) where the Head can bring issues and get advice. The HSEC is a key factor in creating a predictable, supportive environment.
7. Review the Head's compensation package on an annual basis.
The Executive Committee should review the salary and extended benefits regularly to ensure that the school remains competitive. This is important in terms of showing the Head that he/she is valued and appreciated.
Setting up the Board/Head relationship within this framework creates a pattern of stimulating and reinforcing the partnership between the school’s professional leader and its governing body
For more on the functions of the HSEC, check out the ISM Collection, Head Support and Evaluation Committee, which is free for Consortium Gold members and a mere $10 for nonmembers.
Additional ISM articles of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Trustees Vol. 11 No. 6 Respectful and Constructive Board/School Head Relationships
ISM Monthly Update for Development Vol. 11 No. 3 Getting Your Board on Board for Development!
Additional ISM articles of interest for Gold Consortium members
I&P Vol. 38 No. 5 Super Board/Board Relationships
I&P Vol. 29 No. 12 Board Profiling: A Structured Approach
I&P Vol. 36 No. 6 The Role of the Committee on Trustees in Board Succession Training
