When your School Head announces his or her retirement, it requires careful planning by your Marketing Communications Office.
Your first step should be sending a letter to your families, announcing your Head’s retirement plans and any preliminary steps being taken to manage the transition. Keep your constituencies informed so they don’t hear about it through the grapevine.
Announcing the Head's retirement in a public forum depends on the Head's tenure and popularity. For example, if the Head is retiring after five years, it may not be of much interest to your local media. However, in most cases, it is certainly worthy of a press release to the news organizations in your area.
Also highlight this announcement on your school’s blog or newsletter and social media channels as soon as possible. Include next steps for the transition, including whether a Search Committee is being formed to find a replacement and also any relevant timelines.
Depending on the length of tenure of your Head and the culture of your school, it may be appropriate to plan a celebration. For example, you might want to have a special reception to wish the Head farewell. This function serves many audiences. It would provide current students and teachers with the opportunity to thank the Head for his or her service. It would also allow alumni to return and thank the Head, as well as Trustees who served with him or her.
The reception should highlight the Head’s accomplishments while he or she was leading your school. It serves to help educate the community about school traditions through the reflection of the Head’s initiatives during his or her tenure.
Finally, depending on your school culture and the popularity of the retiring Head, a fundraising effort can be launched in his or her honor. These funds can go toward an endowment that supports a program of special interest to the Head, such as a new science center or agricultural space.
Develop a communications plan to honor your retiring School Head, while invigorating your community for the next chapter of your school’s history. Follow these steps to appropriately communicate about your School Head’s retirement to best serve your constituencies at large.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Trustees Vol. 16 No. 8 How Will You Recognize the Qualified Interim Head?
Additional ISM resources for members:
I&P Vol. 32 No. 7 Strategic Planning, Leadership, and Your Next Head Search
