Your Board must “market” itself to your school’s constituents. One way to do this is to develop a system of reporting to parents and to the faculty and staff after each Board meeting.
By immediately distributing a written summary of each meeting by the end of the next day, rumor is kept to a minimum, parents and faculty see that the Board is progressing, pressure on individual Trustees to give their own versions of meetings is reduced, and “one story” is told to the constituents.
A correct picture can be painted, avoiding the distortions resulting from the rumor mill. The summary should consist of general statements about topics that were considered, leaving out the details that would only be included in Board minutes and omitting sensitive references that do not reflect Board decisions. Parents and faculty/staff are made aware that issues of importance to them are being addressed.
This communication should also draw all readers’ attention to the connections between these actions/activities and the school’s mission, vision, essential values, and program. People will recognize that each Board meeting summary has been prepared with discretion, but they will appreciate the general knowledge of the direction the Board is taking.
Since the School Head is in the best position to produce and distribute these meeting summaries, one procedure calls for the Head to write a draft on the morning following a Board meeting, which is emailed to the Board President for edits and approval. Then, the document is distributed to faculty and school families by the end of the day.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Trustees Vol. 11 No. 7 Preserve Your Board’s Strategic ‘Memory’
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 40 No. 9 Marketing Communications and the Parent
I&P Vol. 40 No. 2 Consolidate and Coordinate Your Parent Communications
