As a School Head or private-independent school administrator, a myriad of legal and regulatory issues flash across your radar screen on a regular basis. With the barrage of administrative tasks, staying up-to-date on human resources laws may not seem a priority. However, having a solid understanding of the regulations pertaining to employment and benefits issues may make the difference between adroitly nipping an issue in the bud and allowing a situation to fester into an expensive lawsuit that could threaten the viability of your school.

In a previously published I&P article, "ISM Research Report: 16 Characteristics of Head Leadership," ISM reported the results and implications of its fall 2004 leadership study. Those findings were arrayed in two eight-item lists (see Tables 1 and 2). The following 15-item list provides a sampling of the kinds of actions and approaches you, as School Head, might take to move forward with implementation of those findings.

While it is the Committee on Trustees’ job to profile and cultivate new Board members, a caveat is that both the Development Committee and the Major Gifts Committee also have a direct interest in people who can drive the success of the strategic plan. These three committees must develop excellent communication to ensure that cultivation efforts are coordinated, thus avoiding duplication or, worse, an undermining of each other’s efforts.

Keeping mission squarely in mind, what programs and services will private-independent schools need to offer in the next 10 years to remain competitive? How do they influence the planning and design of new—or adaptation of existing—school buildings? As Board President, remind your committees to consider facility essentials 7-10 years ahead of need.

In a recent press release, the IRS announced a new enforcement effort that will affect private-independent schools, especially School Heads. Specifically, the IRS will be more closely examining the compensation agreements between schools and their Heads. In addition, the IRS will be re-evaluating the reports a 501(c)(3) organization is expected to file (especially the annual Form 990).

With reference to the Board, the viability and stability of a private-independent school relies on three factors: (1) the relationship between the Board of Trustees and the School Head—and how that translates into each playing an effective and appropriate role, (2) the understanding by the Board of its strategic role in protecting the viability of the school, and (3) the strategic recruitment of the Board with the mission of the school and the strategic role of the Board held to the forefront. This article will deal with the third of these points.

The most critical aspect of your planning document is to have a process to bring it to fruition. It’s also important to develop effective ways to educate your major constituencies about the plan and its initiatives, and to keep them informed about progress toward completing your objectives.

The question of fair, competitive compensation is a primary concern when developing your school’s budget. Your school’s ability to attract the best candidates is a prerequisite for excellence in the classroom, and compensation is a piece of that puzzle.1 As we continue our discussion of the 21st Century School, it is clear that private-independent schools must not only provide financial support and appropriate time for ongoing and effective professional growth and renewal, but also compensate faculty competitively.

ISM has long held that the proper role of the Board is to attend to the strategic viability of a school for future generations of students, while the role of the School Head is to manage the day-to-day operational needs of the school. With that core principle in mind, the question arises as to who is properly responsible for ensuring that the school has an effective, up-to-date employee handbook.1 As employee handbooks are primarily comprised of day-to-day operating policies, we believe that the answer clearly is “the School Head.”2 At the same time, however, there is an important strategic oversight role that the Board can and should play in ensuring that organizational risk is limited—but always showing deference to the Head on the operating details.

Many Trustees come from the corporate sector and, understandably, tend to bring corporate assumptions and concepts to private-independent school strategic planning. Examples of corporate-to-school strategic applications that are appropriate and useful include accurate revenue forecasting, an understanding of complex stock market indices and expectations, a broader view of salary trends across the for-profit sector, and projected salary gradients for employees. On the other hand, examples of corporate-to-school strategic applications that are less appropriate and/or questionable include reassigning employees who provide core services to achieve enhanced efficiencies and/or simply reduce their number, reducing advertising costs; and postponing planning entirely (e.g., pushing planning dates out indefinitely).