Member Query:
1. Is the board’s ‘committee on trustees’ or ‘Governance committee’ the best committee to identify and plan for the board’s professional development needs? Should this committee also be recommending board/committee structure or does that come from board leadership …
Member Query:
As a brand new Chair & relatively new trustee (in my 3rd year), I’m still striving to get my head around who owns which school policies. Some are clear: Investment policy & capital expenditure policy belong to the …
Member Query:
When it comes to strategic decisions (branding, summer offerings, marketing strategies, etc ) do other Boards have an approval process or process map to understand who owns what work and which decisions need signoff from either the specific …
Member Query:
How do you best handle parents requesting to attend board meetings
Unfortunately, there is no universal answer to the question of whether parents can attend board meetings. According to Caryn Pass, at Venable, LLP, it depends on the …
Member query:
Can you describe when, if ever, it might be appropriate for a school to have their HOS serve as a voting member of their board? NAIS data show that approximately 20% of independent schools have their HOS as …
Member query:
SITUATION: Our board has term limits: trustees may serve three 3-year terms, and there is an allowance for a 10th year for a sitting board chair. We also have a very deliberate board chair succession process, where the …
Member query:
We are thinking of creating an advisory board to engage some of our larger donors and others in our region. What are some of the issues we need to think through?
Reply from Cathy Trower:
Advisory boards …
Member query:
What role, if any, should the Head of School have in partnership with the Board Chair or Committee on Trustees in the vetting, interviewing or selecting of potential trustees? What is best practices and good governance?
Reply …
Member query:
Can you provide guidance to Board Chairs on how to conduct appropriate succession planning for board officer positions?
Reply from Cathy Trower:
My advice starts with the obvious – have a plan. This means being intentional and …
Member query:
Our by-laws state that the Board Chair is not eligible to serve on the Governance Committee. Our new HOS and I (a new Board Chair) are confused about this. Is it best practice?
What is the role of …