Good Governance
At the opening session at the California Association School’s New Trustee Training, a local retired head of school who now consults full time with independent schools and universities spoke calmly and earnestly: “How a school does. It’s all about governance. If you do not have good governance, your school will not thrive.” I took quick and deliberate notes. I paused here, though. It was a big statement. Even hyperbolic? I bracketed it: If you do not have good governance, your school will not thrive. I admit I tend to get a little bit skeptical about strong, “either/or”esque statements. When I think *school* I first go to program: children and teachers; curriculum and instruction, philosophy and mission. I don’t first go to good governance. When I think about schools thriving, I picture joyful, curious children; committed, hardworking teachers, and vibrant, in-depth student work. I don’t picture bylaws and board meetings. But maybe I should?
I am inspired to interrogate this position by reflecting upon my first two years as head of school at Westland. Upon this reflection, I feel oddly pulled to defend the notion that a school thriving is contingent upon good governance! I knew going into the headship how imperative the Board of Trustees’ work was. When I think about the last two year’s worth of work—the board meetings, board retreats, board committee meetings, policy drafts, conference calls, emails, texts, and all of the informal in-between moments, too—I would indeed argue that good governance at Westland is indeed enabling us to thrive.
First, some disclaimers about governance at Westland: The fact that most of Westland’s board members are democratically voted into their board position is rare in this country among independent schools. While some might dismiss this practice as “quirky” and “old-school,” other school folk cringe. (Literally, I have been in rooms and seen school leaders cringe when they hear we have elections.) Two board positions at Westland are appointed, which is how I came to originally be on Westland’s board back in 2015. The rest are voted in, by all members of the corporation: current parents in good standing and all employees. If democracy anchors our mission, then democratic processes should abound. I would argue this is an excellent reason to defy independent school convention and hold board elections.
Another way we defy convention is that we have two teacher positions on our Board of Trustees. This is yet another powerful way we walk our talk of democracy and distributive leadership. This practice is no less controversial than our elections. By having teacher voice on our Board, however, we are communicating that our teachers have a valuable—imperative!—voice in thinking about and planning for the long term health of our school. Besides these two practices, Westland’s Board of Trustees very much follows what the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) would deem best practice. As such, Westland’s Board has four main responsibilities.
The first responsibility of the board is to establish, review, update, and safeguard the mission of the school. In my nerdy free time, I like to peruse the websites of other schools. Just to see what’s happening, what’s out there, and what other people are saying about themselves and about educating young people. It’s “productive procrastination.” I particularly love reading other people’s mission statements. The trend seems to be to have mission statements be pithy and catchy. Sometimes I can’t even find a school’s mission statement on their website. Westland’s mission statement, our lodestar, is thorough and complex. It’s serious and deliberate. It mentions teachers’ work specifically which is totally unique. It’s ambitious:
Westland School is an elementary school committed to progressive education. Teachers are cooperatively involved in developing and implementing an integrated, hands-on, social studies-based curriculum. Westland focuses on enabling students to be self-motivated and to view learning as an exciting and rewarding process that will continue throughout their lives. We strive for a learning environment that is child-centered and non-competitive. Each child at Westland has a commitment to their* group; each group has a commitment to the school and the school has an important commitment to the world around us. Westland values experiential learning to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills. We believe that learning best occurs when there is a student population that is culturally, socially, and economically diverse.
Informally, the board makes a collective nod to our mission by having it posted up before every General and Annual Meeting, Westland’s version of a “State of the School.” Formally, we tune into it to guide our board committees and goal setting. Last school year the Board even voted to change “his/her” binary-based language that was in the mission to the more inclusive, “their.” (See asterisk above.) As my gym teacher used to yell at me back in 1992: “Tsapatsaris! It’s the little things that make a big difference!” It is the little things that can make a big difference, and this small act of the board last year, shows their ongoing commitment towards inclusion.
My favorite concept related to the board and mission is that the board is to safeguard mission and make sure it is always relevant. Westland School’s mission should be safeguarded. What we are striving for and what we stand for should be protected. Rigorously protected. This is why our board members are called trustees, and not referred to as a “board of directors” like in a corporate model. We entrust our mission to Westland’s board members.
The second responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to ensure the acquisition and stewardship of financial resources and facilities to enable the school to pursue its mission effectively. One of the challenges of being on the board was exquisitely communicated at the CAIS training. A local board president who was also a parent at her children’s school shared that a trustee’s “love of the school must surpass their child’s experience there.” When I was first learning about board service and good governance practices, it was explained to me like this: The board should be thinking of our children’s children.
As you know, 2019 marks Westland’s 70th year. When it comes to trustee’s fiscal responsibility, they’re thinking of the next 70 years. Three weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending Kellogg School of Business’s: “Nonprofit Finance: Toolkit For Leaders.” Seminar. (Side note: In the room were non-prof leaders serving homeless populations, leaders funding single moms’ undergraduate degrees, leaders who worked to find service projects for veterans to share with citizens in cities across our country, and leaders thinking of environmental justice. My faith in humanity was rejuvenated. Each person’s mission was more exciting than the next. I digress again…) On day one our instructor passionately shouted: “Cash flows should increase in net assets. [Reserves.] People think it’s a swear word...YOU SHOULD BE MAKING A PROFIT. At least three to five percent should be going back to grow the mission. Shift the mindset! Reserves are about advancing the mission. Profit is not a bad word. ‘Nonprofits’ should change their name! It should be around being tax-exempt. I’ll say it again! Revenue should exceed costs and expenses. We have to be prepared for a rainy day! We need a cash reserve so we don’t stop services!” This is what the board thinks about, led by the Finance Committee. This is even what keeps them up at night.
I love stories, as I think you know. I was recently delighted to discover that budgets tell important stories. Board Treasurer Alexis Denisof shared a formula he developed (how treasurer of him!) at our recent General Meeting. He shared: “So in thinking about tonight and considering our Mission Statement, Bylaws, and Finances, I came up with a word formula. It is this:
Mission + Bylaws drives Policy.
Policy + Data = Allocation of Resources.
Allocation of Resources should therefore reflect Mission and Bylaws.
Reflecting on this formula and on the notion that budgets tell stories, the story of Westland’s budget is people. Alexis beautifully told this story as he laid out our budget vis-a-vis a pie chart: “As you see, we overwhelmingly allocate towards human resources. When I look at the blue slice of pie I see the Sing, the group meetings, I see the fire station in the East Yard, the restaurant, a birthday party in a tenement, I see my seven-year-old talking for half an hour non-stop about echinoderms, I see all the questions my children are asked every day by a person dedicated to my kids’ learning.” The Board endeavors to sustain this school so that *it* (the Sings, the culminations, the lifelong learning—all of it!) live in perpetuity.
The third responsibility of the Board acknowledges that the Board has one employee: It selects, hires, evaluates and supports the head of school. Okay, I warn you...it’s about to get personal. Even though I knew the intensity of the collaboration between the Board and the head of school, I underestimated this intensity. What I also couldn’t have anticipated is how much I respect the board members. How much I have learned from their areas of expertise. When I tell other heads that my board chair has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership they sigh. But it’s more than this amazingly fun fact. How do I begin to explain? I risk getting a little gushy here, but I have loved being head of school at Westland, in large part because of our Board of Trustees.
I love this school. What I’ve also realized is that I have a deep appreciation for who I get to be at this school: A leader who is supported and pushed. The board invites me to be empowered and vulnerable. Poised and a little quirky. I am asked much of and I am asked to make sure that I’m not overexerting myself. I am evaluated with candor and warmth. I have made plenty of mistakes here, and I have plenty of regrets and mishandlings that I wish I could take back. But net-net, I feel like I’m thriving, in huge thanks to this board. At the CAIS training, the retired head of school (who called himself a “governance geek”) described the headship as “a job with no boundaries.” He then shared multiple slides with all of the people a head of school is accountable towards and connected to. “The board either helps or hinders,” he said. We have a board that helps.
The last responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to plan strategically for the future. I think this one is inseparable from the previous three. Strategic thinking leads to questions that guide our work ahead. Questions about campus improvement, fundraising, and risk management. Questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Questions about bylaws. Questions about budgeting, parent participation requirements, and the school’s culture of philanthropy. This board doesn’t stop asking questions, which means they’re swimming in strategy—with an eye constantly on preserving and honoring mission.
Yes, when I think of schools thriving, I picture Westland. I still picture engaged children at work. Specifically, I think of a recent moment in a classroom where a Westland student used the morning meeting as a time to talk about her nickname and what name she prefers to be called at school, demonstrating that self-advocacy starts with even our youngest of children. When I think of Westland thriving, I recall our Tuesday staff meetings where teachers, at the end of a long day, remain engaged, invested, and present in important conversations about how to best serve children and families. I think of our hospitality committee last week putting together the most beautiful and delicious spread in town for prospective parents visiting campus. When I think of Westland School thriving, I’ll now remember the jotted down line that’s bracketed in my book: “If you do not have good governance, your school will not thrive” and picture not only our current board and board president, but the boards and board presidents who came before them these past 70 years. I’ll picture bylaws, board meetings, and budgets because they are an integral part of our story of thriving too.