Private Schools Jargon and Terms

Your worst nightmare is unfolding. The Board has asked you, as Head, to prepare a strategic plan for the school. Before you even start, consider these three tips.

1. Conduct a Rigorous Situation Assessment

A plan is only as good as the facts on which it is based. For this reason, a situation assessment is essential to support informed decision-making in strategic planning. A situation assessment addresses three major topics.

Know the Board's Appetite for Change

Be sure to scope the Board's appetite for change. After all, the Board will ultimately be asked to approve the strategic plan and the allocation of resources to support its implementation. If the Board doesn't buy into your plan, then the strategic planning process could come to an inglorious end, when presented to that very same unsuspecting Board by the soon-to-be ex-Head. With the Board on your side, at least you can do some proper advance preparation and lobbying on issues you know the Board finds difficult to accept.

Document the Way Things Work Today

Don't assume that you - or anyone else, especially the Board - understands the way things actually happen at the school.

• Prepare a detailed description of every major functional area.
• Include everything from the administrative functions through to the academic functions.
• Identify who is responsible for the functional activity, the activities being managed, the way the activities are managed, staffing, and budget.

Without these descriptions in hand, it becomes almost impossible to describe how any change proposed in the strategic plan

Is your child struggling in school? Are you not understanding why she is having difficulty learning in a classroom setting? Does she hate going to school instead of wanting to go eagerly every day? Are her teachers requesting conferences with you to discuss the situation? These and many other signs should alert you to the fact that you need to give your child some extra attention. As one parent to another, I can tell you that admitting that your child has learning differences or special needs is not an easy thing to deal with. We had to deal with this situation ourselves. One child had great difficulty reading. Another had serious problems with mathematics. I will focus on the more common learning differences such as ADHD and dyslexia in this article. Special needs encompass a wide range of syndromes, some of which we will examine in companion articles.

At the first sign that their child has a learning difference, many parents panic and withdraw into a state of denial. That may help you. But it will not help your child. Your child's teachers know what to look for. The signs of a child with learning issues are fairly obvious, as a rule. While teachers may not know how to treat the disorder professionally, they are trained to alert both parents and the school administration when they suspect that your child has a learning issue.

Public schools must implement Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for students with

Does your school avoid politics? You might want to make sure it does if you are set up as a non-profit corporation. If your school is exempt from taxes under the provisions of Section 501 (c3) of the Tax Code, it must refrain from conducting political activities designed to influence political elections.

Intramural elections are exempt
Putting up posters and holding rallies for student council president are not generally considered a violation of the 'no politicking' provisions of the law. Internal or with in the bounds of the school community activities are acceptable. Read Rules for Exempt Organizations During an Election Year for further guidance.

Politicking for local, state and federal issues and candidates forbidden
In an election year where emotions are running high and record numbers of young people are being drawn into the process, you need to be very careful that your school complies with the law. Make sure you state your policy clearly in the school's handbook. Enforce that policy. The last thing you need is for somebody to file a complaint with the IRS and put your tax-exempt status in jeopardy.

Prove your 'no politicking' policy in your Form 990 filing
Schedule A of Form 990 gives you a place to document your 'lobbying' activites or lack thereof. Remember: your school's membership in NAIS and other regional independent school organizations can be construed as 'lobbying'. Generally the amount spent on memberships is relatively insignificant when compared to your overall expenditures. Just be certain to

Douglas Halladay heads The Halladay Group, a consulting firm which specializes in all aspects of private school operations. We asked him how to advise a board of trustees on a headmaster search. Here are his answers.

We aggressively seek candidates for you who combine strong administrative skills and outstanding management abilities with dynamic leadership experience. Included below is the model that we utilize.

Step 1: Initial Meeting

During our first meeting with the client, we review your organization regarding the position to be filled. We also seek to understand the organization's environment, which includes learning about the culture, norms, philosophy, history, work atmosphere, and personalities of the people and community this person will work for and with, as well as coming to know what causes individual success or failure at this organization and thoroughly understanding the vision of the organization. If confidentiality allows, we spend time with the supervisor and peers of the position in order to determine the management's style and personality. Since our goal is to find someone in whom the community will have confidence, both in ability and in style, this part of the process is crucial.

This video outlines the hiring process involved with hiring education professionals.

Step 2: Position Profile

HEG next prepares a Position Profile that describes the client organization, details the nature of the position, the key issues facing the new leader, and the qualities and