Running a Private School

Get help and guidance on running a private school. Find guidance and resources related to administration, fundraising and marketing. Explore strategic plan development, creative fundraising ideas and the latest technology uses in marketing.

View the most popular articles in Running a Private School:

Does Your School Avoid Politics?

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Does Your School Avoid Politics?
Does your school avoid politics? You might want to make sure it does if you are set up as a non-profit corporation.

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

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Hiring A Headmaster

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Hiring A Headmaster
Hiring a headmaster is one of a board of trustees' most important jobs. Here's how one search firm handles the hiring process.

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

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Are Employees Stealing From You?

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Are Employees Stealing From You?
Part of a trustee's job is to ensure that sound business practices are in place. Employee fraud occurs all the time. Here's how to prevent it.
You have spent a year as a trustee of St. Etheldreda's. You have attended all the meetings. Recently you were appointed to the finance committee. The nagging question keeps chewing at you. "How do we know that our employees aren't stealing from us?" After all, hardly a day goes by without yet another report of some trusted employee stealing from one organization or another.

You simply have to ask these tough questions of your business manager and your auditor.

1. Does one person have control over all of your accounting functions?
2. Are two signatures required on checks over a pre-determined amount - say, $500?
3. Are checks ever pre-signed?
4. Are your bank accounts consolidated so that your bookkeeping accurately reflects the school's true financial position?
5. Is there petty cash lying around?
6. Are different people assigned to the deposit and account reconciliation functions?
7. Do you have a purchase order system?
8. Does your committee review expenses and supporting vouchers carefully and frequently?
9. Does an outside auditor review your books annually?
10. Do you run background checks and speak to references before you hire?

Insist that your school be run like a business

Some schools find it difficult to implement standard business practices. Even when they do, they can find it even more difficult to stick to those practices. Be careful of the trusted old employee who's been there forever and resists your updated business procedures.

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Technology Products for Schools

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Technology Products for Schools
Your community expects the best technology to be in place in your classrooms. Take advantage of the fast moving market which is always coming out with new products at ever lower prices.

Your school needs dependable hardware. It needs hardware which will have many uses and also increase productivity. Whether you are in the market for projectors, white boards, a remote KVM switch, you need the best. Use these suggestions as a starting point in your evaluation process. The product links take you to the manufacturers' sites which will indicate where you can purchase these or similar items. Take a few minutes to bookmark and read Benjamin Herold's informative article in Education Week entitled Technology in Education: An Overview.

Promeathean ActivPanel
A whiteboard has so many uses for the creative teacher that I hardly know where to begin. 21st-century students live in a digital world most of the time, so it just makes sense to teach them using media-rich devices such as interactive whiteboards. Promeathean is but one manufacturer. Google "electronic whiteboards" to find several others. Don't stint on professional installation and training. Both are essential in order to receive full value.

Manufacturer's Description:
The award-winning ActivPanel is powered by a revolutionary, upgradeable Android processor that transforms the traditional projection display into an intelligent hub that unleashes the power of teacher and student connectivity. - See more.

Dymo LabelWriter® 450
This little printer is worth its weight in gold. Use it to label just about anything. Great for printing barcode labels for all your valuable classroom equipment.

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Keeping In Touch With Your Graduates

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Keeping In Touch With Your Graduates
You have many ways to keep in touch with your graduates. Each generation of graduates needs a method of communication which suits its expectations.

Keeping in touch with your graduates is not easy these days. In the old days, you sent a chatty snail mail letter to your graduates two or three times a year. It was full of news about marriages, grad school, jobs, and so on. Of course, it always had updates and information about goings-on at school, sports results and a word from your favorite teachers. Those kinds of newsletter mailings to alumni still go out. If you can afford them, your older graduates will most definitely appreciate them. The reality is that each generation of graduates needs a method of communication which suits its expectations.

Printed mailings have been largely supplanted by interactive school web sites where graduates can log on and keep in touch with their classmates whenever and wherever they choose.

Most alumni relations staff realize that their most recent classes don't stay in touch in the same ways their older graduates do. Snail mail and printed materials are fine for the class of '70 and earlier. Even Web portals may only be effective for the classes prior to '00. Our recent grads are a completely different beast.

The classes from 2001 onwards are the text, cellphone, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, and the Facebook crowd. They are all about social networking. Put a class reunion on YouTube and the response will be tremendous. When one of your alums creates a group on a social networking site, it will invariably draw other alums. They all love keeping in

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Running a Private School

FUND-RAISING
Private schools often need to be creative when it comes to funding. This section provides tools, tips and resources on fundraising. Learn more about supporting your school, how to handle major gifts, and why keeping in touch with graduates can benefit your budget.
Raising Money for Your School
Raising Money for Your School
Major Gifts to Private Schools
Major Gifts to Private Schools
How To Raise Money For Your School
How To Raise Money For Your School