accepting the call: making the most of your board archdiocese of cincinnati august 4, 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Accepting the Call:Making the Most
of your Board
Archdiocese of CincinnatiAugust 4, 2015
Agenda
1. Context
2. Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools)
3. Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools
4. 2015-16: The year ahead
Context• 111 Catholic elementary and
secondary schools in 19 counties of southwest Ohio
• 87 Elementary, 24 Secondary• Serving approx. 44,000
students
• “Lighting the Way”: Archdiocesan Vision & Plan for Catholic Education (2012)
• Outlined dozens of initiatives related to Catholic identity, academic quality, finances, governance, leadership, and marketing
Select Initiatives (Cont.):• Governance Area: A “reboot” of the boards of the 12 Archdiocesan-
owned high schools.• New Codes of Regulations• New membership• Boards of Limited Jurisdiction• Initial and ongoing training
Agenda
1. Context
2. Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools)
3. Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools
4. 2015-16: The year ahead
Good News
• New energy, interest, and momentum• Academic gains• Progress with enrollment• Capital Campaign• Stronger communal identity
Agenda
1. Context
2. Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools)
3. Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools
4. 2015-16: The year ahead
Boards in the Archdiocese
• Archdiocesan survey of heads of school and board chairs (March 2015):
• Overall satisfaction with boards (91%)• Lowest items centered around committees
(functioning well and submitting reports in a timely manner)
Common challenges with Catholic School Boards
Poor attendance
Lack of ownership (everyone’s in charge so no-one’s in charge)
Micro-management
Aggressive board members
Conflicts between board and staff
Suffering Servants
Lack of diversity
Lack of successor to the chair
Rubber stamping board
Reactive board members
Board members with specific agendas
Ostrich board members
Role confusion with staff
Challenges are not unique to us
Video Clip Citations
The Role of Nonprofit Boards – Harvard Business School Executive Education – October 11, 2011 – cited from youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k09dw7s95ic
Typical Nonprofit Board Challenges – Stanford Graduate School of Business – May 28, 2014 – cited from youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5owt1RBUpk
As board members, do you feel engaged in and able to support the mission of the school?
What specific challenges do you face as a Board?
Is there clarity among board and staff about roles and responsibilities?
Does the Board bring a clear “value-add” to the school?
Are all school stakeholders aware of and in line with the Board’s direction and purpose for the school?
Is there a clear, Board-endorsed strategic plan for the school?
Discussion Questions & Sharing
Agenda
1. Context
2. Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools)
3. Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools
4. 2015-16: The year ahead
2015-16: The Year Ahead
1. Quality of Meetings • Are meetings treated like events?• Are committees functioning well between and at meetings?2. Strategic Plan• Written?• Communicated to stakeholders?• Integrated into the “work” and culture of the school?3. Leadership relationships
• Is the school community aware of the Board’s role?
• Are the Board and staff on the same page?
• How do we maintain accountability between Board and staff?
Do your Board meetings look like this?
Video Clip Citation: How to Run an Effective Nonprofit Board Meeting – Stanford Graduate School of Business – May 28, 2014 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t94SNWJ9EAo
“Unwritten Understoods of Board Work & Meetings”
1. Board Chair and principal determine the agenda in advance of each meeting; the agenda should be uniform and standardized
2. Staff members may or may not attend meetings; typically they will only participate if specifically asked questions. Sometimes they will make presentations and leave when finished
3. There should always be a written and oral presentation from the Principal highlighting important developments in the school community since the last board meeting
4. Agendas and materials should go out to Board members with enough advance notice to allow them to read and process the information
5. The Board governs the school as a unified entity; individual board members have no specific authority
6. Communication between board members and staff should be open and collaborative; special effort should be made to avoid triangulation
7. Much of the “work” of boards happens at the level of committee meetings
Strategic Planning• Where do we wish to be in 3 years?• Is our organizational culture ready to move forward?• What do we need to do to continue our collective mission?• What are our specific objectives?• Who does the work?• Who measures success?• When do things need to happen?• Is there a clear strategic plan for the school?• What’s the board’s role in creating, communicating, and executing the
plan?• What’s the staff’s role in creating, communicating, and executing the
plan?• If there is a plan, has it been written, communicated, and integrated into
the school community?
Leadership Relationships
The Blueberry Story by Jamie Vollmer
1. Does the Board really understand the “work” and mission of the school enough to make good decisions?
2. Are there processes and venues for collaboration that respect board and staff time and commitments?
3. Are priorities ordered and able to be executed?
4. Are peoples’ roles clear and understood?
5. Are performance metrics and criteria realistic and clearly articulated? Do they match the necessary roles?
6. How do we proceed when parties respectfully disagree?
7. How do we avoid triangulation and other communication problems?
8. Is everyone clear on the process for accountability of administration, staff, and board members?
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO BRING CATHOLIC EDUCATION TO OUR STUDENTS!
Video Citation: Teach, Lead, Serve …..
Contact Information
Chris Pastura Director of School Strategic Planning Archdiocese of Cincinnati - 100 East 8th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 [email protected] 513.421.3131 ext 2724
Dr. Jim RiggSuperintendent of Catholic Schools Archdiocese of Cincinnati - 100 East 8th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 [email protected] 513.421.3131 ext 2717