Board Training

1. The Trustee and Due Diligence

This training program will both remind you and further your knowledge about your job as Trustee. Your position on the Board is one of supreme importance to your school and you are privileged to be able to serve your school in this way. This first video speaks to the basic requirements for Trusteeship from a due diligence point of view:

• Being present
• Preparation
• Support of your School Head
• Mission Focus
• Philanthropy

By the end of this first video in the series, you will have an excellent basis for understanding the concept of due diligence as it applies to private-independent schools.

2. The Trustee as Parent

This second video speaks to the ways in which you have to manage your dual functions as Trustee and as parent of your children. You are probably a parent or grandparent; even if you are not, you should go through this video so that you can understand the tensions that parents and grandparents face. You will find out how to manage:

• Your public position
• Other parents and their questions
• Your own advocacy for your children
• Being a parent in Board and committee meetings

By the end of this second video in the series, you will know how to be both an effective parent and an effective Trustee without compromising in either area.

3. The Trustee as Tuition Setter

This third video speaks to the most difficult decision you make on an annual, recurring, basis—setting tuition. How you do this will have the most far-reaching impact on your school's future. You will consider:

• The impact of education inflation
• Thinking about budgeting backward versus budgeting forward
• What it costs to improve your school
• The difference between "hard" and "soft" income

By the end of this third video in the series, you will be much more comfortable in making this difficult decision, and knowing how to approach the decision in a meaningful way that is good for your school.

4. The Trustee as Strategic Planner

This fourth video is the longest of the series because of the complexity of this primary role. You will consider:

• What a strategic plan is and isn't
• Why strategic plans fail
• Why the strategic financial plan is the most important piece
• What questions to ask and how to distinguish the difference makers from the merely important

By the end of this fourth video in the series, you will have the basics of exceptional planning for your school. You will also, now that you are at the end of the core components of Trustee Training, have the main pieces in place to be a great leader within your school.