Governance for Owned Schools

The value of a governance structure for owned schools cannot be overstated.  A well-designed structure, following best practices but adapted to each school’s uniqueness, can complement and contribute to the ownership’s business plan; ensure the owners’ purposes, values, and interests are respected and furthered; and establish a vibrant and rigorous system of supervision and accountability of the school head, either as an owner-operator or employee.

I’m privileged to work with the following owned schools in developing their governance structures, which are aligned with accreditation standards and international best practices for the governance of effective schools.

• With the Dewey Schools in Vietnam, my primary client school, we have developed a systemwide governing body that oversees the Superintendent’s (owner-operator) management of the school system, as she supervises the School Executive Director of each campus.  The Superintendent reports systematically and comprehensively to the Board, with the findings of all Superintendent monitoring reports rigorously inspected by a compliance officer who has become an expert on policy compliance and an excellent resource to the Board.  Succession planning is taking place to transition to system management by an employed Superintendent in the future, and the governance system is designed to provide the level of trusteeship for the owners and supervision and accountability of the Superintendent that will be required in that reality.  
• For Colegio de Panamá and Colegio Bilingüe de Panamá, the trajectory for the development of governing bodies was prompted by accreditation, as each founding owner-director seeks the organizational effectiveness benefit of governance as they prepare for the eventual transition of school management to the next generation.  The boards differ, with one heavily populated by family members and the other by investors, but the purposes and processes are similar.   The business plans are different, as are the values and purposes of the schools, but governance is an integral part of each school’s improvement trajectory.
• Chontales Academy is an owned school for which the owners have a long-term objective to create a not-for-profit organization that will champion and perpetuate the owners’ unique and powerful vision and mission for an international school in an agricultural region of Nicaragua.   The creation of the governing body precedes accreditation for this young and pioneering school, but support for the founding owner-operator has increased stability and focus, and most recently has added value through strategic planning in a volatile and challenging setting.
• The owner-operator who acquired Cologne International School in Germany was compelled to change course from the traditional governance board inherited from the previous ownership structure and to select an accrediting agency whose philosophy and protocol were deemed a better fit for the new organization.  What has been crafted is a knowledgeable and professional governing body connected to the school’s past through alumni members but fully aligned with the school’s new business plan, mission, and value proposition.    

The realities of each school are different – including their challenges and opportunities – but a common element contributing to school growth and improvement is the development of a governing body uniquely established to ensure a sustainable and ever-improving future for each school.

Blessings,
David