The Board of Trustees at GRACE Christian School plays an important role in our community. Their primary responsibilities are to: 1) guard our school’s mission, 2) set policies that work toward our mission’s fulfillment, and 3) build the means and strategies to fund our school’s mission.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting our board members to allow you to learn more about who they are, the experience they bring to GRACE, and how they support the school through board participation.
Before we do, we sat down with Head of School Eric Bradley to share a bit more about the role of the board, how individuals are selected for the board, and how their role differs from school administration.
Q: What areas fall under the oversight of the board versus the oversight of school leadership?
A: The board provides strategic oversight for the school – focusing on the commitment to the mission statement, the short- and long-term financial health of the school, long-term strategic planning, and the assessment of their one employee, the head of school. The head of school and members of the school’s leadership team oversee the day-to-day operations of the school. For instance, the head of school and CFO work together closely to manage the daily financial operations of the school, but provide regular updates on the annual budget and future budget forecasts to the board of trustees so they can make informed decisions about the financial health of the school. The board approves the annual budget and tuition rates and receives an annual audit report from a third-party accounting firm, but does not get involved in the daily implementation of the budget once approved.
Q: How are board members appointed and who elects them?
A: Anyone can submit a nomination to the board chairman, but generally board members are nominated by trustees and the school leadership team. The board’s Governance Committee reviews nominations, interviews candidates, and, if approved, puts candidates before the full board for a vote. The vote for a new trustee must be unanimous.
Q: What are the requirements to be appointed to the board?
A: Each trustee must testify to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Additionally, trustees must be role models within GRACE and the community-at-large.
Q: Is there a set amount of time a member serves on the board?
A: Trustees serve four-year terms. After two consecutive terms, a trustee must step down for at least one year. However, the board can vote to extend the time of service due to extenuating circumstances.
Q: How is someone appointed as chairman of the board? Do you choose that person?
A: The trustees select the chairman within the group. The head of school, board Secretary, and CFO serve as de facto, non-voting members of the board.
Q: Are board members paid for their participation on the board?
A: No. It is strictly voluntary. We are grateful our board members give of their time and expertise to further the mission of our school.
Q: How often does the board meet and what do those meetings look like?
A: The board meets roughly every six weeks, following the flow of the academic calendar. Board committees, such as the finance committee, meet more frequently, but not more than once per month.
Q: Why aren’t board meetings open to the public?
A: In line with independent school best practices, board meetings are closed. The board often discusses sensitive items during meetings such as financial information and other personnel information that isn’t appropriate to share to the broader community. However, the board does communicate information in a more formalized format such as the GRACE strategic plan and the 2022-2023 Annual Report. If there is information you would like to bring to the attention of the board, the best way of doing so is by emailing our board secretary at [email protected]. However, the majority of questions parents have about school operations are usually decided by the school’s executive leadership team, so we hope our families always know they can contact me, our school principals and other school leadership at any time.
We hope you enjoyed the first part of this Board Spotlight Series. Be on the lookout for “Get to know the Board” spotlights, which will be posted in the coming weeks.