As a non-profit school founded by parents, AIS-R considers all current parents proprietors of the school, and all parents are automatically considered members of the AIS-R Parent’s Association.  The school is governed, however, by an eight-member self-perpetuating strategic Board of Trustees which represents the interests of the Parents Association.  The Board makes a formal report to the Parent’s Association twice a year.  Seven of the eight Board members are voting members, and one is a non-voting member representing the US Embassy in Riyadh. This member is appointed by the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Front Row (left to right): Mike Purdy, Dr. Fawzia Al-Bakr, Rachna Korhonen (Embassy Representative), Tom Merkel (Vice-Chairman) and Mathy Katby

Second Row (left to right): Dr. Brian Matthews (Superintendent), John Langford (Board Chairman), Mazen Hariri and Larry Wright

Effective School Governance

By Peter D. Relic, Former president, National Association of Independent Schools

If we did not always understand the importance of governance in the world, we certainly do today, especially with all the examples of bad, ineffective governance, including nations, corporations, and universities. For us in non-profit, independent schools, we hope we are learning the lessons well because our children’s future, our future, depend on getting it right.

The experience of more than one thousand independent schools throughout the world in the past forty years, including American international schools, provides clear, emphatic guidelines for effective governance. We have embodied this knowledge in principles of best practice, embraced by the National Association of Independent School in Washington, DC and by virtually every regional association of international schools in every part of the globe. We know that the most effective schools are governed by boards that are policy boards, visionary strategic boards. We have learned that the truly dynamic boards know how to develop goals and objectives, plans to reach those goals, and all the steps to implement those plans. The best boards are visionary, understanding and accepting the challenge of stewardship for the school today and into the future. The research and the literature show the way to govern schools effectively.

Conversely, experience indicates that the weakest boards are operational, with individual trustees intruding in the daily operation of the school, becoming directly involved with personnel or curricular or management issues that should be handled by the administration and faculty.

There is another key component to effective governance: the knowledge and cooperation of the rest of the school community - teachers and staff, parents, students. If everyone does not understand what a strategic policy board is doing, the pressures and demands of the community too often deflect the board from its task and focus. Perhaps this article will highlight for members of the school community some of what the policy board should do, and should not do.

Good practice requires the board to be clear in adhering to the mission of the school, and creating the means for everyone else to be consistent with the mission. The board’s goals and objectives are the foundation for guiding the school in the continued pursuit of the mission. The school’s strategic plan and its vision for the future, emanating from the board’s commitment, involves the entire school in actively living the school’s mission. The board selects and supports the school head in whom is vested the authority and responsibility for the daily management of the school. Together the board and head develop goals and objectives to meet the priorities and needs of the school, and the board holds the head accountable through annual written evaluation (and itself as a board, again through written annual evaluation) for progress toward attaining the goals.

The board is responsible for the financial well-being of the school, including the operating annual and capital budgets, and like no other part of the school community, the board in its charge of stewardship is responsible for the financial strength of the school well into the future through guarding capital assets, fund raising and endowments. Today’s board cares about today; the visionary board cares about the future too, working for this year and striving to create the vision and the means to achieving the vision for the next twenty years and more.

The effective board does much more: the members are always learning, always prepared for each meeting; they keep board committees focused and real, meeting each committee’s charge; they keep accurate records of its meeting and deliberations; they assure compliance with local and national regulations and laws and minimize exposure to legal action; they strive to compose the board to reflect the perspectives and expertise of the community to achieve the mission of the school; they each contribute to the school’s development program, and support and promote the school through their work and presence.

Does the individual trustee represent one child or a constituency? Emphatically not. Board members represent the best interests of every child, every constituency. A vital part of this commitment is the understanding with parents that all matters relating to what occurs daily at the school need to be referred to the teacher, the division principal, the head of school. The strategic policy board understands and holds accountable the administration for the operation of the school.

This brief article perhaps raises as many questions as it addresses. In my continuing association with the school, I would be pleased to address other issues. I am particularly impressed that the board of the AIS-R has striven for many years to be an effective strategic policy board. I am honored to assist in that continuing effort.