1. Accepting the Call: Making the Most of your Board Archdiocese of Cincinnati August 4, 2015

2. Agenda 1.Context 2.Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools) 3.Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools 4.2015-16: The year ahead

3. 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

4. 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

5. Agenda 1.Context 2.Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools) 3.Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools 4.2015-16: The year ahead

6. Good News New energy, interest, and momentum Academic gains Progress with enrollment Capital Campaign Stronger communal identity

7. Agenda 1.Context 2.Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools) 3.Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools 4.2015-16: The year ahead

8. 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)

9. 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

10. 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 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

11. 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

12. Agenda 1.Context 2.Good News (Archdiocesan & Schools) 3.Ongoing challenges of Boards in Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools 4.2015-16: The year ahead

13. 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?

14. 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

15. “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

16. 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?

18. 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?

19. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO BRING CATHOLIC EDUCATION TO OUR STUDENTS! Video Citation: Teach, Lead, Serve …..

20. Contact Information Chris Pastura Director of School Strategic Planning Archdiocese of Cincinnati - 100 East 8th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 cpastura@catholiccincinnati.org cpastura@catholiccincinnati.org 513.421.3131 ext 2724 Dr. Jim Rigg Superintendent of Catholic Schools Archdiocese of Cincinnati - 100 East 8th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 jrigg@catholiccincinnati.org 513.421.3131 ext 2717