The role of the board in moving forward in faith and excellence

For the first time in the school’s history, Eastern Christian School is in the process of pursuing joint accreditation. For the past year, many different stakeholders have been laying the groundwork for re-accreditation with the Middle States Association for Colleges and Schools and have added to this, the work of pursuing initial accreditation with Christian Schools International. Part of this work includes the creation of a five-year strategic plan.

In their book Guiding Schools to Flourish, Henry Contant and Edward Noot say this of the Christian school board: “The evolvement of Christian school leadership has freed up our school boards to focus on their most important task. Boards should now be spending most of their time and energy leading the school community in developing a strategic vision for the school that doesn’t yet exist…we need to continually gather bright, forward-looking, passionate Christians to share their insights about the future and apply their collective wisdom to the task of setting direction for our schools in an ever-changing environment.” 

This guidance rings true at EC, where the board of directors plays a critical role in strategic planning, setting the overall direction for the school and ensuring the strategic plan is aligned to the mission and core values of the school. This includes considering survey data from students, parents and staff, as well as seeking the wisdom of experienced strategic planning consultants. 

In addition to their critical role in the strategic planning process and accreditation, the school bylaws outline nine “powers and duties” to the board. They are as specific as determining educational policies, maintaining facilities, approving the hiring of staff and keeping financial records, to as broad as “promoting the cause of Christian education.”

To meet these responsibilities, the board of directors is further divided into three primary subcommittees: governance, finance, and strategy.

Under our board structure, the day-to-day operation of the school is delegated to the Head of School. Board members are committed Christians and committed to Eastern Christian School, coming from many different industries and with many different skill sets in order to assemble a collective group of highly skilled professionals.

The board of directors meets in public session a minimum of six times per year. Parents are welcome to attend all public sessions, which are run as business meetings (pre-registration required). 

Currently, 10 volunteers serve on the board, along with two advisers. Board members are elected or appointed from the membership of the school association to serve for three years, and they are eligible for re-appointment for two additional, successive terms.

“A strong board that’s dedicated to the mission of the school is imperative to ensuring that the school is faithful to its mission,” says Dr. Ruth Kuder, head of school. 

In the coming weeks, we invite you to read the profiles of several current and past board members on our blog. For a full list of board members, click here.