2006 Strategic Plan
Woodstock Academy
Strategic Planning Committee
Sandy Fredrickson, Chair
Bob Blackmer
Kevin Johnston
Jim Kaeding
Jeri Musumeci
Philippa Paquette
Christine Swenson
Tom Stokes
Richard Foye, Headmaster
Robert Warren, Assistant Headmaster
Joseph Campbell, Business Manager
Carol Taylor, Dean of Curriculum
Kristen Willis, Director of Development
Meghan Johnston, Planning Consultant
Table of Content
I. Introduction 3
II. Planning Process 3
III. Woodstock Academy Today 4
IV. Woodstock Academy Tomorrow 7
1. Program 7
2. Faculty 8
3. Governance 9
4. Facilities 10
5. Enrollment and Relationships 10
6. Fiscal Management 11
7. Community Partnerships 12
8. Resource Development 12
V. Monitoring and Evaluation 13
Appendices
Appendix A Planning Process – Overview
Appendix B Data Sources
Appendix C Focus Group Summary
Appendix D Plan Worksheet – February 2006 Draft
I. Introduction
In this 2006 Strategic Plan, the Woodstock Academy school community reaffirms its commitment to its students and to the mission-driven education and heritage that have shaped the Academy experience for two hundred years, introducing practical strategies for program and business operations that will ensure continued success in an increasingly challenging environment. The Academy’s vision for the future is a school community that offers each student a meaningful connection to supportive people and diverse interests in a safe and welcoming physical environment, and in the context of a varied curriculum, provides encouragement and challenge to that student as s/he cultivates the skill and habit of learning in an atmosphere of scholarship and citizenship. The mission statement guides the Academy’s practices toward this vision:
The mission of the Woodstock Academy is to prepare all students for a lifetime of learning, fostering both a sense of pride in self and effective participation in family, school, community and the world through a diversity of learning experiences.
Section II describes the activities and participants in the planning process, and section III summarizes key aspects of the Academy’s current characteristics and challenges.
In section IV, eight strategic direction statements, each accompanied by implementation strategies, provide a structure for year-to-year action planning and budget development, and establish a practical approach to achieving this vision.
II. The Planning Process
The Trustees and Headmaster initiated the strategic planning process with the following goals in mind:
1. To clarify and promote Woodstock Academy’s mission with internal and external audiences, articulating and communicating ‘the Academy difference’;
2. To develop a unified vision for the Academy’s next three to five year stage of development that will guide Trustee and staff decision-making; and
3. To establish specific priorities for Trustee and staff action that will guide resource decisions, provide a framework for ongoing accountability, and ensure steady progress toward the realization of the Trustees’ vision for the Academy’s future as an independent school with a public purpose.
A Strategic Planning Committee of the Board of Trustees was appointed in early 2005, chaired by Sandy Fredrickson, and including Trustees Jim Kaeding, Jeri Musumeci, Bob Blackmer, Tom Stokes, Kevin Johnston, Christine Swenson, and Philippa Paquette, and administrators Richard Foye, Headmaster; Bob Warren, Associate Headmaster; Kristen Willis, Director of Development; Carol Taylor, Dean of Curriculum and Instruction; and Joseph Campbell, Business Manager.
The process was conceived as a Trustee-driven endeavor that would invite broad input from the Academy’s internal and external stakeholders, while proceeding in a decisive and timely way. Planning activities were chosen that would consider all existing data, elicit fresh input about the Academy’s strengths and critical challenges from specific constituencies, encourage Trustee, faculty and other stakeholder discussion, and build consensus around a series of practical strategies for the future to ensure both methodical follow-up and continued strategic thinking.
In its September 2005 meeting, the Committee identified four major areas of planning activity to be completed by June 2006:
1) Consultant and Committee review of previous planning data, including the Report of the Visiting Committee (1998 New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.), and the 2004 interim report of the Trustees’ Planning Committee. (Appendix B lists all preliminary data reviewed.)
2) Eleven focus group discussions, designed to elicit specific input from students, faculty members, parents, alumni, sending town officials and residents of the sending towns (Appendix C includes summary comments from all groups, representing over 200 individuals).
3) A Trustee retreat in December, during which Trustees and administrators worked in small groups to consider preliminary data, identify areas of priority concern, and craft preliminary strategies in eight areas of the Academy’s operations. Trustees and administrators then reviewed retreat outcomes and had an opportunity for further comment in January and February of 2006. (The Plan Worksheet, a working tool compiled over the course of the planning process, shared with the Trustees in December, and amended in January ‘06 based on Trustee and Administrator comments, appears as Appendix D.)
4) Review and discussion of planning data and strategies during monthly committee meetings, regular reports to the Board of Trustees, and ongoing review of plan drafts by Planning Committee members and administrative staff.
Through these activities, a comprehensive assessment of the Academy’s current and anticipated assets and challenges - and the trends in the field of education that will likely affect the Academy’s future - was compiled and reviewed in committee, board and faculty meeting settings. This analysis resulted in the development of the Strategic Directions, and accompanying implementation Strategies, outlined in Section IV of this report. Each of these strategies will ultimately be addressed in action plans, developed with input from faculty members, administrators and staff, and committees of the Board of Trustees, and reviewed annually.
III. Woodstock Academy Today
Woodstock Academy is a nonselective, independent, coeducational secondary school that serves residents of Woodstock, Eastford, Union, Brooklyn, Pomfret, and Canterbury, and is open to residents of other communities in Connecticut and neighboring states. The Academy was the first of six academies chartered in Connecticut when it was founded in 1801, and has maintained the corporate governance structure, high academic standards and personalized educational approach characteristic of the New England Academy system.
Governed by a thirty-member Board of Trustees, the Academy’s board process is open to the public, and structurally linked with each sending town’s board of education through appointed, ex officio seats on the Academy’s Board. The Academy’s governance is, by design and regulation, independent of control by local elected officials. A committee structure focuses Trustee attention in specific areas of governance oversight required by regulation such as finance and nominating.
Woodstock Academy in 2006 is a strong school, with an engaged Board of Trustees and a skilled faculty and staff, all closely in touch with the values and diverse program that characterize ‘the Academy difference.’ During the last several years, a number of significant accomplishments demonstrate the Academy’s strengths related to expanded curricular and co-curricular program offerings, notable student performance outcomes, and improved business operations. These include:
§ New programs, including Freshman Focus and related efforts to effectively integrate new students and promote an early sense of connection to the Academy, have brought increased public recognition to beliefs about the role of community in education that have been part of the Academy tradition for years.
§ An expansion of the athletic program to include wrestling, lacrosse and football has provided additional opportunities to student athletes and established new relationships between the Academy and other schools in the region.
§ Innovative art and vocal music programs have gained recognition beyond the school community as outstanding examples in their respective disciplines, showcasing the talent and dedication of participating students and faculty members, and creating visibility for the Academy in the secondary school community.
§ The designation of an Academy student as Governor’s Scholar for five of the past seven years, and for the past three consecutive years, as well as the Academy’s improving scores on statewide tests indicate positive trends in student performance outcomes. The fall 2005 Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) results indicated improvement among Academy students in every major subject area, between 80 and 90% of Academy students performed at or above the ‘proficient’ level, and overall scores above statewide and Educational Reference Group medians.
§ The Academy’s financial systems have been the focus of an aggressive effort by the business office and Trustees to establish consistent budgeting, spending and monitoring procedures, all of which have resulted in more accurate budget planning and internal controls, and contributed to the Academy’s overall financial stability.
§ The Academy’s administration has been restructured to include an Administrative Council, Student Assistance Team and other designated teams that bring new focus to specific areas of planning, student support and resource management.
§ The Board of Trustees has formalized its board recruitment, orientation and ongoing board development processes, revitalized its committee structure, designated an annual board planning retreat, and undertaken comprehensive strategic planning.
With these accomplishments comes a new understanding of the challenges that the Academy will face - some familiar and some new - as the school seeks to improve its facilities, maintain a wide array of curricular and co-curricular choices that are delivered by a creative and experienced faculty and staff, and provide each student with adult attention and support for decision-making regarding post-graduation choices.
Many of the familiar challenges are financial. School buildings and campus infrastructure require vigilance with respect to maintenance and repair, and careful planning with regard to renovations and new construction that will sustain the Academy’s unique program. The Academy’s support for meaningful adult-student connections requires ongoing attention to student-teacher ratios and class size. During the last ten years, many independent schools have sought to decrease their dependence on the traditional tuition-based revenue model in order to respond to similar financial challenges, and the Academy must do the same, both through a significantly enhanced fund development program and through the implementation of revenue-generating programs. Growth in the endowment is critical to the Academy’s future, and the pressure to continue this growth is unrelenting.
New challenges relate to managing increased parental, student and regulatory expectations, as well as increasing pressure to demonstrate results for multiple audiences in a complex environment. The Academy’s faculty and administration drive the mission by creating the connections with students that help them engage fully in the educational experience. This expectation calls for ongoing, creative attention to professional development, team building, planning and scheduling. Similarly, curriculum content and organization is critical to a secondary school’s ability to prepare students for additional education and/or employment in a rapidly changing global economy. Increased reliance, by public policy makers, on testing as the primary measure of student success, as well as increased regulatory requirements at the state and federal level, will challenge faculty members’ and administrators’ ability to provide effective curriculum planning and oversight, and to assess student performance in ways that include, but are not limited to, testing. This broader view will be necessary to the Academy’s efforts to fully communicate student success to a variety of audiences including current and prospective parents, local residents and officials, alumni, individual donors, and institutional funders such as foundations and corporations. None of these challenges can be met without resources.
Regulatory expectations for the governing boards of independent schools are increasing, as well, and as an independent New England Academy, Woodstock Academy’s board has the legal obligation to comply. The Academy has worked hard to develop a strong governing board, and this effort will continue into the future. It is critically important that local audiences, particularly potential students and families, as well as town officials, fully understand the Academy’s governance model, and that trustees continue their diligence in assuring fiscal transparency, positive community relations, and ongoing strategic planning.
For any school, enrollment is the greatest determinant of revenue, and projecting enrollment is a critical component of responsible planning. Woodstock Academy, like other independent schools, has adjusted to fluctuations in enrollment over the years. Unlike other independent schools, however, the Academy’s enrollment is largely determined by the decisions of sending towns, so the traditional marketing and recruitment campaigns that influence enrollment in other settings are not available here as tools for stabilizing enrollment.
As an independent school with a public purpose, the Academy has not instituted a selective admissions process or limited enrollment from any of its current sending towns in order to cap enrollment as the total number of students has grown to over 1100. This growth in school size has allowed the Academy to keep per-student costs down, expand curricular offerings and faculty talent, and maintain a pattern of tuition increases that compare favorably to those of public districts around the state. It has also stretched the physical capacity of the current campus and created the need for facility enhancements in addition to those that would be necessary to maintain and improve aging facilities regardless of school size.
The Academy’s foremost responsibility is serving the students who are currently enrolled, and yet this very practical, day-to-day responsibility requires that the Board of Trustees remain alert to potential changes in future enrollment. Through the regular review and discussion of enrollment projections from a variety of sources, including those published by the State Department of Education, and through active participation in contract negotiations with sending towns, the Board of Trustees takes this responsibility seriously.
Based on the current configuration of sending towns, the Academy’s enrollment is projected to increase very gradually over the next eight years, resulting in a possible growth of 150 students during that timeframe. However, as this plan is being written, the Town of Brooklyn is in negotiations with Region 11 regarding a cooperative high school, and it is possible that the outcome of this negotiation will result in a significantly decreased Academy enrollment.
At this time, it is the position of the Board of Trustees that the Academy will engage in good faith contract negotiations with current sending towns with the intent of developing the necessary long term stability to plan responsibly for the facility, curriculum, faculty and administrative capacity that will provide enrolled students with a high quality secondary school education. While it is understood that decreases in enrollment may well occur, the Academy Board of Trustees is fully committed to planning responsibly for any change in total enrollment to insure that the quality of education is not adversely affected, and that a positive sense of connection between students, faculty members, administrators and trustees prevails.
IV. Woodstock Academy Tomorrow: Strategic Directions
For each of eight result areas, Woodstock Academy’s overall strategic direction appears below, accompanied by brief summary of background information (assets, challenge and trends that will likely influence the Academy’s success in that area), and implementation strategies. Action plans will identify priorities for each year of implementation, assigning costs and accountability.
1. Program
Background:
Woodstock Academy has a reputation as an academically challenging school that offers diverse curricular and co-curricular choices and serves high achievers well. The Academy’s arts program is considered exceptional. Programs such as Freshman Focus and those with an international focus nurture student connections to the school community and provide experiences with diverse cultures to develop confident and engaged citizens. The Academy is challenged to provide both high quality college preparatory and alternative programs so that all students can find support for their strengths and interests, to insure that curriculum content and quality are consistent across grade level and discipline, and to measure and communicate student performance to external audiences.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will engage students of all abilities and interests in a rigorous, personalized educational experience within a welcoming school community, providing a varied program of curricular and co-curricular offerings, and demonstrating high standards for curriculum effectiveness and student achievement. Consistent attention to campus safety and healthy lifestyle choices will provide Academy students with a supportive environment in which they can develop as students and community members. An early and active focus on post-graduation choices, participation in local community activities and exposure to diverse cultures will further prepare students for community and world citizenship.
Strategies:
1. Meet or exceed the programmatic standards set by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
2. Provide high quality college preparatory and alternative programs that engage students across interests, ability levels and post-graduation plans.
3. Coordinate curriculum content and expectations for student skill development by grade level and discipline, meeting or exceeding state and federal standards.
4. Develop a systematic means of assessing and communicating student success in and out of the classroom.
5. Provide enhanced guidance and mentoring services to all students.
6. Develop a more specific focus on international education that emphasizes diverse cultural experiences on and off campus.
7. Increase opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.
8. Communicate regularly with sending schools regarding program and curriculum issues.
9. Develop a formal community service program that provides consistent expectations for student service and citizenship, and visible benefit to the community. (see Community Collaborations)
10. Promote healthy lifestyles and decision-making.
2. Faculty and Staff
Background:
Woodstock Academy employs many dedicated and creative faculty members whose enthusiasm for their subject matter is described by students and parents as ‘infectious.’ Faculty and staff members are responsive to student and family needs, and students describe a connection to these adults as one of the most positive aspects of their experience at the Academy. Students, parents, administrators, and faculty members themselves, are not confident, however, that the quality of teaching is consistently high across positions, or that faculty members receive adequate support for interdisciplinary collaborations, administrative duties and ongoing leadership development.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy recognizes the critical role that strong adult-student connections play in the educational success of its students and is committed to attracting and retaining dedicated, innovative and talented faculty and staff members, setting high expectations for individual performance and teamwork that focus on student needs.
Strategies:
1. Continue to support the primary teaching role of faculty members, while supporting their involvement in a larger, unified system.
2. Increase opportunities for leadership development, interdisciplinary collaboration and peer support.
3. Establish mechanisms for defining, promoting and monitoring consistently high quality faculty and staff performance.
4. Promote professional growth opportunities for individual faculty and staff members that are related to their teaching and administrative roles.
5. Provide planning and professional development opportunities that strengthen WA’s unified approach to high quality education.
6. Manage WA’s response to increases or decreases in enrollment, assuring adequate staffing levels, ongoing leadership development and curriculum continuity.
7. Improve internal communication related to increases or decreases in projected enrollment and its impact on program and facility. (see Enrollment)
8. Continue to strengthen communication and the working relationships between administrators, faculty, staff and students.
3. Governance
Background:
Current trustees represent a positive mix of experience, continuity, skills and knowledge, and the board has rallied to address significant challenges during the last two years, developing a positive working relationship with the headmaster and other administrative staff. The trustees’ have revitalized several board committees, and the Academic, Expulsion and Finance Committees are functioning effectively. The Academy’s governance model, however, is not entirely understood by either internal or external audiences, and additional board development will be necessary to support trustee efforts to adopt the more active planning and fund development approaches characteristic of independent schools. Sarbanes-Oxley, current Senate Finance Committee efforts to increase regulatory oversight of not-for-profit corporations, and state level efforts to strengthen the board’s fiduciary role have contributed to an increase in public scrutiny that requires ongoing vigilance on the parts of officers, committee chairs and trustees.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will develop and communicate its identity as an independent school organized under the New England Academy model, engaging in regular self-assessment, strategic board recruitment and ongoing board development to support the priorities of the strategic plan. The Trustees are further committed to governing the corporation in compliance with state and federal regulation and providing effective stewardship for all public and private funds that support the School’s mission.
Strategies:
1. Increase Trustee involvement in establishing and promoting a strategic vision for WA’s future
2. Align committee structure and goals with strategic plan priorities.
3. Promote a clearer understanding of the NE academy model among trustees, faculty and staff members, local town residents, donors and other constituents.
4. Develop and maintain active linkages with regional, statewide and national groups representing NE academies and independent schools.
5. Ensure compliance with ethical and regulatory guidelines for the governance of New England Academy schools (per Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, IRS, NEASC, and the Connecticut Department of Education).
6. Design and implement an aggressive approach to board assessment, recruitment and development, emphasizing board roles and skills in legal and fiduciary oversight, community relations and fund development.
7. Provide increased role clarity and support for board members with representational responsibilities.
4. Facilities
Background:
The Woodstock Academy campus is a beautiful setting that provides freedom of movement to students and staff, and is considered a local asset. Recent renovations have created additional classroom space, but additional steps are necessary to maintain the welcoming atmosphere, connections between students and adults, and diverse course offerings that are core to the Academy’s program, including ongoing upgrades to technology that will support a progressive business operation and academic program. In addition to these upgrades, the current school size requires additional expansion of academic and athletic facilities to comfortably accommodate student and program needs.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will engage in comprehensive master facility planning to insure that the campus and physical plant enhance its mission and comply with pertinent regulations and accreditation standards through the next ten years. Facility improvements will honor the Academy’s history and community relationships, ensure a safe and welcoming environment, support program and curriculum priorities, and promote a sense of connection within the school community.
Strategies:
1. Initiate a comprehensive master facility planning process to address all classroom, athletic, administrative and other space needs, including:
§ An inventory of all physical plant assets.
§ Maintenance schedules (w/costs and a tracking system for maintenance and repairs).
§ Short and long term priorities for renovation and construction.
2. Complete the installation of the sewer line.
3. Complete the library renovation.
4. Develop innovative approaches to scheduling, off-campus internships and community service, distance learning and other programs to enhance the educational experience of students while reducing pressure on existing program space.
5. Enrollment and Relationships
Background:
Woodstock Academy is recognized by residents of the region as a significant asset, and a draw to families considering moving to the area. Despite the complexity of the governance model, and the fact that it is not well understood by local communities, families of current and potential students recognize a significant improvement in the Academy’s efforts to share information and participate more actively in ongoing discussions with sending towns on both programmatic and financial issues. Enrollment, and its impact on revenue, is central to the Academy’s ability to plan responsibly, and depends on productive working relationships and long term commitments from sending towns that focus on quality education and support cost-effective solutions to common challenges. The Academy’s belief that students’ sense of connection to the school community is central to a positive educational experience is reinforced by wider trends in education toward smaller learning communities. Larger schools, in some cases, have begun to explore means of re-organizing program delivery and the use of physical space to support student-adult relationships and connections within smaller segments of the community.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will define and communicate more effectively all of the factors that make up the Academy’s capacity to provide students with a rigorous, mission-driven secondary school education. The Academy is also committed to building stable relationships with the sending towns through ongoing and open dialogue regarding their changing educational needs and the Academy’s capacity, current operation and plans for the future. Woodstock Academy will conduct these relationships consistent with all regulatory requirements for New England Academies, maximizing the roles of Trustees and Town representatives.
Strategies:
1. Identify the indicators of WA’s capacity that reflect the Academy’s specific mission, values and educational program.
2. Establish a process to monitor capacity on a regular basis.
3. Make consistent and integrated presentations to sending towns and the public regarding WA’s capacity and plans for the future.
4. Strengthen WA’s communication with sending town residents and officials through the town representatives to the Board of Trustees. (see Governance)
5. Improve internal communication related to increases or decreases in projected enrollment and its impact on program and facility. (see Faculty and Staff)
6. Community Partnerships and Collaborations
Background:
The Academy has initiated and developed partnerships with local secondary schools, colleges, and businesses in order to provide additional coursework, work-study and other opportunities to benefit students as they explore a range of interests in the process to planning for further education or careers. Currently, every ninth grader is introduced to comprehensive Career Center services, and over 80% of graduates go on to 2 or 4 year colleges. The Connecticut Department of Education is recommending that off-campus experiences, college courses and other student projects, including community service programs, be offered to high school students to better prepare them for college and other post-graduation choices. In addition, the Academy campus provides opportunities to bring local families together to participate in activities that help to introduce younger students to the Academy and provide a wider benefit to the community.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will be increasingly visible as a resource for community connections that provide benefit to students, their families, and the wider community, increasing the number and strategic nature of its formal and informal linkages with nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges, businesses and other community groups.
Strategies:
1. Establish linkages with additional businesses and other organizations that can offer structured work-study or mentoring opportunities to students.
2. Develop a formal community service program that provides consistent opportunities for student service and citizenship, and visible benefit to the community. (see Program)
3. Develop campus-based programs to elementary and middle school children and their families.
4. Expand utilization of the WA facility for educational and cultural events open to the public.
5. Develop and promote school partnerships with other schools, nonprofit organizations or businesses that are mission-related and/or revenue-generating.
6. Continue to expand and improve linkages with local colleges and universities that allow student access to coursework and facilities.
7. Fiscal Management
Background:
The Academy’s fiscal stability, and the internal systems that support it, has improved significantly during the past two years due to significant changes in budgeting, spending and monitoring protocols. The Board of Trustees, through its Finance Committee, is increasingly active in fiduciary oversight with regarding to budgeting and investment management. Budgeting has not yet, however, been linked to long term planning. Anticipated changes in enrollment that will affect operating revenue, and potential shifts in the economy that may negatively affect endowment and reserve income are two distinct challenges that face the Academy in the next five years. The Academy’s ability to communicate its governance model and budgetary requirements to sending towns through their representatives to the Board of Trustees will be critical to continued fiscal stability.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will continue to provide a high quality secondary school education for a reasonable price, developing additional transparency through consistent and inclusive budgeting and oversight that complies with the regulatory and ethical standards characteristic of independent schools. Budgeting will reflect the priorities of the strategic plan, and include consistent information-sharing with internal and external constituencies.
Strategies:
1. Develop a 2-3 year financial plan based on the strategic plan.
2. Establish a consistent, inclusive annual budget process, tied to the strategic plan priorities as they are reflected in each year’s action plan.
3. Increase the transparency of the budgeting and budget monitoring process through consistent discussion and regular reporting to department chairs, administrative staff and Trustees.
4. Provide ongoing education regarding the budget process to internal and external constituents.
5. Provide regular reports on the status of the endowment to the Trustees.
6. Provide additional support to town representatives, particularly relating to their responsibility to communicate with members of the local community during the annual budget process.
8. Resource Development
Background:
The Trustees had the foresight, in 2000, to invest in a fund development effort by creating a Director of Development position. Since that time, the Academy has laid the groundwork for increased fundraising through the Alumni Association, annual giving has increased, and the Third Century Campaign to improve library and gym facilities is underway. The Academy has not yet engaged in comprehensive fund development planning, nor been able to develop the kind of major gifts program that many independent schools rely on to keep pace with facility, endowment and program expansion needs. Success depends on the Academy’s ability, through its trustees, administrators, faculty and alumni, to build relationships with potential donors (individual and institutional) as part of a long term strategy to develop a comprehensive and successful fund development program.
5-year Strategic Direction:
Woodstock Academy will significantly increase its attention to fund development infrastructure and planning, engaging trustees, administrators, alumni and other community supporters in the ongoing cultivation of individual and institutional (corporate and foundation) donors, and the steady increase in numbers of donors and level of giving. The Academy will also engage in the continual evaluation and improvement of fund development outcomes.
Strategies:
1. Adapt WA’s administrative structure and capacity to support a more comprehensive fund development effort.
2. Develop a comprehensive fund development plan that references cultivation, annual campaign, planned giving, major gifts, foundation and corporate gifts.
3. Integrate donor cultivation into all relationship-building efforts with internal and external groups.
4. Strengthen ties with alumni.
5. Strengthen WA’s capacity for grantwriting and administration, including joint programs with other schools or organizations.
6. Engage trustees in fund development planning and implementation.
V. Monitoring and Evaluation
Implementation of the strategic plan will be overseen by the Trustees, and managed by the Headmaster, based on action plans drawn from the board-approved five-year strategies. Each action plan will identify priorities (actions – measurable whenever possible, related to the three-year strategies) responsible parties (administrator, staff member or staff work group, standing or ad hoc board committee), relevant costs, revenue sources and reporting/completion timeframes. Staff and committee reporting, at faculty, administrative and Trustee meetings, will include reference to progress on priorities. The Headmaster and Executive Committee will coordinate an annual assessment of progress toward priorities, and examine any issues and opportunities that warrant changes in the action plan.