General knowledge refresher

General knowledge refresher

General knowledge refresher Published this article page no 88 Only by thinking as owners, and taking into account the needs of all the schools stake holders (both parents and staff), can the Board guide and nurture the institution that they love.  This is not an easy task, and getting agreement from all Board members to take off their customer hats when making policy is not always attainable.  However, it is critical if the Board hopes to get beyond the short term cost cutting that so often hinders the stability of non profit institutions.The toughest part of thinking like an owner comes when the Board is confronted by customers who pressure the Board to make customer-friendly policies like the lowest possible tuition rates.  Low-cost tuition is often associated with low teacher salaries and benefits since labor at a non profit school is regularly 70 to 80% of the total budget.  Lower tuition through low teacher wages keeps the customers happy but degrades trust between the Board and staff and leads to higher teacher turnover which negatively effects programs.  The trick to having meaningful discussions with parents from an ownership perspective is to educate them about the importance of leaving their customer hats at the door when school policy is discussed General knowledge refresher buy.

General knowledge refresher