Strategic Initiatives

11/17/2023

On Saturday, November 11, the Board of Trustees and I engaged in a retreat which was led by Ian Symmonds, the consultant who helped us formalize our strategic plan. The retreat was held off campus and covered key topics like the current status of independent schools and global trends in education. We also discussed what makes high-performing schools, high-performing leadership teams, and high-performing boards. I have listed a few characteristics from each below:

High-Performing Schools:

Have an excellent product
Practice strategic enrollment management and marketing
Know their core business
Employ excellent teachers & leaders
Follow a vision
Enjoy some luck

High-Performing Leadership Teams:

Are nimble, flexible, collaborative
Include content experts
Stay up to speed on current trends
Remain strategically open-minded

High-Performing Boards:

Focus only on the strategic
Stay away from school improvement- This is the job of the Leadership Team and Head of School
Remember their client is the Mission of the school.

We then talked about the four Strategic Readiness factors for schools.

FATALITIES: “Never Had it”- These are schools that have closed or are near closing. They were/are operating in crowded markets where they had no leading position. They also had or have little financial resources.
PRESERVATIONISTS: They are tied to old models, have budget deficits, and live in the “glory days.” These schools are still operating but if things don’t change, they will be knocking on the door of FATALITIES.
ADAPTORS: They understand changing times. They could be tied to some old models but are exploring new models. They are managing the “fear of change”. They have healthy cash reserves. This is a strong school that is described as “sort of gets it”
DISRUPTORS: They “get it and then some”. Cash reserves are low and the urgency is high because this type of school lacks money and status. They are working to be cutting-edge while seeking opportunities that others might forego.

Where would you place Saint Edward’s? We concluded that we were ADAPTORS. We are exploring new models without throwing out older models that have worked. We are managing the change process and have a solid financial footing. We will also have a hand in the DISRUPTOR column looking for opportunities that others might overlook.

Finally, we ended the meeting by reviewing the four strategic initiatives the Board and Leadership Team will focus on in the coming months/years. These initiatives have come out of the strategic plan and will be organized around task force groups chaired by trustees. You will all hear more about these initiatives as we finalize teams and manage our working groups.

The future of Saint Edward’s has never been brighter. As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, let us all be thankful for the blessings of our school and those who are tasked with leading it into the future.

My best wishes to you and your families for a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you are traveling, please be safe, and we will see you around campus when we return on November 27.