Transcript

Grace: Welcome back to episode two in our school governance series. In the last episode we discussed the Carver Model, and a shift in the way a board approaches governance and leadership in the school. In this episode we are going to tackle a common issue discussed among boards - how much to grow, and how fast to grow.

Billy: Welcome back, Grace! This topic of school growth, enrollment, and balancing the budget under the guidance of the Carver Model is incredibly timely and relevant for many Christian schools. It brings into focus the delicate balancing act between expanding the school’s reach and ensuring that the quality of education and spiritual formation remains high.

In the Carver Model, the board’s focus on Ends rather than Means directs us to consider what we truly value in the growth of our school. It’s not just about increasing numbers; it’s about deepening and broadening the impact of our mission.

When we talk about enrollment and school growth, it’s essential to frame these in the context of the school’s Ends. For a Christian school, growth should support the mission of providing a Christ-centered education that prepares students for a life of service and leadership in their communities and beyond. Therefore, any objectives around enrollment and expansion must align with and support these Ends.

It falls to the Head of School, under the board’s guidance, to develop and implement strategies for growth that are in service to the school’s mission. This may include:

• Setting enrollment targets that are ambitious yet realistic, considering the capacity of the school’s facilities, staff, and resources to maintain the quality of education.
• Developing programs that attract families to the school for the right reasons - strong spiritual formation, academic excellence, and a supportive community.
• Ensuring financial sustainability through careful budgeting and resource allocation, so that growth does not compromise the school’s financial health or its ability to invest in quality education.

In keeping with the Carver Model’s emphasis on measurable outcomes, success should be evaluated not just by the number of students enrolled, but by the quality of education and formation they receive. This can include measures like student achievement - academic performance, spiritual growth, and personal development; family engagement - the involvement of families in the school community, contributing to a vibrant, supportive environment; and financial health - a balanced budget that supports the school’s mission, including scholarship programs that make the school accessible to a diverse student body.

A healthy approach to growth and enrollment involves balancing the desire to expand with the commitment to maintaining the quality of the educational experience. This balance is critical for Christian schools, where the spiritual formation and academic preparation of each student are paramount.

The board, in collaboration with the Head of School, plays a crucial role in guiding this growth. By setting clear, mission-aligned Ends and ensuring the school has the resources and strategies to achieve them, the board can foster sustainable growth that enhances the school’s impact without compromising its core values.

Growth and enrollment are indeed Means to the broader Ends of a Christian school. By focusing on the quality and impact of the educational experience, rather than growth for growth’s sake, a school can ensure that it remains true to its mission, serving students, families, and the community in ways that reflect Christ’s teachings and love.

Grace: So where should the board start the conversation? I’ve heard conversations that focus on slow growth, or not being an “ideal” size. But it seems to me that the Carver Model would have the board focus on what programs or what results it is looking for, and let the Head of School determine what growth is needed.

Billy: You’re absolutely right, Grace. Within the framework of the Carver Model, the starting point for a board’s conversation about school growth should indeed focus on the desired programs and results - essentially, the Ends the school aims to achieve. This approach encourages the board to think strategically about what kind of impact the school wants to have, what kind of educational experience it aims to provide, and how it wants to shape its students’ lives in alignment with Christian values and principles.

The conversation should begin with questions like:

• What are our core educational and spiritual objectives? Identifying these helps ensure that any growth supports the school’s mission.
• What programs or initiatives are essential to achieving our desired outcomes? This could include enhanced STEM education, stronger arts and humanities offerings, more robust spiritual formation programs, or expanded community service opportunities.
• What kind of community do we aim to build within our school? Considering the school’s culture and the values it wants to instill in its students can guide decisions about the size and structure of the school.

Once the board has clearly articulated its vision for the school’s impact and the outcomes it seeks, the Head of School can then work on determining what growth is necessary to achieve these Ends. This might involve assessing current capacity - looking at whether the school has the resources, faculty, and facilities to support the desired programs and initiatives; evaluating growth needs - determining whether expanding enrollment is necessary to support the desired Ends, or if deepening the programs with the current student body is more in line with the school’s objectives; and planning for sustainable growth - if growth is needed, developing a plan that ensures it is sustainable and aligned with the school’s mission, taking into consideration the budget, faculty recruitment, facility expansion, and community impact.

The board supports the Head of School by providing clear guidance on the Ends, ensuring the school’s mission and vision are well-defined. The board also plays a critical role in facilitating the resources needed for growth, whether that’s through fundraising, community partnerships, or strategic investments.

By focusing the conversation on what results and programs the school values most, the board sets a clear direction for the school’s future that is rooted in its mission and vision. This allows the Head of School to make informed decisions about growth and enrollment that are strategically aligned with achieving those desired outcomes. This approach not only fosters a more intentional and mission-driven approach to growth but also ensures that any expansion directly contributes to the school’s core purpose of delivering a Christ-centered education.

Grace: Those are great questions. So then is the goal to approach growth as a way to accomplish the ends, but the conversation is still around what the ends are? So many board members are entrepreneurs who approach healthy business as consistent growth. How can those members best make this shift in thinking?

Billy: Absolutely, the goal is indeed to frame growth as a means to achieve the Ends, focusing the conversation squarely on what those Ends are. It’s an essential shift from viewing growth purely in terms of numbers or size to understanding growth as strategic and purposeful, aimed at fulfilling the school’s mission and enhancing its impact.

For board members accustomed to the entrepreneurial mindset, where consistent growth is often equated with success, making this shift in thinking can be challenging yet enriching. Here are a few strategies that can help.

Reframe success. Entrepreneurs can reframe their understanding of success from mere expansion to achieving mission-specific outcomes. Success in a Christian school context is measured by the extent to which the school fulfills its mission to provide a Christ-centered education that nurtures students’ spiritual and academic growth.

Leverage entrepreneurial skills strategically. The entrepreneurial skill set - innovation, risk assessment, strategic planning - is incredibly valuable to a school board. These skills can be directed towards identifying and pursuing growth opportunities that align with the school’s Ends, such as developing new programs that serve the school’s mission or enhancing existing ones to have a greater impact.

Adopt a stewardship perspective. Encourage a shift from a growth-for-growth’s-sake mentality to one of stewardship. This involves seeing growth as a responsibility to manage the school’s resources wisely and in a way that honors God’s provision. It’s about ensuring that every decision, including those about growth, contributes to the school’s ability to serve its students, families, and community effectively.

Focus on sustainable impact. Entrepreneurs on the board can apply their understanding of scalability and sustainability to the school’s context, focusing on growth that is sustainable and that has a lasting impact on students and the community. This might mean prioritizing depth over breadth, ensuring that any growth in enrollment or programs is matched with a deepening of the school’s spiritual and educational impact.

Value diversity of thought. Encourage entrepreneurial board members to see the value in diverse perspectives, including those that might prioritize stability or quality over rapid growth. This can lead to more balanced, thoughtful decisions that take into account the full range of the school’s mission and values.

A few practical steps for the shift. Mission-centric discussions. Regularly center board discussions around the school’s mission and vision. This reinforces the idea that every decision, including those related to growth, should be evaluated based on how it advances the mission. Success stories. Share stories and examples of schools or organizations that have achieved significant mission-driven success without necessarily focusing on rapid or continuous expansion. This can provide concrete examples of alternative models of success. Continuous education. Offer opportunities for board members to learn more about the Carver Model and other governance philosophies that emphasize strategic, mission-aligned growth. Workshops, seminars, or discussions with experts in educational governance can provide new insights and perspectives.

By leveraging their entrepreneurial spirit within the framework of mission-driven growth, board members can contribute significantly to a Christian school’s ability to achieve its Ends. It’s a process of integrating their skills and perspectives with the school’s core purpose, leading to a more robust, impactful, and spiritually aligned approach to governance and growth.