An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

Chapter 2 - Governance

Con:

Have a tendency to become overly involved in the school operational matters

ii. Past Parents Pro:

Committed and knowledgeable regarding the culture of the school Distant enough from current school issues to not be overly concerned with the day to day operational matters

Pro:

Con: May require orientation beyond what is required for current parents Con: Like current parents, views may be skewed by own experiences iii. Alumni Pro: Very effective because of the spirit of gratitude they may have towards the school Con: May be too caught up in the past making it difficult for them to embrace change iv. Outside Directors Outside directors are individuals who did not graduate from the school and whose children did not attend the school. Such individuals may provide a more objective view of the school. They also may possess greater experience or expertise than is available within the School’s community. Educators, heads from other non-competing, non-feeder schools, and individuals with particular business or other experience that could contribute to the effective governance of the school can often be extremely valuable Directors. Assuming there is enough interest from the community, and depending on whether the size of the Board allows for it, it is recommended that the school at least consider having one or more outside Directors due to the objectivity they can provide. d. Voting By Directors The law requires that each Director present and voting at a meeting has only one vote with respect to each matter being presented for a vote. The law does not permit any Director to vote by proxy. 43

Other than potentially placing an upper limit on the number of current parents, and requiring at least one or two outside directors, tightly controlling the composition of the Board through the Bylaws is probably not necessary or wise. Directors should be selected for what they bring to the table, rather than the constituency they represent. After all, if the Bylaws are overly restrictive, a valuable person may be unnecessarily precluded from serving on the Board.

LCW Practice Advisor

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 36