The McLean School of Maryland’s Parents Association

Statement of Operating Principles

May 17, 2004

Introduction

This Statement of Operating Principles for the McLean School of Maryland’s Parents Association (“PA”) has been approved by the School’s Board of Trustees and the Head of School, [and the PA]. Together with the PA’s Mission Statement and its By-Laws, these principles are designed to provide guidance to the PA regarding its charter, structure, and operations. The Mission Statement of the PA was revised and updated during the 2003-2004 school year by a committee including representatives from the Board of Trustees, the Administration, and the PA, and subsequently was approved by the Board and the PA:

The mission of the Parents Association of the McLean School is to promote partnership between the parents and the school in support of the priorities and mission of the McLean School by:

· Encouraging school spirit, family participation and an inclusive community;

· Facilitating communication within the McLean community; and

· Supporting, promoting, and coordinating volunteer efforts and leadership.

Operating Principles

1. Service Entity Charter and Relationship with School Administration

• PA as a Service Entity. The PA is, first and foremost, a service entity, created and chartered by the Board of Trustees, to support the priorities and mission of the McLean School.
  
  
• PA is Not a Policy Making Entity. The PA does not make policy for the School. The policies of the School are determined by the Board of Trustees, and are further defined and administered by the Head of School and her designees.
  
  
• PA Reports to Head of School. The PA, through its President, reports directly to the Head of School (or her designee). In general, this means that the President of the PA should keep the Head of School (or her designee) well informed about the PA’s planned activities and operations, and the Head should communicate regularly with the President to ensure that the PA’s activities are in alignment with the policies and priorities of the School.
  
  
• Respect for Parent Volunteers. Although the President of the PA “reports” to the Head, this relationship should be based on mutual respect and always reflect the fact that the President and other members of the PA Executive Committee are parent volunteers working in partnership with the School.

• PA Relationship with School Administration Members. From time to time, members of the Administration will be tasked by the Head of School to work on specific matters with the PA, but these assignments of responsibility by the Head should not be viewed as changing either the service nature of the PA or the established reporting relationships of the members of the Administration. As in any working partnership, one partner may request support from the other partner, and these requests should be respectfully considered, but the PA should not “assign” tasks or obligations to or otherwise “supervise” members of the Administration, and the members of the Administration should not be in a “reporting relationship” with the PA.

2. Leadership Structure, Selection and Orientation

• Single PA President. As an important measure of accountability, the PA has only one president.
  
  
• Selection of PA President. The selection of the PA president involves (a) the approval of the Head of School (in light of the requirements of a close working relationship), (b) the approval of the Board of Trustees (in light of the status of the PA president as a non-voting Trustee, discussed below), and (c) an affirmative vote of the parents.
  
  
• Selection of Other PA Officers. The selection of other PA officers (one or more vice presidents, treasurer, and secretary) involves the affirmative vote of the parent community and the concurrence of the Head of School. Consultations with the prospective in-coming PA president about potential PA officer candidates for the coming year are also appropriate.
  
  
• Term. Parents are urged, but not required, to serve 2-year terms as PA president.
  
  
• Initial Orientation. At the inception of a PA President’s term, the Head of School and others at her direction will provide a thorough orientation to the PA President (and other PA leaders as appropriate) regarding the School, its policies and related matters.

3. Communication Issues

• Communication Consistent with Mission Statement. One of the key elements of the Mission Statement is “facilitating communication within the McLean community” as a means of supporting the priorities and mission of the School.
  
  
• Questions from Individual Parents. In fielding questions from individual parents, the PA should (a) in the case of a new issue, direct the parent to the member of the Administration responsible for the area, and (b) in the case of an issue where the School has an established policy known to the PA, either provide the inquiring parent with the School’s policy or direct the inquiry to the appropriate Administration member.
  
  

· “Clusters” of Questions from Parents. In some situations the PA is likely to receive “clusters” of questions about a policy that is not yet clear, or under some discussion. In such case, the PA will best serve the School by passing along to the Head the nature and extent of the questions that may be coming from the parent community. This very important information role is not per se an “advocacy” role, in part because it is very difficult to determine whether the parents expressing concern about or interest in a particular issue to the PA are representative of the parent community as a whole. Nonetheless, it is important for the PA to keep the Head well informed about “clusters” of questions so that the Head will be able to take into account these views in arriving at School policies that serve the interests of the entire School community and enjoy the broadest possible acceptance.

• Regular PA Meetings. The PA should develop the proposed agenda for PA meetings in advance with the Head of School (or her designee), and the Administration should be sure to have a representative available to attend PA meetings to the extent possible, in each case to ensure that any issues of School policy are addressed in a constructive and open manner. PA meetings will also include an opportunity for parents to raise any matter of interest, which can then be addressed by the Administration or the PA in the ordinary course.
  
  
• Special PA Meetings: Questions from the Head for the Parents. In some situations the Head may be interested in learning parent concerns about an existing or potential policy issue. In these circumstances, at the request of the Head the PA might convene a PA meeting to hear from interested parents.
  
  
• Written Communications by the PA to the Parent Community. Since the PA does not “make policy” for the School, all written communications by the PA to the entire parent community should be provided to the School for review and approval prior to distribution. The Administration, for its part, should endeavor to use a “light touch” in revising PA communications where possible (e.g., focusing most comments on questions of policy, rather than routine communications unrelated to policy, such as updates of events that are run by parent volunteers, volunteer opportunities, scheduling, etc.).
  
  
• Email Communications to Parents. To the extent possible, the PA should use email communications which are physically sent by the Administration through the School’s servers. These PA communications should be organized, where appropriate, by school and grade level, and sent on a regular basis either as part of an overall School communication or as a separate PA communication. All email communications should comply with policies applicable to written communications, as well as protocols to be developed for the specific medium.
  
  

4. Finance Matters

• Board of Trustees’ Fiduciary Obligations. The Board of Trustees has a fiduciary obligation with respect to all funds raised on behalf of the School, which by definition involves the use of the School’s status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

• All Funds are School Funds. The entire School community should operate on the basis that all monies raised by or through the efforts of the PA belong to the School and should be used, as promptly as possible, to the benefit of the School.

• PA Involvement with Targeted Fundraising.
• Periodically, the Administration and the Board of Trustees prepare a list of capital improvements, classroom needs or other projects that would benefit the School that school year or, in the case of an event such as the Auction that is held relatively late in the school year, no later than the following school year.
• The PA, together with the Head of School, selects one or more specific projects that the parent volunteers responsible for the Auction (or, where appropriate, other events) could use to build interest and support for the event.
• The specific project selected, and the level of targeted financial support, would be consistent with the objective of avoiding undue “pressure” on the parent volunteers to achieve a specific fundraising outcome.
• The proceeds raised would be used by the School for the specified project, with any excess proceeds used promptly by the Board of Trustees for other current improvements, to support teacher development, increases in financial aid, or similar purposes, at their discretion.
• The School and the PA would report annually to the parents about the use of the proceeds raised through these parent volunteer efforts.
  
  
• PA Fundraising Not Included as a “Line Item” in the School Budget. To reduce the perception of undue “pressure” on parent volunteers participating in fundraising activities, the PA fundraising is not included as a specific “line item” in the School budget.
  
  
• Financial Operations. The School’s Business Office is responsible for reconciling the PA account with the PA treasurer. Most of the activity in the PA account will represent limited PA expenses, funded by PA dues included in yearly tuition, with the revenues from events organized and staffed by the parent volunteers paid directly to the School as described above. Parents paying for items at a fundraising event or making contributions to the School should make their checks payable to the School, rather than the PA.
  
  
• Board of Trustees Approval of PA Budget. The Board of Trustees is required to approve the PA’s annual budget.
  
  
• Expense Approval. PA expenses that are consistent with the approved budget would require the approval of the PA president or the PA treasurer, or both in the case of amounts above $1,000.
  
  
• Annual Audit. The PA’s finances are audited yearly as part of the School’s regular audit, and the results are presented at a PA meeting.
  
  

5. PA President as Non-Voting Member of Board of Trustees

• Service on Board of Trustees. The past practice of the Board of Trustees has been, and the by-laws of the PA specifically provide, that the President of the PA also serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees during the PA President’s term of service.
  
  
• Trustee Role Does Not Alter PA Reporting Relationships. The PA president’s non-voting Trustee status does not change, and should not influence, any of the relationships of the PA president with the Head of School, Administration members and others. Specifically, the PA president, in his or her capacity as such, reports to the Head of School and does not “supervise” members of the Administration.
  
  
• Board of Trustees Orientation. The Board will provide a complete orientation to the PA president relating to his or her service as a Trustee, including:
• the general obligations of Trustees in connection with service on the Board and the duty of confidentiality;
• Board process, norms and roles, including the use of executive sessions (where the Board Chair generally may excuse certain Trustees from participation based on the subject matter to be discussed);
• the types of matters discussed by the Board (e.g., “policy” versus “operational” matters) and the manner in which specific items are included in the Board’s agenda; and
• the obligations of Board members to support decisions taken by the full Board.
  
  

• Communications with Board of Trustees. As has been the past practice, as a Trustee the PA president should provide periodic updates on the activities of the PA to the Board as the Board’s agenda and available time permits. The Board welcomes candid assessments from the PA president about the PA’s activities.
  
  

· Not a “Constituency” Position. Each Trustee owes the Board his or her best judgment on behalf of the School as a whole. Although the PA president may have added insights about concerns of the parent community to share with the Board on certain issues, the role of Trustee is not and should not be viewed as a “constituency” position representing the broader parent community.