2020 continues to be a year of change for all of us, and we are grateful that the exceptional education Mark Day School is known for continues, whether from home or on campus. As we begin the school year, the Mark Day Board is busy planning and securing the school's long-term success. Read on to learn more about our Board structure, committees, and goals for 2020-2021...

 

Who is on the Mark Day School Board?

The Board is largely made up of parent and guardian trustees who serve in support and care of the school and contribute time and judgement based on their expertise and personal experience. Members are nominated and elected by the current Board membership. No parent or member represents any particular constituency, but rather the institution as a whole. The Board also typically includes a faculty trustee, an alumni trustee, and the Parents' Association president in addition to an outside member who comes from an educational or community leadership background. Trustees generally serve two three-year terms.

 

What are desirable qualities of a trustee? 

The criteria for electing new trustees include strategic expertise, diversity in perspectives and experience, and time to serve. Depending on anticipated needs, we may look for special skills like finance, marketing, human resources, real estate, law, and others. These criteria enable the Board to be effective in furthering the strategic plan and the school's mission.

 

Does the Board get involved in classroom issues? 

No. Trustees do not engage in issues related to school curriculum or program, personnel, staff, or student matters. The Board delegates all day-to-day operational school management to Joe Harvey, Head of School. His experienced leadership, along with his stellar administrative team and faculty, inspires us as trustees to bring our best selves to every Board and committee interaction.

 

How does the Board get its work done? 

The Board meets as a whole group every month to make decisions. Most of the substantive work is achieved outside of those meetings in small groups and committees. We currently have five standing committees:

• Advisory - Chaired by Board president Robert Hee, the Advisory Committee provides counsel for the head of school as needed and performs the head of school's evaluation.
• Development - Chaired by alum parent Carl Reichardt, this committee partners with the Development Office on philanthropy, including capital and endowment campaigns, the Mark Day Annual Fund, and Parents' Association fundraising.  
• Finance - Chaired by Julian Allen, this committee supports the administration in creating the School's operating budget, which is then debated and formally ratified by the entire Board. The committee focuses on maintaining the School's financial strength and sustainability. The Finance Committee includes an Investments Subcommittee, responsible for reviewing investment policy and monitoring performance of the school's endowment.
• Governance - Chaired by Sharina Belani, this committee is responsible for all trustee issues, including nomination and election of new trustees, review of the bylaws, education of trustees, and Board self-evaluation. Included in the Governance Committee are the Audit and Risk Management Subcommittee, chaired by Ethan Dornhelm, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Subcommittee.  
• Site - Chaired by Andrew Kawahara, the Site Committee works to ensure site permanence for Mark Day School and to plan for and lead enhancements to the campus.

In addition to standing committees, from time to time the Board takes on special projects and organizes task forces to lead them. This year the Board has two: 

• Campaign Planning Committee - The CPC will lead the long-term planning for the school's next capital campaign, which is intended to be a campaign to support teaching and learning at Mark Day.
• Strategic Planning Task Force - Chaired by Andrew Kawahara, this group will lead the development of the school's next Strategic Plan, in coordination with the administrative team. Please see "Board Priorities" below to learn a bit more.

What are the 2020-2021 Board Priorities?

With a constant eye toward the future, the Board uses the school's Strategic Plan as a roadmap. It is a dynamic vision for teaching and learning in the current century; broadening and strengthening our community; and building on our financial strength. In 2020-21, we will specifically take aim at:

• Budgeting: Mark Day School has a long track record of financial stability brought about by detailed consideration of our budget; even as the 2020-21 school year begins, the Board, led by the Finance Committee, is already digging into draft budgets for the 2021-22 school year. This involves multiple iterations to fund the school's vital programs and indexed tuition, compensate teachers competitively, and set tuition levels all while evaluating variables introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Strategic Planning: Part of the regular good work of any school, and a requirement of our CAIS accreditation, is updating our Strategic Plan every five to seven years. The Board has established a task force to work with various constituents of the school to crystalize the mission statement so that it more effectively reflects Mark Day School's unique mission in practice--work begun last year--and to lead the development of the school's next strategic plan.
• Planning the school's next capital campaign: The task force will continue exploring timing and formalizing the case for support for the school's next capital campaign, part of the Board's long-term work on the future of Mark Day.
• Evaluating the market: We continually examine Marin demographics, the economy, the cost of housing for teachers and families, enrollment and demand trends, and other factors, including the current distance and hybrid learning environment, in order to attract and retain future students and faculty.

Stay tuned for upcoming editions of In Step With The Board to learn more about our work in service of Mark Day School.

 

Visit the Board of Trustees web page for more information. Robert Hee, Board President, or Sharina Belani, Chair of the Governance Committee, would be happy to answer any questions and welcome your feedback.

 

All the best,

 

Members of the Board of Trustees

 

Robert Hee, President

Julian Allen, Treasurer

Lindsay Bartsh

Sharina Belani

Ryan Brown

Nishant Budhraja '06, Alumni Trustee

Prathap Dendi

Ethan Dornhelm, Assistant Treasurer

Scott Faber

Aimee Foreman, Vice President

Alexander Fraser

Reetika Grewal

Chelsea Ialeggio

Joe Harvey, Head of School

Andrew Kawahara

Chris Mazzola

Michelle Mulkey

Steve Polsky

Ashley Ransom, Trustee Emerita

Carl Reichardt

Shalu Saluja, Trustee Emerita

David Shapiro

David St. Martin, Faculty Trustee

Rachel Street, PA President

Peter Supino