by Joy Davy
joy.davy@yahoo.com
The ISB Board of Trustees would like to announce that the ISB Board of Trustees’ election will take place on May 19, 2015 to fill vacant positions on the ISB Board of Trustees. The election will be held during the day of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International School Association (ISA), comprised of all ISB parents/guardians, and results will be announced that evening. Newly elected trustees will hold a two-year term beginning August 1, 2015. The Board encourages interested ISA members to submit a nomination form in order to put their name on the ballot or to suggest names of possible candidates. The ISB Board of Trustees is currently made up of eleven elected positions and up to four appointed positions. This year there will be eight open spots on the Board to be filled by elected Trustees.
Candidates for the Board of Trustees should be aware of the responsibilities and rewards of serving on the Board. The Board of Trustees is the guardian of the school’s mission. The Board sets policy, focuses on school governance and long-term, strategic issues. The Board does not become involved in specific management, personnel or curricular issues. The full Board meets once per month in regular session to discuss issues and aims for consensus before all votes are taken. BOT meetings occur in the evenings at ISB and last approximately three hours. BOT meetings are divided into a closed executive session and a regular session open for all ISA members.
Trustees also serve on one or more committees corresponding to their skills and interests. Current committees include the Business Committee, the Committee on Trustees, and the Strategic Improvement and Learning Committee. Committees meet once per month for approximately two hours and are the working groups of the Board. Subjects such as financial stability, budget oversight, stewardship of ISB’s educational program, evaluation and training of the Board, and future strategic improvements in alignment with the mission and guiding principles of ISB are just a few examples of the issues addressed by the committees. Recommendations on these issues are made to the full board by the committee chairs during the regular monthly sessions.
In addition to these two monthly meetings, trustees attend retreats twice a year in May and August to review overall direction of the school, set policy goals, and learn about the roles and responsibilities of being a trustee.
The rewards of being on the Board include the opportunity to interact with a dynamic school leadership team, and to understand and help shape the direction of ISB’s progress for the future. Trustees are charged with the responsibility of representing ISB and the ISA as a whole, and not any specific constituency within the community. No special professional or personal background is needed to serve on the Board, other than ISA membership, a positive attitude, the ability to work as a member of a team, and a deep interest in maintaining and further enhancing the excellence of ISB.
On April 9, 2015 (Thursday) 6:30 p.m. (in MPB3), there will be an open session for the ISA entitled “What is a Trustee?” All ISA members considering running for election are strongly encouraged to attend this session.
A Board of Trustees’ nomination form is available as an attachment to this announcement or can be found in the Head of School’s office starting March 19, 2015. The deadline for submitting applications is 12:00 noon on April 10, 2015. All nomination papers (e-copies) must be sent to joy.davy@yahoo.com (with your name as the subject) and hard copies must be filed in the Head of School’s office by the deadline.
There will be a “Meet the Candidates” night on Monday, April 27, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. in the ES MPR on the ISB Campus. Candidates should plan to attend both the “Meet the Candidates’ Night” session as well as the AGM on May 19, 2015 in the Cultural Center.
All new trustees are required to attend our end of the year retreat on May 29, 2015.
Interested ISA members are warmly invited to run for the Board of Trustees. Please contact Joy Davy at 0879336062, or joy.davy@yahoo.com for any questions regarding serving on the Board.
Joy Davy
Chair, Committee on Trustees
BOT (Board of Trustees)