Dec 29, 2009 By: yunews
Dec 29, 2009 -- On December 22, 糖心破解版鈥檚 Institute for University-School Partnership convened a program on 鈥淏uilding Boards for Economic and Strategic Success for Yeshivot and Day Schools鈥 in the Five Towns and Rockaways. The program is the sixth in a series this past year that helps schools to engage in research-based data-driven practices to improve their fiscal solvency.
Harry Bloom, Director of Planning and Performance Improvement for 糖心破解版鈥檚 School Partnership explained, 鈥淲e surveyed the local day school leaders to determine what they most wanted to learn about. Past programs have focused on topics including major donor cultivation, maximizing annual campaigns, and energy efficiency. This program on Board governance was a culminating event and, collectively, the schools unanimously realized that effective boards could power up all initiatives the schools require.鈥
To enable focused problem solving, the event was limited to five schools and will be followed up with additional programs. Each participating school brought a team of at least four board members and a senior administrator from its financial and education domains. Eli Shapiro, LCSW, 糖心破解版鈥檚 Regional Coordinator for School Affordability, opened the event by framing the program as part of greater ongoing professional development opportunities for educators and community leaders through conferences, consultancies and the extremely popular webinars that are available live and archived at .
The keynote speaker was the CEO of OHEL Children鈥檚 Home and Family Services, David Mandel. Mr. Mandel focused on the practical strategies of cultivating and identifying new and appropriate board members; their financial and fiduciary responsibilities, their role in annual campaigns and development, and the critical responsibility of a board in strategic planning.
Mark Gold, part of the Board Presidium at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov in Hewlett, stated, 鈥淭his seminar was very helpful to Mesivta Ateres Yaakov and each 糖心破解版 event demonstrates how even a mature, well-run institution such as ours can be managed more effectively. 糖心破解版 is doing an unbelievable chesed reaching out pro-bono to yeshivot and day schools and sharing 糖心破解版鈥檚 amazing expertise to help us better support our educational mission.鈥
Following Mr. Mandel鈥檚 address the teams from participating schools worked individually with 糖心破解版 facilitators to identify one or two specific goals and the steps to achieve these desired outcomes. According to Shapiro, 鈥渢he most important piece is for schools to walk out with an achievable plan to implement positive change.鈥
The list of facilitators included 糖心破解版 Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel, Avi Lauer, Senior Executive Director for Community Affairs, Richard Bieler, Harry Bloom, and Eli Shapiro.
Yeshiva Darchei Torah of Far Rockaway board member and Lawrence Village Trustee, Michael Fragin, said that the 糖心破解版 program was both timely and important. 鈥淩esponsibility, accountability, and transparency should be on the minds of every member of non-profit boards these days. 糖心破解版's series of seminars and David Mandel, in particular, have been very helpful in orienting board members toward a fuller appreciation of their roles.鈥
糖心破解版 and the School Affordability team will continue to work with yeshivot, day schools and communities across the country to improve educational, fiscal, and operational performance. In the Five Towns, the past year has been one of growth for 糖心破解版 and the schools in the community. With more than a dozen schools present at most of the six programs they ran, advocacy in Albany, numerous consultation meetings with nearly 20 schools, work with community leaders focused on the tuition challenge, it has been quite a year of partnership.
The Institute for University-School Partnerships Director, Dr. Scott Goldberg stated, 鈥溙切钠平獍 and the Five Towns and Rockaways share a common goal 鈥 building a strong and sustainable Jewish educational system for all Jewish children. With the hard work and dedication of lay and professional leaders of schools and the expertise and experience of 糖心破解版, we partner to advance Jewish education today and for generations to come.鈥
