Board FAQ
The purpose of this FAQ is to inform the SDFAS community about the role of the Board of Trustees (“Board” or “trustees”) and its relationship to other leadership roles at the School. If you have further questions about the Board’s role, please ask any trustee. The Board Chair’s email is: botchair@sdfas.org
See our current trustees here.
SDFAS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under federal Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). 501(c)(3) corporations are exempt from federal taxes because they are organized and operated exclusively for an exempt purpose – in our case education. SDFAS is also a non-profit corporation under California Nonprofit Corporation Law Title 1 Division 2. Under this law, SDFAS is required to have a board of directors that is held to various standards and duties including the duty of loyalty and the duty of care.
In the independent school context, board directors are referred to as trustees. The word trustee conveys the board’s responsibility to hold the mission and assets of the school “in trust.”
The Board has three main responsibilities: 1) Set the School’s Strategic Plan (see our current Strategic Plan here); 2) oversee the School’s financial health; and 3) select, support, and evaluate the Head of School. The Board is responsible mostly for long-term strategy.
The Head of School is responsible for all student, employee, academic, financial, and facility matters and any other matters associated with the operations of the School. The Head of School is responsible mostly for the School’s day-to-day operations.
While the Board and the Head of School have clearly defined roles, there is also overlap in responsibilities where they work in partnership and seek guidance from each other to do what is in the best interest of the School today and in the future.
No. There is a separation of powers between the Board and the Head of School. Some subjects are squarely within the Board’s role, some subjects are squarely within the Head of School’s role, and some subjects are a shared responsibility. In any event, the Board and the Head of School are always open to each other’s input regardless of who is making the final decision.
The Board evaluates the Head of School annually using several metrics including the Head of School’s performance against established annual goals, teacher surveys, parent surveys, and Board surveys.
Various resources, accrediting organizations, membership organizations, and conferences are available to independent school Boards and Heads of School to help support their individual and shared functions. Examples include the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS).
The PCA is a group of volunteer parents who organize social events for the School to help nurture our School’s community. You can read about the PCA in more detail here.
Room Parents are volunteer parents who help their class’s teacher communicate important information to the class parents, organize social events for the class, and organize teacher gifts.
The School Council and various School committees and task forces are described here.
Trustees attend five 3-hour meetings per year and participate in two Board committees. Committees meet as needed based on their goals. The current committees are as follows: Finance, Audit, Development, Governance, Strategic Initiatives, and Head Support & Evaluation. Certain trustees serve in the officer roles of Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Trustees also serve in other leadership positions such as committee chairs. Trustees participate in about two trainings and/or retreats per year.
More details are available in the School bylaws.
Trustees serve for two 3-year terms.
No. SDFAS trustees are not compensated for their service on the Board. Being a trustee is a voluntary position.
Yes. Trustees are expected to make the School one of their top philanthropic priorities during their tenure. The giving capacity of each trustee is different. Trustees are expected to lead by example to inspire the community to give and move the School’s needs forward.
The Board recruits new trustees annually from within and outside the School community. The Board takes recommendations from the School administration, the Board, and the School community. The Board also posts the trustee position in the School newsletter so that potential candidates can express interest.
The Board welcomes all applicants. The Board tries to balance a number of factors including professional background, cultural background, and the School’s specific goals in any given year.
To apply, please submit your resume to botvicechair@sdfas.org.
Most questions should be directed to the School administration: the teacher, division director, or Head of School. The Head of School is the School’s “CEO,” and generally, all questions are handled at the Head of School level or below. If a parent feels that a question should be directed to the Board, the parent can reach out to any trustee. The trustee will help direct the parent to the correct point of contact and help in any other way possible based on the Board’s role.
Yes. They can be accessed here.
