The Role of the Board
By Mark Wrapp, RMCA Board President
The business of changing lives is a noble endeavor .
It’s the central mission of most nonprofit organizations. Peter
Drucker, in his book, Managing the Nonprofit Organization,
wrote that the “product” of a nonprofit is “neither
a pair of shoes nor an effective regulation. Its product is a changed
human being.” RMCA is such an organization, with the high calling
of pointing students to Christ in order to be transformed to love God
with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
It is the responsibility of the RMCA Board to preserve this
mission of transformation. This is a unique and challenging
responsibility that is often misunderstood. Although sharing some
similarities, nonprofit boards differ from public and for-profit
boards. For example, nonprofit board members are not paid, nor in
many cases are they elected to represent constituents of differing
ideologies. Rather, nonprofit board members often act as “trustees” on
behalf of the entire organization.
RMCA Board members consider themselves trustees. Daniel
Vander Ark , president of Christian Schools International, states that
the purpose of a Christian school trustee is to “guard and promote
the mission of the school as if the school is a baby whom they hold
in trust for the Lord and the parents. These trustees make decisions
on what would be good for the baby.” Just as there are common
methods for the care of a baby, boards also make use of commonly accepted
practices for the governing of their schools.
The RMCA Board has followed the principles
of the Policy Governance model to promote the care of its “baby.” This
system, designed by John Carver, is used by hundreds of nonprofit
boards across the country. The Association of Christian Schools International
(ASCI), of which RMCA is a member, has promoted its use in the over
6,000 schools it serves around the world. An ACSI preschool accreditation
team that was recently on our campus commended us on the adoption
of this model.
Like most models, Policy Governance has benefits and limitations. Its
governance principles are sometimes viewed as being overly rigid or
keeping the board distant from the organization. It is also very different
from traditional models used in schools, and therefore sometimes difficult
to grasp. The board has wrestled with these difficulties over the years
and is continuing to address them. However, there are many advantages
to the model. Foremost is the clear definition of the purpose of the
board.
At the most basic level, the board’s
purpose is accountability. According
to Carver, the board is in place to “see to it that the school
achieves what it should and avoids unacceptable actions and situations.”Or
using the previous analogy, the board defines what the “baby” should
be like when it grows up and ensures that it is properly taken care
of in the process. This is done by crafting specific
kinds of policies, delegating authority to the staff through polices,
monitoring compliance with polices, and continually re-evaluating the
effectiveness of those polices; hence the name, Policy Governance.
It takes quality board members to develop effective policies. Over
the years, RMCA has been blessed by godly and competent men and women
on the board. Its members are committed to Christian education, exhibit
wisdom and discernment, and demonstrate character in their experiences.
This year’s board candidates are no exception. These candidates
will be presented for affirmation at our annual business meeting. As
a parent, founder, donor, or staff member, you are invited to join
us at this year’s meeting on Monday, May 3. We will gather at
7:00pm in the Chapel to hear an annual report on the state of the school,
meet our newest board candidates, and then vote to affirm them for
membership. God is doing great things at RMCA, and has provided great
people and sound guiding principles to fulfill his purposes.
Click here for more information Policy
Governance
Click here to meet RMCA's
Board Members
