Board meeting minutes
10 OCTOBER 2024
DETAILED EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF BOARD MINUTES
1.WelcomebyBoardChair
Recap of Changes: The Board Chair welcomed attendees and recapped changes communicatedinlatesummerTheseincluded:
BoardAmbassadorRole:Anewinitiativetostrengthencommunityconnections
UpdatesregardingtheFinance&InfrastructureCommittee.
NewTrusteeIntroduction:CarolynCooley,thenewestTrustee,wasformallyintroducedto theboardandwelcomed
2.Director’sUpdates
Strategy
StrategicImplementation:Thefocusremainsonimplementingtheschool’sstrategicplan, includingongoingprojectmanagementofkeyinitiativesunderthe“Explore&Innovate” section
Agenda Item 1: Welcome, Call to Order, Confirmation of Quorum The meeting began with a warm welcome by the Board Chair, setting a collaborative and open tone for the discussions that followed. Agenda Item 2: ISB Director’s Update The Director provided comprehensive updates, focusing on the strategic direction, achievements, and operational updates of the organisation. Highlights included the successful recruitment process for the Head of High School. Community Engagement and Updates Community Sessions: James and George hosted sessions to enhance transparency and share key data about the school, such as assessment data, finances, and enrollment. These sessions have been effective in transforming concerned parents into ambassadors for the school.
CommitteeAlignment:Effortsarebeingmadetoalignstrategicprojectswithrelevant boardcommitteesforbettergovernanceoversight.Forinstance,theFinancialPlanand CampusMasterPlanalignwiththeFinance&InfrastructureCommittee.
Education
AccreditationProgress:
The school is undergoing accreditation through a framework focused on change managementratherthanpurecompliance.
AvisitingteamisassessingfourPathway2projects;digitalplatform,teachergrowth andevaluation,STEMandPathwaystoExcellence
AcademicResults:
The school is improving tracking of student pathways to help tailor educational offerings.
Thecounselingteamiscontinuouslyadaptingtoglobaltrendsandmaintainingstrong relationshipswithuniversitiestobetterguidestudents
CommunityEngagement:
Twocommunitysessionswereheld,attendedbyapproximately30people,primarily from the upper school. Attendees provided positive feedback, with no significant concernsraised
BusinessOperations
EnrolmentTrends:
Theadvancementteamhasseenapositivetrendininquiriesduetothechangeinthe school’s marketing strategy. The admissions team is investigating factors causing prospectivefamiliestodiscontinuetheapplicationprocesswiththeaimofimproving thefamilyexperienceduringthisprocess.
APPathwayReview:
The addition of new subjects and a marketing push around alternative pathways (suchastheAPprogram)isbeingexplored
ClientDemographics:
Theadmissionsteamisworkingonexpandingoutreachtoembassiesandcorporate clients.ThenewAdmissionManager(recruitmentcurrentlyongoing)willbetasked withspearheadingamoreaggressiveclientacquisitionstrategy.
CampusMasterPlan
Long-TermVision:
ACampusMasterPlanwasdesignedin2015forthelong-termdevelopmentofthe school’sinfrastructureovera20-yeartimeline.Thisplanwillneedtobereviewedgoing forwardbut,forthemoment,therearenomajorinfrastructureinvestmentsplanned.
Theemphasisonminimisingcapitalexpenditure(CAPEX)forthenextfewyearsaswe buildbackupthereservesfollowingthecampuspurchase Itgoeswithoutsaythat maintenanceworkwillcontinuetobecarriedoutduringthisperiod
3.CommitteeGoalsandUpdates
Governance
ImprovingReporting:TheGovernanceCommitteeisworkingonimprovingtheconnection betweencommitteesandtheboard,particularlyregardingreportingefficiency
ClarifyingRoles:ClarificationwasprovidedthattheExecutiveCommittee(EXCOM)does notmakedecisionsindependently,andallfinaldecisionsrestwiththefullboard.
CodeofConduct:TrusteeswereremindedtosigntheCodeofConductannually.
UseofTechnology:
Existingpolicieslimitphoneusagebystudents,particularlyinthelowerschool,where mobilephonesarenotpermittedduringtheday.
The school focuses on educating students about responsible social media usage, avoidingissueslikecyberbullying.
TheTechnologyHandbookisdistributedannuallyandacknowledgedbyparentsas partofstudenthealthformsubmissions
Advancement
DemographicsAnalysis:Adetaileddemographicanalysisofstudentswascompletedto betterunderstandcommunitytrendsandinformfutureoutreachefforts.
ScorecardImplementation:
Ascorecardwasintroducedtotrackkeymetricsacrossmarketing,enrollment,and fundraisingefforts
Thistoolisalignedwiththeschool’sstrategicplanforgrowth(“Planfor1400”).
FundraisingInitiatives:
Initial steps were taken to relaunch ISB’s fundraising efforts, led by the Board Ambassador in collaboration with the ISB Director This involves reconnecting with HonoraryTrusteesandotherkeycommunitymembers
ContinuousImprovementCommittee(CIC)
UniversityMatriculationTrends:
FewerstudentsareapplyingtoU.S.universities,attributedtofactorslikeincreased selectivity(admissionratesaslowas3-7%),globalpoliticalchanges,andshiftsin studentpreferences
CountrieslikeSpainandItalyarebecomingmoreattractivedestinations,particularly asTheNetherlandsimposesrestrictionsonEnglish-languageuniversitycourses.
TheincreasingrecognitionofAPqualificationsbyEuropeanuniversitiesoffersmore diversepathwaysforstudents
DataCollection:
TheCIChasidentifiedarangeofdatapointstotrackstudentperformanceandtrends inuniversitymatriculation.
AbenchmarkstudyagainsttheISST8groupwillbeconductedinJanuarytocompare ISBstudents’performancewiththeirpeers
IBResults:
Theschoolhasseena2-pointincreaseinaverageIBscorescomparedtopre-COVID levels,partlyduetotheavailabilityofalternativepathways(AP,BTEC).
APResults:
StrongresultsinAPexams,especiallyinGrade10,whereAPcoursesprovideadditional challenges.ManystudentsinGrade10takingAPtransitiontotheIBDPinGrade11.
MAPResults:
Datashowshighlevelsofgrowthandachievementinmathematics,especiallyamong studentswhohavebeenatISBformorethanthreeyears
Finance&Infrastructure
FinancialOversight:
Preliminaryfinancialresultswerepresented,pendingfinalauditreports.
Thefullauditor’sreportwillbereadyforpresentationatthenextTrusteemeetingon November6.
4.Conclusion
The board meeting provided comprehensive updates across key areas of governance, education,strategy,andbusinessoperations.Thecollaborativeeffortbetweencommittees andleadershipteamsisensuringthestrategicplanisontrack,withspecialattentionto aligning governance with ongoing projects The Director's updates emphasised the importance of strategic oversight in areas like enrolment, academic performance, and financial planning, while the committee updates highlighted progress in areas such as accreditation,fundraising,anduniversitymatriculationtrends.