Financial Aid

School Heads // December 10, 2009

Financial aid is the most proactive method that schools have to help children attend their schools. For many, though, evaluating financial need is often very difficult—the paperwork, the stress, and trying to match available funds to evident need are just part of the complexities that comprise the typical financial aid decision-making process. However, a proactive, organized approach to financial aid can ease the process significantly. Use these suggestions before your first applications arrive and you'll be ahead of the game.

Read More

Be Prepared for the Resurgence of H1N1

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

It's predicted that the swine flu will remerge this fall as cooler temperatures settle into typical regions. If your school doesn't have an action plan in place for an epidemic, now is the time to act.

Read More

Teen Self Esteem

School Heads // December 10, 2009

According to a series of recent studies conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Teachers College, many of today's unhappiest teens probably made the honor roll last semester and plan to attend prestigious universities. The studies found that adolescents raised in suburban homes that have an average family income of $120,000 report higher rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse than any other socioeconomic group of young Americans today.

Read More

One of a Business Manager's Many Hats: Warding Off the Investigators (or, "10 Key Facts You Need to Know About Overtime Regulations")

Business and Operations // December 10, 2009

Business Managers have one of the most demanding positions among all school administrators. You wear many hats—even some hats you may have never been trained to wear. A Human Resource Manager (or labor law expert) hat might be one of these.

Read More

Long Term Disability (Part Two)

School Heads // December 10, 2009

Basic LTD Benefits Maximum monthly benefits should be negotiable. A maximum monthly benefit of $5,000 provides full-policy coverage (at 60% of salary) for any employee making $100,000 or less. To provide benefit coverage for administrators on earnings of more than $100,000 per year, consider raising the maximum monthly benefit to $6,000, $7,500, or even $10,000. Many policies have guaranteed minimum benefits as well. Look for a minimum benefit that is the greater of a specific dollar figure ($50 or $100 is common) or a specified percentage of the normal gross monthly benefit. This will give higher-salaried employees a significantly greater minimum monthly benefit.  

Read More

Securing Your School

Academic Leadership // December 10, 2009

Over the past few years, there has been an alarming rise in the amount of violent incidents in schools. And while it may be unsettling to think about, schools must do everything in their power to prevent the "unthinkable" from happening. While the following recommendations are by no means a complete checklist of all school security procedures that should be reviewed, they are an important first step toward this end.

Read More

Inexperienced Teachers Shuttled Into Poorest Schools

School Heads // December 10, 2009

According to a recent analysis conducted by The Washington Post, students in Washington DC's poorest neighborhoods are "nearly twice as likely to have a new or second-year teacher as those in the wealthiest." The result? Some of the city's neediest students are being taught at schools that "double as teacher training grounds."

Read More

One of the Secrets to Protecting and Retaining Passionate Employees

Private School News // December 9, 2009

Smart schools know one of the secrets to retaining valuable faculty and staff—offering as impressive benefits package as they can afford. Passion is the driving force behind why most of your employees work in the private-independent school realm. However, a good percentage of new recruits, about 60%, abandon the private school system each year because of the lack of benefits and/or weak benefit plans.

Read More

Ask Michael

Business and Operations // December 9, 2009

Q:Under FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), am I required to permit a teacher who takes a leave in the springtime to come back before the end of the semester, even if only three weeks are left in the year/semester? This will disrupt the classroom significantly.

Read More

Your Summer Homework: Guidelines to Creating a Great Employee Handbook

Private School News // December 9, 2009

Probably the last thing you want to think about is your employee handbook. We've talked a lot about them over the past few months, but we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we ignored all the laws that have been altered and enacted in the last year. The simple truth is, handbooks are not only the key means for keeping your employee policies in compliance with the law, they are also your employee's guide to your culture, and to your school's mission. These shouldn't be written by lawyers for lawyers—heavy legalistic language can actually do more damage then good as it can confuse and/or detour employees from reading.

Read More