Stories

Greetings from the Board of Trustees! The 2022-2023 school year is coming to a finish, which means it is a bittersweet time for our 8th-grade students and their parents as they celebrate great times and lasting friendships while also preparing to start a new chapter. As with the classes before them, they are well-equipped for success wherever their paths take them, as the Prep middle school experience has allowed them to become leaders a little sooner, and stay children a little longer. All of our other students prepare to take a well-deserved summer break, but the Prep culture of community means they will still get together with classmates even while away from school.

I recognize that many current families are relatively new to our community and may not be aware of the purpose of the Board of Trustees or how it functions, so for this end-of-the-year message, I am going to review this subject. The Board of Trustees is a forward-looking body that develops strategy and sets policies to assure Charlotte Prep serves its mission, both for today’s students and future generations. Charlotte Preparatory School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and Trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to the corporation. Before reviewing what the Board does, it is important to first clarify what it does not do. The Board does not manage the operations of the school; rather it recruits, hires, and evaluates the Head of School to serve that purpose.

Most of the work of the Board is done through committees, of which there are currently five. The Executive Committee is comprised of the Officers of the Corporation – Chair (president), Vice Chair (vice president), Secretary, and Treasurer. The Executive Committee holds all the power and authority of the Board in the interval between meetings of the Board and works closely with the Head of School to facilitate achievement of the strategic objectives. The Executive Committee also leads the Head of School evaluation process.

The Audit and Governance Committee is responsible for identifying future trustee candidates, governance training for Trustees, annual self-assessment of the Board, and functions related to internal audit. The Finance Committee is chaired by the Treasurer and is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, the annual budget and quarterly updates, and for reviewing financial results with the Board so it can satisfy its fiduciary responsibility. The Finance Committee reviews and debates all major expenditures.

While tuition covers all school operating costs, most capital expenses and improvements rely on donations to The Prep Fund and other fundraising campaigns. Recognizing this, the Development Committee works to elevate the culture of philanthropy and giving at Charlotte Prep and to cultivate and recognize donors. This committee has a strategic focus and is separate and distinct from other committees run by the PA or established by the school’s Development Director.

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is responsible for ensuring Charlotte Prep embeds values of diversity and inclusiveness within its educational programs and supports efforts to enhance diversity in the faculty and administration.

One of the most significant actions of the Board this year was to approve the new Strategic Plan, support Visioning Day and the Strategic Plan kickoff. We feel this new Strategic Plan puts the school on a well-defined path to be recognized as the leading educator of children in the region while maintaining the culture and character that make us Charlotte Prep.

Talented and satisfied teachers are essential for a great educational experience. One of the top priorities of the Board in the past three years has been to improve salary and benefits for our faculty and staff. As with all important initiatives, the Board has worked closely with Head of School Chris Marblo to ensure we provide our teachers and administrators with a total compensation package that is competitive and appropriate. This year we greatly improved our benefits plan after much research and discussion. We have made great strides these past three years and feel our total compensation package today is competitive, but this area will continue to be a major focus of the Board.

We live in a changing world, and just as Charlotte Prep prepares students to be life-long learners, we too must adapt to our environment. Early in this school year the Board approved a package of upgrades to improve security at our school. Most of those upgrades have already been installed/implemented, including the perimeter fencing at the soccer field, and have greatly improved the security of our campus.

I hope this report provides a view into the purpose of the Board of Trustees, how it functions, and some of the things it has engaged in over the past year. Speaking on behalf of all our Trustees, we feel our school is on a great path that has already led to visible improvements over the past few years, and we see continued improvement in the years to come as the administration implements a very ambitious strategic plan. Go Tigers!