EXECUTIVE COMMITEE

• Exercise all powers of the Board of Trustees (Board) during the interim between meetings of the Board in accordance with applicable law.

• Assist the Head (Head) as sounding board and counsel.

• Set the policy agenda, coordinating committee agendas and the agenda for the Board.

• Develop the means for evaluation of and goal setting for the Head.

• Function as a confidant and counsel in the area of personnel issues (in the absence of a Personnel Committee: oversee general firing policies, personnel policies, and profesional development policies for faculty and staff; develops the school's compensation philosophy and plan; reviews with the Head in advance for counsel and support any looming non-renewal or firing decisions).

• Operate as a planning entity in the area of long-range planning (in the absence of a Strategic Planning Committee); oversees a strategic planning process; develops a strategic plan and implementation schedule; orchestrates an annual review and goal-setting process related to the strategic plan.

• Oversee the work of the Board secretary in the compilation and approval of Board and committee minutes, the maintaining of the by-laws, the advance notice of meetings and the updating of the Board Policy Book.

• Review and recommend the Head's compensation and benefit package to the Board, as well as review the compensation recommendations by the head for the major adminsitrators of the school.

• Plan social occasions and events to show support to the school's faculty and staff.

• Form Ad Hoc Committees on an as-needed basis (e.g., Technology Task Force, Communication Task Force, etc.).

FINANCE COMMITTEE

• Review, analyze, and recommend the annual audit and the annual budget (typically twice a year, the next year’s preliminary budget in the winter and the final budget in the fall) as well as the quarterly operating fund statements and balance sheets, advising the Board of significant deviations from the approved budget and, where possible, consideration of requests from the staff for non-budgeted expenditures.

• Review of investment policies, practices, objectives, and performance (in the absence of an Investment Committee).

• Review budget requests, analyze projections and initial budget drafts prepared by the staff, approve the proposed budget (after committee refinement) prior to presentation to the full Board, and recommend priorities for the future expenditures for the annual budget and for the capital budget.

• Review periodically employee benefit plans, school insurance coverage and office procedures as they relate to finances.

• Advise the staff on the frequency, format, and content of reports to the Board and to the school community on the financial status of the school.

• Review government support programs, their applicability to the school and the wisdom of participation by the school.

• Consider possibilities for full-utilization of campus (e.g., summer and extended day programs) as source for additional school revenues.

• Review, analyze and obtain proper financing resources if needed for any new capital campaign building projects. (back to top)

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE

• Review plant and grounds operations, maintenance schedules, general budget and preventive maintenance programs.

• Review and recommend all major capital items not included in annual operating budget, replacements and renewal budget and timetables, the scheduling for systematic replacement of all capitalized and depreciable property, and the expenditure of any funds from the building reserve and equipment replacement funds. 

• Develop a master plan for the campus, advising the Board on the selection of architects, on-site managers and general contractors when in the building mode. (Back to top)

COMMITTEE ON TRUSTEES

• Review the distribution and expertise needs of the Board in anticipation of future vacancies and work to enhance the diversity of the Board.

• Solicit nominations for anticipated vacancies, share with potential nominees expectations (financial and otherwise) of trustees and maintain a file of potential Board members.

• Prepare an annual slate of new officers and trustees for approval and election by the Board.

• Evaluate annually the effectiveness of the Board, Board chair and individual trustees.

• Plan Board retreats and Board education activities to develop the Board and clarify its functions.

• Assist in the orientation of new trustees and officers, conveying to them expectations of the office they may be asked to fill and determining availability of candidates for service if elected. (Back to top)

ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE

• Set the school’s fund-raising goals and assist in the administration of activities aimed at fulfilling those goals.

• Orchestrate the trustees’ leadership and participation in the fund-raising programs.

• Coordinate all fund-raising activities of the school including those sponsored by the Emerson School Parent Organization (ESPO).

• Establish leadership for the periodic capital campaigns of the school.

• Plan and coordinate the ongoing planned giving programs of the school.

• Assure appropriate parent, past parent and alumni communications and programs to facilitate continuing cultivation of the friends and patrons of the school.

• Ensure that the development office of the school maintains accurate and secure giving records and that appropriate acknowledgement and recognition for gifts are offered.

• Review admissions policies and standards, financial aid policies, marketing literature, master calendar for school promotion, and strategies for recruitment of students to the school and the ongoing cultivation of their families.

• Encourage and oversee communications programs, literature and outreach (in the absence of a separate Board committee on Communications or Community Relations which functions to communicate, especially with ESPO, and serves as the proper forum and channel for parental input and dialog with the Board).

• Consider possibilities for full-utilization of campus (e.g., summer and extended day programs) as source for additional school revenues. (Back to top)

AUDIT COMMITTEE

• Monitor the integrity of the school’s financial reporting process and systems of internal control regarding finance and accounting.

• Monitor the school’s major business and operational risks.

• Monitor the independence and performance of the school’s independent auditors.

• Provide an avenue of communication among the independent auditors, school, administration and Board. (Back to top)

DIVERSITY COMMITTEE

• Help the School create a diverse learning environment that will best prepare students to thrive in a multicultural and interconnected society.

• Seeks to ensure that the school provides a sanctuary in which all students, faculty and administrators are safe, respected and valued.   The committee does this in the following ways: 

• Helping to create a diverse educational community within which each member feels respected and supported;

• Teaching and modeling sensitivity, dialogue, the exchange of ideas, and understanding with regard to difference;

• Supporting and encouraging increased diversity in student enrollment, faculty, administration, the Board and school committees; and,

• Encouraging school and administrative practices and policies that reflect a long-range commitment to diversity. (back to top)