It is truly an honor to serve our Parker community as your Board Chair and to work alongside extraordinarily talented and generous volunteers and staff, all of whom are committed to providing our students with an exceptional education by constantly executing on “no limit to better” when it comes to Parker. My husband, Marc, and I are reminded daily of the remarkable school that is Parker as we watch our two boys flourish and grow with each passing year.
I am often asked about the Board’s role in the life of the School. In the broadest sense, the Board is the guardian of the School’s mission, making sure it is relevant and vital to our community and monitoring the success of the School in fulfilling its mission.
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) has developed 12 Principles of Good Practice to guide the work of the independent school board. This past weekend at our Annual Retreat, Parker’s Board of Trustees recommitted to operate according to those key principles and organized our objectives for the coming year around them.
Trustees fulfill these duties in a variety of specific ways. First, the Board oversees the creation and implementation of a vision for the School’s future. The Strategic Plan adopted by the Board in 2017 sets a roadmap for ensuring that Parker students develop personal traits and qualities essential for success—not only in college but also throughout their adult lives. The objective of the Plan is to position each student to reach “as far as the mind can see” through an unwavering commitment to achieving excellence in all facets of School life—academics, arts, athletics, activities, character, and so many more.
Second, the Board ensures that the School has the resources it needs to succeed. This occurs both through careful budgeting and strong financial oversight, but also through a belief in the importance and power of philanthropy in sustaining Parker’s margin of excellence. As is the expectation of all Parker parents, Trustees not only participate in the annual fundraising efforts of the School. But we also take a leadership role in those efforts to ensure the School has the resources it needs – not just for today, but well into the future.
As a result of those efforts, and thanks to the support of so many generous donors in our community, we will open the Heart of Campus shortly after the start of the new year. That project—like past and future capital investments at Parker—will transform the Parker experience for our students and parents alike. We are incredibly grateful to those whose support made the project possible.
Finally, one of the most important responsibilities of the Board is to select, supervise, and support the Head of School, who is responsible for the ongoing management of the School, including its curriculum, instruction, programs, and staffing.
Adherence to these principles ensures that we work diligently to make Parker the best education community it can be, all the while committed to key values of professionalism, excellence, transparency, accountability, and inclusivity.
On behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Trustees, thank you so much for the investment you have made in your child’s education, for your engagement in our School community, and for being part of the Parker Family.
Sincerely,
Robert Gleason
Board Chair
