3.1 - Delegation to Headmaster

SERIES 3 - ADMINISTRATION

The Headmaster shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer and chief administrator for the day-to-day operations of the school as well as the school’s personnel administrators, and shall perform such other services and duties as the BOD assigns. The Headmaster shall have the authority both to offer and to terminate employment, subject to prior BOD review of all termination decisions and of annual teacher retention decisions. Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws Policies or by resolution of the BOD, the Headmaster shall have the authority to act for the school in any matter and the action of the Headmaster shall be the action of the school. If such action sets or implies policy, it must be ratified at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the BOD. The Headmaster shall attend all meetings of the BOD except as otherwise directed by the BOD, but shall not be entitled to vote. The Headmaster shall be appointed by the BOD, shall account to and serve at the direction of the BOD, and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by an affirmative vote of the BOD. The BOD shall vote annually, no later than at its regularly scheduled May meeting, on whether to retain or remove the Headmaster for the succeeding school year.

The provisions of this paragraph shall apply only during such time that the Headmaster position is vacant. The 7-12 Principal and K-6 Principal shall report directly to the BOD, and they will serve as the Chief Executive Officers and chief administrators for the day-to-day operations of the school as well as the school’s personnel administrators for their respective campuses, and they shall perform such other services and duties as the BOD assigns. The school’s director of finance will also report directly to the BOD as the Chief Financial Officer for the school with overall budget-management responsibility. The 7-12 Principal and K-6 Principal shall manage the spending budgets for their respective campuses and shall have the authority both to hire and to terminate employees for their respective campuses. The Principals and Director of Finance shall account to and serve at the direction of the BOD and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by an affirmative vote of the BOD.

All BOD authority delegated to staff is delegated through the Headmaster, so that all authority and accountability of staff—as far as the BOD is concerned—is considered to be the authority and accountability of the Headmaster.

The BOD will direct the Headmaster to achieve certain results through the establishment of goals. The BOD will limit the latitude the Headmaster may exercise in practices, methods, conduct, and other “means” through the establishment of executive limitations policies. The BOD may adopt executive limitation policies which place boundaries around the actions of the Headmaster.

As long as the Headmaster uses any reasonable interpretation of the BOD’s goals and executive limitations policies, the Headmaster is authorized to make all decisions, take all actions, establish all practices, and develop all activities.

The BOD may change its goals and executive limitations policies, thereby shifting the boundary between BOD and Headmaster domains. By doing so, the BOD changes the latitude given to the Headmaster. So long as any particular delegation is in place, the BOD members will respect and support the Headmaster’s choices.

Only decisions of the BOD acting as a body are binding upon the Headmaster.

Decisions or instructions of individual BOD members, officers, or committees are not binding on the Headmaster except in rare circumstances when the BOD has specifically authorized such exercise of authority.

In the case of BOD members or committees requesting information or assistance without BOD authorization, the Headmaster can refuse such requests that require—in the Headmaster’s judgment—a material amount of staff time or funds or are disruptive.

Adopted: 02-25-1999
Amended: 12-16-2004
Amended: 09-21-2017
Amended: 04-14-2022