A business officer once told me this, and I think of it every time I prepare a presentation I give on the importance of—and nuances of—the relationship between a school’s business officer and head of school. In this 90-minute program, I address the relationship’s unique characteristics, such as financial stewardship (the head and business officer must be in lock step on the school’s finances), governance (they work together closely with the Board treasurer, finance and audit committee, and often other Trustees), and overall leadership and management (we have all witnessed the blurring of the traditional roles of heads of school “leading” and business officers “managing”).
And, I also discuss the importance of building trust, having ongoing communications and striving for “no surprises.”
Having given this presentation several times in recent months, it was an unexpected pleasure, just last week, to witness one such partnership that works beautifully.
I was in Boston with several other members of the NBOA staff, conducting a site visit for the 2015 NBOA Annual Meeting (February 22–25). A key part of our trip involved scouting locations for the popular “school tours” portion of the Annual Meeting program. Among several local independent schools we visited was the Winsor School, which serves girls in grades 5–12, and where our tour leaders were Rachel Stettler, the school’s director/head of school, and Rick Bernasco, its chief financial officer.
Both beamed with pride as they showed us their century-old campus in the heart of downtown Boston, from its three-story library to its forthcoming center for athletics, performing arts and wellness, which will double the school’s footprint. We also enjoyed meeting Winsor’s food service director and experiencing the quality of the menu (I went back for seconds!).
We could tell in an instant that Rachel and Rick are a team. Throughout the tour, they finished each other’s sentences, made similar observations and described the “handoffs” they make on a daily basis—handoffs that advance the school’s mission on complicated projects and communication with various stakeholders. At lunch, our conversation covered everything from the changes girls go through from grades 5 to 12 (I was a sponge, absorbing valuable intelligence about the years ahead with my eight-year-old daughter), to the evolving role of NBOA, to the “idea paint” on the walls of the Winsor computer lab.
Clearly, my colleagues and I were in the presence of a team doing excellent work on behalf of their school and advancing its mission … together!
It’s always affirming to see what I try to impart in a 90-minute program playing out in real time. When this relationship works well, as it clearly does at Winsor School, good things happen for schools as well as for the students and families they serve.
Thanks, Rachel and Rick, for the affirmation and inspiration. See you again next February.
