Article by Marlys Schoenwetter, New Covenant Academy
Photo: Incoming freshmen at New Covenant Academy met for a party before the school year began.
New Covenant Academy has not had a head of school for eight years. Instead, the chief academic officer and the chief financial officer fill that role together and report directly to the board. The CAO oversees academic matters, admissions, athletics and technology. As CFO, I oversee everything in the business and development offices, the lunch program and facilities.
How did this come to be? It has partly to do with my long tenure at the school. We enrolled our children at NCA in 1992, after which I served on the board and then became the business officer in 1995. Over the following 15 years we had four different supervisors (heads of school). Each was successful in achieving their goals, but there was a perception of instability within the leadership. Enrollment was on a downward trajectory, resulting in financial instability.
The CAO and I have the utmost regard for one another. We value each other’s opinions and ideas, and we respect each other’s recommendations. That’s not to say we always have the same opinion.
When the last superintendent resigned, the high school principal and I were asked to fill in while the board searched for a replacement. One school year grew into two. Enrollment increased, our financial health improved, and we were accomplishing the ABC’s of our mission: Academic excellence, Biblical truth and Christ-like character. The principal and I were asked to serve as joint leaders, as CAO and CFO. We just finished our sixth year of joint leadership.
The CAO and I have the utmost regard for one another. We value each other’s opinions and ideas, and we respect each other’s recommendations in our areas of expertise. That’s not to say we always have the same opinion. We might differ on a discipline issue, for example, but the CAO works with the principals and students day-to-day, and I don’t question his judgment. Likewise, when we need to enforce policy from the business office, he stands by my decisions. For instance, if a student attends NCA for even one day, the family must pay the full semester of tuition. From my perspective, an exception to that rule must be made at the board level. We all know what happens once we start making exceptions!
The joint headship has given me the ability to further my role at NCA and to ensure the school has a strong financial foothold.
I believe the key to successful joint leadership hinges on a shared belief in and calling to the school’s mission and purpose. Besides providing stability for schools that have seen frequent leadership changes, this arrangement can empower the business officer to be a visionary for the school. In the past, I had to handle situations over which I felt I had little control. I’ve talked with business officers who feel they don’t have much of a voice in the school’s financial decisions. The joint headship has given me the ability to further my role at NCA and to ensure the school has a strong financial foothold.
Will this leadership structure remain in place if either the CAO or I retire or change jobs? Maybe not. But this model has worked very well for New Covenant Academy. Over the last eight years enrollment has increased 55 percent, with another 12 percent growth projected for next year. Our budget has more than doubled. We are respected in the community for strong academics and spiritual integrity as well as our fine-arts and athletics programs. We are grateful for our board of directors who entrust us to run the daily operations of the school, our administrative team, dedicated faculty and staff and our parents’ support and word-of-mouth marketing. Unified leaders who focus on the mission make a difference!
