Running a Private School

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. I offer this information solely to give you an idea of the kind of questions and issues you need to be discussing with professionals such as your attorney and your accountant. Finally, there are about 11,000 private schools that are not members of any private school association. You won't have to reinvent the wheel when you belong to a private school association. Hopefully, my suggestions in this article will encourage you to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience in these associations. ~Rob Kennedy

Chapter 1: Choosing Your School's Legal Structure

Been there. Done that. Yes, I was actually involved in starting a private school. R-E-S-P-E-C-T Academy in Nassau, The Bahamas, was the brainchild of Senator Elliston Rahming. He hired me to be his assistant principal or deputy director as the position was styled. He charged me with organizing the admissions and academic side of the operation in four months so that we could open the school in the fall of 1994.

Starting a school requires one of your earliest decisions to be its legal structure. While you excel at education, this business decision needs professional legal guidance to protect your dream. Think of legal fees as an investment in your school's future. A qualified education law attorney will help you navigate complex regulations and prevent costly mistakes that could threaten your school's survival.

Now, let's look at the two forms of incorporation

I remember the anxiety about filling seats very well, as though it were yesterday. Back in the 90s, my head of school, Dr. Elliston Rahming, had hired me to be the Deputy Director of a new private school he was starting from scratch in The Bahamas. And I do mean from scratch! The budget for our first year had to come entirely from tuition income. Period. Moreover, I was charged with ensuring the seats were filled when we opened for business in September 1995. Now, remember that back in the 90s, the Internet was in its infancy. There was no social media to trumpet the opening of our new school. We only had the local press and word of mouth.

Against that backdrop, let me pose some scenarios to heads of boarding schools, owners of boarding schools, and anybody interested in filling seats at their school.

1. My school's enrollment is declining. I can't afford to hire a marketing professional. What should I do?

Saying that you can't afford a marketing professional is like saying you can't afford insurance. It's a must-have. I understand that you are thinking that marketing is a major expense. Don't think of it that way. Think of marketing as a profit center. When the marketing professional does her job, you will see results. If your budget is really tight, I suggest that you interview a recent college marketing graduate. Your giving her a job where she can prove how good

Every school can become a great school. All it takes is great communication, solid academics, inspiring teachers, enthusiastic parents, and a supportive board. Some schools have solid academics and inspiring teachers but don't get the word out about their teachers and what's being taught. In other words, they lack great communication. Some schools have visionary leaders but lack the support of their board of trustees. You need all five attributes present to be a great school. Let's look at them in detail.

Great Communication

Thirty years ago, most schools published an expensive printed catalog that looked like one of those expensive coffee table books. Indeed, that was how it was intended to be used. When parents had their friends over, and your school's beautiful, eye-catching catalog was spotted, the conversation invariably turned to St. Swithin's, how great that school was, and how much their children enjoyed going there. Many schools still produce those lavish catalogs and they can and do serve a purpose. Truthfully, they have mostly gone the way of the buggy whip.

The other old-fashioned way of communicating was by writing a letter or sending a thank you note. Catalogs and letters have been replaced by email, texting and messaging via apps like WhatsApp and Viber, as well as social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Nowadays, we all expect communications to be instantaneous. We have to get our news and information at warp speed. Of course, letters still have their place for

The wave of anti-semitism crashing over the United States in the fourth quarter of 2023 seems to me to have been inevitable. I will leave it to far more qualified writers than I to explore the causes and effects of such a vast disturbance. However, I recommend that you take time to read source materials and understand the issues involved.

However, I want to remind the heads of private day and boarding schools that they can and should learn three critical lessons from what we all are experiencing. The chief officer of any institution must be a listener, a learner, and a leader.

Listen

Overwhelming expressions of opinion don't come out of nowhere. It's like you and I putting a pot of water on the stove and turning the dial to high. You know the pot could and will boil, but you can continue your business until then. Right? Wrong! Before you know it, the pot is boiling uncontrollably all over the place. Don't ignore issues you hear about on your campus. It doesn't matter whether it's the cleaning crew, your physics teacher, or a member of the board of trustees. Every voice is important, and you must listen carefully to each and every one.

Read articles such as Dr. Susan Whitbourne's 10 Qualities of Great Listeners. Understand her very clear advice:

• Listening is a basic social skill, but it takes practice to do well.
• Listening and perceived partner responsiveness form a positive

When searching on Google, how often do you venture beyond the first page of results? Do you click on the top-ranking website? Statistics show that 27.6% of people click on the first result they see on Google. So, the burning question is: How can you position your school in that coveted #1 spot?

The answer lies in implementing effective search engine optimization (SEO) techniques for your school to rank highly on specific keywords. SEO involves tailoring your website to meet the criteria that Google considers when ranking websites. SEO is one of the most powerful tools for boosting your school’s enrollment marketing strategy.

First, what is a keyword? A keyword is anything a user searches on Google. When parents search “private school in Los Angeles,” you want to ensure you rank well on that keyword.

You might wonder if you need to be an SEO expert to improve your website's visibility and increase your keyword ranking. Fortunately, the answer is no! A significant portion of SEO can be accomplished organically by having a well-designed website and understanding the basics of what to do and what not to do.

Here are some top SEO to-dos and not to-dos to help reach that coveted #1 spot for school marketers.

1. Content Is SO Important
   
   This cannot be understated. If your site hasn't been updated recently and lacks substantial written content, your first step is to (re) write fresh