Book Description

Boards and commissions, an important part of Catholic education since the late 1800s, experienced a significant revival in the decades following the Vatican Council II. Today, approximately 68 percent of the Catholic schools in the United States have some form of educational governance structure. Although the primary focus of this handbook, which contains 10 chapters, is on Catholic school boards and boards of trustees, the principles and much of the materials are easily adaptable to councils, commissions, and committees for other diocesan, parish, and religious education programs. Specifically, the chapters define a Catholic school board; discuss policy formation and enactment; review selection and appointment of the principal; study the roles and relationships of boards and schools; and cover board meetings. Additional chapters explore planning, the role of the board in finances; development and public relations/marketing; evaluaation of and by the board; and membership. The 12 appendices contain sample constitutions for a variety of educational governance structures, definitions and guidelines related to Catholic school principal selection, the functions of the board and a board member's profile, and sample diocesan policies. Practicing subsidiarity and collaboration, school boards and other diocesan, parish, and educational councils and commissions can effectively and efficaciously serve the church's educational mission. The bibliography contains 33 references. (KM)