Recently the two Jewish schools that I attended in Seattle have hired new heads of school.
One I am pleased with and one I am not.
What I want to explore is why certain people want to be on the board of a school and others don’t.
One reason for friends of mine not wanting to be on the board of a school is that it is very time consuming.
Most of these men have busy jobs, wives families and other religious commitments. They do not
Want to spend 20 hours a week or more volunteering to be on the board of a school.
Another reason is that in a community like Seattle which is smaller than New York area communities, the Jewish community is a fish bowl and everyone seems to know everyone or have run into some of the other people , even if they aren’t in your first social or family circle. It can be intimidating and potentially awkward.
The fatal flaw of my alma mater approach is that they didn’t cultivate good enough relationships with
other students who aren’t part of their circle and those people now are on the board of the school and aren’t as willing to hire one of their students as a texher or principal (aka Head of School).
Good luck.
