Completion and Refocus.

Last week was an exhausting one. Not only was my day job busy (yes, I do have a day job, and every so often it must take priority), but Kadima was busy, too, in that we had a Board meeting last Wednesday and it was an emotional one.

For the past three years or so, various members of the Board have been working on updating the Bylaws for the school. Why? Because the bylaws were old, contained a variety of errors, were vague and ambiguous in parts, and did not reflect best practices for independent schools. So we had to update and revise them. But any time you start messing with the Bylaws, people get nervous. And so, last Wednesday, after several review periods, numerous meetings and something like a thousand revisions, we finally put the new bylaws to a vote. The Board must approve Bylaw amendments by a 2/3 vote; this is a good thing; it requires us to forge a general consensus before we make any changes.

After much discussion, the Board approved the new Bylaws by a vote of 15-3-1. The new Bylaws will formalize much of what we've been doing anyway, and also provide certain procedural improvements (like having special meetings by conference call). Yet, it is a significant achievement for the Board.

With this major effort completed, the focus becomes long term strategic planning and fundraising. We've spent this year building a foundation for Kadima's future success. With a new Head of School, new Bylaws, new officers, and soon to be new principals, we are laying the groundwork for the future of Kadima. But now we need to look forward. Accordingly, for the next several months we will begin developing a Long Term Strategic Plan and then implementing the tactical decisions to reach the goals indicated in the plan.

We'll certainly keep you updated on our efforts as we develop our strategic plan for ensuring Kadima's future.