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Governance of and Imagine School
In considering establishment of a new Imagine School in a community, it is important to define the
respective roles of Imagine people and those in the community who may be part of the governance
structure. The foundation of an effective and long term relationship is built on such an understanding.
Imagine's role is to start and operate the school and to do so for as long as the school exists. Imagine
people are responsible for the development and operation of the school including:
Once the school is operating, all decisions (major and minor) about the school will be made by Imagine
people working in the school. Neither board members nor regional and home office Imagine people
make school operating decisions. This is the central theme of Dennis Bakke’s book, “Joy at Work”,
which Imagine people and board members are strongly encouraged to read.
The role of governance is significantly different than that of operations. Governance in an Imagine School
(in the LLC structure) is the responsibility of a Board of Governors selected by Imagine Schools Non-
Profit. This board typically includes a combination of Imagine people and community members.
When seeking members of the Board of Governors, Imagine looks for people with the following
characteristics:
Imagine’s six measures of excellence focus on results and not inputs and are very helpful in assessing
our effectiveness. In the end, however, the only real accountability test that matters is the decision of
parents to voluntarily send their children to our school. This is the central uniqueness of a charter
school. The most reliable measure of school quality is a fully enrolled school because we then know
that we are better than any alternative available to these parents. This measure is straight forward and
unforgiving. No subjective quality analysis by consultants or educational experts, government
specialists or even concerned board members holds a candle to the amazing clarity of Parent Choice.
Our teachers’ and principals’ very jobs are on the line with regard to the performance of the school and
Imagine School leaders have much at risk. In addition, Dennis and Eileen Bakke typically invest $10
million or more of their own money to make the school successful. Imagine people will do whatever we
can consistent with our shared values and other measures of excellence to see that the school is
successful.
respective roles of Imagine people and those in the community who may be part of the governance
structure. The foundation of an effective and long term relationship is built on such an understanding.
Imagine's role is to start and operate the school and to do so for as long as the school exists. Imagine
people are responsible for the development and operation of the school including:
- establishing the corporate entity (typically a Limited Liability Company - or LLC – which holds the
charter) and the governance plan (including formation of the Board of Governors for the school) - preparation of the charter application and obtaining approval of the charter
- selection and purchase of real estate/buildings, including provision of capital to do so
- staffing, curriculum selection and all other elements associated with opening and operating the
school. - measuring, reporting on and responding to performance in our six measures of excellence –
Parent Satisfaction, Economic Sustainability, Academic Achievement, Character Development,
Adherence to our Shared Values and Development of New Schools
Once the school is operating, all decisions (major and minor) about the school will be made by Imagine
people working in the school. Neither board members nor regional and home office Imagine people
make school operating decisions. This is the central theme of Dennis Bakke’s book, “Joy at Work”,
which Imagine people and board members are strongly encouraged to read.
The role of governance is significantly different than that of operations. Governance in an Imagine School
(in the LLC structure) is the responsibility of a Board of Governors selected by Imagine Schools Non-
Profit. This board typically includes a combination of Imagine people and community members.
When seeking members of the Board of Governors, Imagine looks for people with the following
characteristics:
- They support Imagine School’s mission and philosophy and wish to serve the broader
community, not just a particular school. People who serve on the Board of Mangers should be
essentially indifferent as to which Imagine School board they might serve on because they serve
for the mission, not the school. They will rarely be parents of students from the particular school
they serve. - They understand the role of governance as to both help Imagine assure school operations in
compliance with the charter and other obligations, but equally as that of encouraging and
supporting Imagine, particularly the Imagine people (the principal, teachers and staff) working at
the school and providing advice to Imagine leadership. - Board members do not evaluate or assess staff performance, with the exception that they do
have approval authority on selection of the principal. - They strive to serve with humility and remind us (Imagine) of our need to do the same.
- They are available to meet quarterly or perhaps more frequently if required by the charter and will
make time to be part of celebrations and important events at the school. - They have the ability to generally understand and interpret the content of financial reports
prepared by Imagine in order to assure Imagine is operating in a fiscally responsible manner.
The board also approves the annual budget, which is prepared by Imagine. - They enjoy hearing about and celebrating our successes.
- They are willing to serve a term of up to three years and may be asked to serve as an officer for a
portion of that time. Officer responsibilities will rotate typically on one or two year cycles.
Imagine’s six measures of excellence focus on results and not inputs and are very helpful in assessing
our effectiveness. In the end, however, the only real accountability test that matters is the decision of
parents to voluntarily send their children to our school. This is the central uniqueness of a charter
school. The most reliable measure of school quality is a fully enrolled school because we then know
that we are better than any alternative available to these parents. This measure is straight forward and
unforgiving. No subjective quality analysis by consultants or educational experts, government
specialists or even concerned board members holds a candle to the amazing clarity of Parent Choice.
Our teachers’ and principals’ very jobs are on the line with regard to the performance of the school and
Imagine School leaders have much at risk. In addition, Dennis and Eileen Bakke typically invest $10
million or more of their own money to make the school successful. Imagine people will do whatever we
can consistent with our shared values and other measures of excellence to see that the school is
successful.
