Message from the Board
Dear BIS Community,
As we finish the first semester and prepare for our holiday break, I would to convey information about what the Board has been doing and what is planned for the future.
First, I would like to report some shuffling within the Board. Intan Indahsari and Marc van Mierlo have stepped down from their positions on the Board over the last school year. We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the contributions they both provided towards helping to create a professional Board with a clear strategic direction. Their professional insight has been appreciated and will certainly continue to provide us with a stronger base from which to progress.
After advertising for members of our community to apply for joining the Board at the end of last school year, the Board has recruited one new member to the Board of Directors, Mr. Allen Doumit. Allen has hit the ground running with the start of this new year and we look forward to the contributions he can provide to the Board.
As a reminder and as information for our new community members, based on Indonesian law, Bali Island School exists under an Indonesian registered foundation, “Yayasan Bali International School” or YBIS. The foundation has been able to retain the “International” in its name. As per foundation laws, we have three tiers:
– Governing Advisory Board (GAB) – the ultimate authorities for the foundation and the organ that bears all ultimate legal and fiduciary accountability.
– Board of Directors (BoD) – the “action” division of the foundation charged with the planning and functioning of the Board. The BoD works closely with the Head of School to ensure the school has the necessary support and tools to ensure our students receive educational excellence. The BoD receives direction from and reports to the GAB.
– Supervisory Board (SB) – monitors the work of the BoD including the HoS and reports directly to the Governing Advisory Board.
Our annual Board retreat was held a bit late this year due to conflicting schedules and the school’s preparation for the 30th Anniversary. We ran our retreat over one and half days in mid-September opting to lead it ourselves instead of bringing in a consultant as we have done in the past. We felt this year was a bit different as most of the Board members have already received various board training and we had several key issues we needed to discuss. Thus, we dedicated our retreat to strategic planning. A few of the results of the retreat are as follow:
– we approved a clear strategic plan of action for the next 5 years;
– we discussed how to prioritize capital spending in the years ahead;
– we set an ambitious target of growth that will bring not only better revenue, but also more opportunities for our students;
– the Board has given our Head of School a green light to further refine the Strategic Goals that she and her leadership team have been preparing;
– it was agreed that one of the keys to the schools success in educating our students is having top level teaching and support staff. The Board has made this a priority so that our Head of School can continue to ensure our teaching staff is of a high standard.
Of course, all our planning and discussion is centered around our vision and mission:
VISION:
To be the school of choice for internationally-minded families and a leader of IB World Schools in Indonesia.
MISSION:
Engaging and empowering globally-minded, confident learners to reach their utmost potential in an active, creative and respectful learning community.
And, as the Board realizes that many of the Board’s targets require additional or increased funding, we have also kicked into motion ambitious plans that should help to expand our student body while at the same time further enhance our educational offerings. Aside from the efforts from the school’s administration and that of the Board, your support in promoting the school will also have a significant impact in helping to recruit new children to our community.
The Board of Advisors have recently announced that the Board of Directors will be awarded a waiver equivalent of one child’s school tuition for their service while serving on the Board. This decision was based on the volume of work required of the Board members and has been implemented in full accordance with existing Indonesian foundation laws. A policy has also been created and approved regulating the remuneration and its process.
I would like to add that the Board can always use the assistance of members of our community who are willing to participate in supporting the strategic goals of the school. We invite you to join one of our Topic Groups. The Topic Groups are Board driven groups consisting of at least one Board member, our head of school and members of our community where we brainstorm and work out the details of how to achieve our goals. If you have an interest in devoting some of your time and expertise, please contact Denise.
The Board is planning to hold a presentation to the community next term covering our work and our future plans. Please watch for the date and time early next term.
We look forward to an exciting second half of our school year with renewed focus and energy.
Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable break!
Regards,
Kib Roby
Chairman
YBIS Board of Directors