Monday's Meeting and Other Issues.

The Committee had a very interesting and productive meeting last night. As I have noted, much of our discussions and procedures must remain confidential. We can say that the Committee made a variety of decisions that we hope will move our effort forward. We have an excellent Search Committee; every meeting brings interesting and meaningful discussions.
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I have received some questions about the Committee's focus in finding the right Head of School for Kadima, and in particular, our stated desire to find a charismatic leader who can develop and implement the school's vision, raise funds, hire great teachers, and ultimately, bring more students to the school. While we believe that education experience, because Kadima is a school and education is a fundamental part of Kadima's mission, is inherent in these qualifications, our discussion about the differences between Head of School and Principal may have created some confusion. Moreover, because Dr. Gereboff was, in the past year, serving as principal of the elementary school as well as Head of School, it is natural that there might be some concern about who, if not the new Head, is going to be spending most of their time handling the details related to educational issues.

We want to assure everyone that neither the Committee nor the Board has forgotten about educational issues. We know that Kadima is, at its heart, a school. Part of the problem with this process is that much of it has to be confidential because it involves employment related issues and people's careers, so we just cannot speak freely about everything that is discussed in our meetings. This is especially true at this point, where we are in a particularly sensitive stage of the process.

Nonetheless, we can say that we are looking for a leader for a school; this means that the person we seek, absent some other extraordinary qualifications, will likely be a person who has substantial education experience.

We ask, in the meantime, for your patience during the next few weeks as we move forward with the selection process.

The Process Continues.

On Monday night, after a two week hiatus, the Search Committee is meeting to discuss various potential candidates for the Head of School position. We've received a variety of applications and believe that we have a good candidate pool at this point. We are continuing to receive applications and resumes, and this process will continue until we have engaged a new Head of School.

We can't talk about specifics at this point. Candidates have their own jobs, and it is imperative that we keep our discussions and the identities of potential candidates confidential. What we can talk about is how our process will proceed from here.

The next phase will likely involve semi-finalists. It is always possible that we will get lucky and find the magic candidate right away, but normally, the next phase will be face to face interviews with semi-finalists. These candidates will get to visit the school, visit some of the administration and staff, and then meet with the Search Committee for an extensive interview. Even before this happens, however, we may conduct some telephone interviews to discuss the position with potential applicants so we can gain a better sense of them before we meet with them. Moreover, the Committee will be formulating its interview procedures and questions. If any of you have any particular questions you'd like to ask Head of School candidates, please feel free to email them to us at kadimaheadsearch@gmail.com.

We're sorry that the process has to remain a bit under the radar for now. But we can assure you that the process is moving forward. And stay tuned to this blog; we'll keep posting updates and comments as the process proceeds.

Jewish Journal Reports on Tuition Plan.

The Jewish Journal published a terrific story on Kadima's tuition plan in today's edition.

There is one aspect of the story that needs a bit of clarification. The story compares Kadima's tuition to the tuition charged at Temple Beth Am's Pressman Academy, Valley Beth Shalom's Schulweis Day School, and Sinai Temple's Akiba Academy, but fails to note that all of these schools are synagogue day schools; Kadima, of course, is an independent day school.

They are not the same. Unlike Kadima (or Heschel West or A.J. Heschel Day School), which is completely independent, synagogue day schools are usually subsidized by their affiliated synagogues (and also by the many members of those synagogues) and thus can charge less tuition than independent schools. However, most, if not all, synagogue day schools also require families to also pay for synagogue membership, which can easily cost more than $2,000 per family above the cost of "tuition". When synagogue membership costs are included, the differences in real costs between an independent school and a synagogue school virtually disappear. Viewed in this light, it is clear that Kadima's tuition plan represents a significant drop in the cost of Jewish Day School and that its new cost is hardly "middle of the road" as stated in the story.

Still, the story makes the central point: Kadima has taken a stand to help people afford Jewish Day School.

Kadima's Press Release on Tuition Plan

Here's Kadima's formal press release on its tuition plan.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information, contact:
Phyllis Folb Michelle Starkman
The Phylmar Group Director of Admissions
310/474-3937 818/444-8820 x125
pfolb@phylmar.com info@khwms.org

KADIMA HEBREW ACADEMY/KADIMA HESCHEL WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL
ANNOUNCES COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP TO LOWER TUITION

West Hills, December 2, 2008 - Kadima Hebrew Academy/Kadima Heschel West Middle
School announced today it will reduce the cost of tuition for the 2009-2010 academic
year as part of a new Community Tuition Partnership.

“We believe an excellent Jewish education should be affordable for everyone,” said Dr.
Barbara Gereboff, Head of School for Kadima Hebrew Academy/Kadima Heschel West.
“In this economy, Jewish education is one investment with guaranteed returns.” The
reduced tuition structure will benefit existing families, new families to the school and the
greater community. “Kadima is taking a stand for the middle-income Jewish family –
we’re addressing economic realities and doing our part to not only offer an exceptional
academic curriculum, but also to ensure Jewish continuity. Jewish day school graduates
are the leaders of tomorrow, not only within the Jewish community, but in the
community-at-large,” said Shawn Evenhaim, President of the Board of Trustees for
Kadima.

Through a unanimous decision, the Board of Trustees voted to reduce tuition an average
of 20% for students enrolled from Kindergarten through 8th grade. This initiative is
supported by a generous partnership within the school’s community as well as private
donors. The school will continue offering its dynamic and enriched academic education
without sacrificing any components of its program.

Kadima Hebrew Academy/Kadima Heschel West is dedicated to educating children of
diverse backgrounds through an outstanding General Studies curriculum that prepares
them for success in top high schools and universities. The Judaic Studies program
connects children to their community while nurturing compassionate, ethical, and
socially responsible individuals. Kadima graduates leave with excellent academic
preparation as well as a clear understanding of their Jewish values.

For admissions information please contact the Admissions Department at 818/346-0849
x339 or email admissions@kadimaacademy.org or info@khwms.org.

The Night Kadima Made History.

What an evening!

Tonight we heard the big news about Kadima's Community Tuition Partnership. After several months of planning the Board of Trustees announced that Kadima will be dropping its tuition for the 2009-2010 school year by approximately 20 percent for elementary school and for Kadima Heschel West Middle School. Here's the comparison between this year and next year's tuition:


In a stirring call to action, and at the end of extradordinary speeches by alumni, administration, and Board leadership, Rabbi Stewart Vogel of Temple Aliyah praised Kadima's decision and urged its stakeholders to serve as Pioneers, Partners and Ambassadors. Kadima's decision to lower tuition--when the recent history of private schools has been to raise tuition--is pioneering. Its decision puts Kadima--and its stakeholders--at the vanguard of Jewish Day School education. Yet, the effort will only work if the school and its community partner by working together to bring financial support and new students to the school Finally, the stakeholders must serve as ambassadors to spread the good news about Kadima's program.

It was a historic evening.

Economic Realities and The Need for Action.

Tomorrow night, the Kadima Board of Trustees will be holding an incredibly exciting and critical meeting regarding its Community Tuition Partnership. It is important for all parents to attend this meeting.

It is well established that economic downturns--especially bad ones like the present one--affect Jewish Day Schools. Way back in 2003 during the last recession--which was nothing like the present one in terms of severity--a study was done by the Avi Chai Foundation concerning the affect of the economic downturn on Jewish Day Schools. The study concluded that:

"It is quite clear that for most day schools, the current economic downturn has had
a pronounced adverse impact, affecting them in a variety of ways: enrollment,
tuition arrearages, scholarship applications, fundraising, and staffing capabilities.
It has also affected the families of day school students, among whom there are
clearly a number who are experiencing stress. Moreover, many of the consequences
of the situation are still unfolding. There is reason to believe that there may
be an even greater negative impact in the school year that has just opened on
school finances and enrollment. "

The Kadima Board of Trustees recognizes this reality. And the Board stands ready to try to do something about it. Tomorrow's meeting will be the first step in this plan. It is important that all members of the Kadima community attend this meeting.

Technology. Laptops. Excitement.

Last night, my sixth grader brought home his school issued Macbook for the first time. All of our Middle School students get their own laptops to use during their three years at the Middle School. The technology teacher had given the class specific instructions--followed up by an email to the parents--about how he was to care for the computer. He was thrilled to have the laptop, and excited to show all of its parts and software to the rest of the family. We were thrilled that he knew how to use the laptop and was learning to use it as a tool to complete his work, and that it was not just a toy.

We routinely speak about the need to teach our children to compete in a highly technological world and highly competitive world. At the Middle School, our technology program truly is second to none. We teach kids not only how computers work, but also how to work with computers. Whether it is downloading assignments from the school's website (the Middle School uses a great program, First Class, to connect the students and parents to the school's academic world), using software to create a musical composition, reviewing teachers' notes on line, learning to keyboard, or mastering software, the most important thing is that the technology program is fully integrated with the rest of the educational program. As our Middle School students use their computers for all of their regular subjects, "technology" becomes less of a class in itself (although students continue to learn about technology as a subject) and more a mechanism for them to use to achieve their educational goals. Just we all use our computers to accomplish certain tasks, our students similarly use their computers. A brief description of the Middle School's technology program is here.

We know that this off topic again, but one of the privileges of running a blog is that the author gets to go off topic sometimes. Rather than have the blog go silent while we review the resumes that arrive, this blog is a valuable tool to help our community remain connected to Kadima.

An Important Meeting

This is somewhat off topic, but we wanted to remind all of our stakeholders to attend the very important meeting at the school on December 9 at 7:00 p.m. Our Board will be presenting important information regarding a revolutionary new model for addressing the cost of Jewish Day School education, so it is important that you all try to attend.

We know that these are difficult economic times. Educators around the country are trying to address the issue. For one interesting take on the economic downturn's potential effect upon private school education from the leader of the National Association of Independent Schools, take a look here.

With regard to our search, you can see our first on line advertisement here. We expect additional advertisements to be placed in the coming days.

Some Interesting Poll Data

We know that some of you may be curious about the results of the online survey we did about our short term and long term goals for new Head of School. We received 69 responses (out of about 200 emails sent, which is considered an excellent response); thank you to those who responded. Here are the results:

Of the following activities typically expected of a head of school, please select up to five activities that you believe should be the focus of the Head of School either immediately or during the next three years. PLEASE SELECT NO MORE THAN FIVE ACTIVITIES.

Partnering with the Board to set the agenda. 22% Strategic planning for the future/visioning. 54% Fundraising. 20% Nurturing the school's community and values. 52% Financial management/stewardship of resources. 39% Improving communication among all stakeholders. 22% Enhancing admissions and enrollment. 49% Providing educational leadership (program/curriculum). 84% Evaluation and professional development of faculty. 78% Managing image/community relations (external public relations) 29% Other, please specify 9%

Which five of the following strategic priorities do you believe are in need of completion by the new head of school over the next three to five years? SELECT NO MORE THAN FIVE ACTIVITIES.

Recruiting, retaining and compensating quality faculty.		80%
Expanding parent and alumni giving/support.		6%
Developing a sound five year financial plan for the school.		52%
Creating a state of the art program and curriculum.		74%
Managing and expanding effective use of technology.		33%
Communicating with internal and external audiences.		19%
Creating a diverse and inclusive school community.		30%
Improving parent/school relationships.		35%
Marketing/branding the school.		39%
Renovating/enhancing school facilities.		13%
Developing a more global outlook and programming for the school.		20%
Creating a more environmentally sustainable school building and practices.		20%
Developing a more cohesive school community.		36%
Other, please specify		9%

As you can see, most respondents focused upon educational aspects of the Head of School's job. These tasks concern the Head of School's role as "guarantor" (as discussed a few posts below) of the school's educational achievements. While the Head of School normally does not, directly, involve himself or herself in the details of a school's educational program (that's a job for the principal), the Head must still ensure that the school is achieving the educational results demanded by the school's stakeholders. The poll results show that parents overwhelming want a Head of School that will guarantee the continued academic quality of Kadima.

We also found interesting that our parents did not focus upon fundraising and admissions; yet, conversely; our Board members overwhelmingly voted that these were the most critical goals for the new Head of School. Board respondents unanimously stated that admissions was the most important immediate goal of the new Head of School, with fundraising and community relations tied for second.

When you think about it, this makes sense. While parents focus solely upon educational aspects of the school, the Board of Trustees also works to ensure that Kadima remains a center of Jewish education in the San Fernando Valley. Board members certainly demand excellence from Kadima's educational product, but Board members also look at the school's budget, and they know that such excellence costs a lot of money. The easiest way to raise this money is not fundraising from already strapped stakeholders; the most efficient way is to create a program that attracts huge numbers of kids to the school. When viewed in this light, it is hardly surprising the Board members would look at increasing student admissions as being one of the primary goals for a new Head of School.

What is a Head of School, anyway?

We often hear comments from stakeholders that suggest that there is some confusion about the nature and role of the Head of School. This is hardly surprising, since the job of a Head of School is somewhat amorphous. To quote Potter Stewart, we all know it when we see it, but nonetheless, it is useful to to clarify certain basic principles (and not principals) regarding the issue.

First, the Head of School is not a principal. The school principal develops curriculum, supervises teachers, visits classrooms, works with students, meets with parents, and monitors all aspects of the school's educational program. Because the principal reports to the Head, the Head needs some amount of background in education in order to supervise the principal. However, it is the principal, and not the Head of School, that is most directly involved in developing, managing and supervising the school's educational program. The principal must be the educational expert. For example, when parents have an issue with a teacher (hopefully that never happens at Kadima), the parents should, at least in the first instance, go to the principal, and not to the Head of School. Similarly, if a student has an issue at school the first stop after the teacher is to go to the principal, and not to the Head of School. One of Kadima's challenges in recent years has been the blurring of this role, and the Board is intent upon correcting this in the future. We hope to have both a Head of School and principal on board in the future.

Second, the Head is not a business manager or Director of Finance. Throughout this process, several people have expressed that what Kadima really needs is a person who will "run the school more like a business." But this misses the point. The school has a Director of Finance--Arnold Rudnick--and he's capable of handling the business aspects of the school. While the Head must understand basic financial issues and be able to understand a balance sheet and income statement, as well as managing a budget, the Head need not be a financial wizard in order to be successful.

If the Head is not a principal and not a financial person what is the Head of School?

Most importantly, the Head of School serves as the school's public face. The Head of School must be charismatic and inspirational; the best Head of School succeeds by effectively convincing parents that they should entrust their children's educations to the school and also similarly convincing the community that they should financially support the school. Ultimately, it boils down to leadership: the Head--and the school--will only succeed if the Head is an effective, charismatic and compelling leader who can build community commitment to the school.

But leadership alone is not enough. To build commitment to a school, the Head of School must also deliver results. Hence, the Head of School must also be the guarantor of the school's educational product. It is not enough for the Head simply to sell the school and make the case for the school. The Head and the school will both fail unless the Head also ensures that the school is, in fact, fulfilling the goals promised to the parents and community. In this capacity, the Head must be an effective manager; the Head must hire the right people and properly supervise them (but not do their jobs for them) in order to ensure that the school is operating effectively.

It is a hard job. But it is absolutely critical to the school's success. And that's why the Committee, along with the Board, is working so hard to get this right.

Shabbat Shalom.

The Qualities We Seek.

At last night's Board meeting, the Board of Trustees spent time analyzing what it believes Kadima needs in a new Head of School. We had a great discussion as we considered what we wanted Kadima to become under its new Head of School and what skills and characteristics we'd ultimately want from a new Head of School.

We all agreed what we want Kadima to continue its present successes and have the new Head of School ensure that Kadima is a sustainable, effective, visionary, and preeminent center of Jewish education. We want Kadima to be a locus of the Jewish community; a place where people not only know that their kids are receiving the best in secular and Jewish education, but a place where they can be part of a nurturing and committed Jewish community.

We hope to hire a Head that will build upon our history, continue it, and advance it.

The Board also talked about the following characteristics and talents of the new Head of School:

• Charisma, Communications, and General Leadership. We want a Head of School that will inspire our stakeholders and encourage our community to send their children to Kadima. We need a Head that will continue the legacy of trust, inspiration, and belief that has allowed Kadima to exist for nearly 40 years. We want a Head of School that will be an embodiment of a Kadima education; an individual who will present an image of bold and confident leadership to the public, as well as demonstrating the menschlekeit that is emblematic of Kadima.
• Educational Leadership. We want a Head of School that will serve as the guarantor of the Educational philosophy and educational results expected and desired of a Kadima education. While the Head of School will not handle the details of educational management--a principal will ultimately do that--the Head will oversee the educational product and make sure that it comports to the vision the Head is charismatically presenting to our community.
  
• Management Capacity and Skill. We want a Head of School that can effectively build, oversee and manage the entire school operation; an executive that can also raise the means necessary to keep the school sustainable.
• Board Mentoring and Stewardship. The Board wants a Head of School that will work closely with the Board and the stakeholders to develop and refine Kadima's vision and Mission.
  

If you know of anyone who meets these qualifications, be sure to let us know at kadimaheadsearch@gmail.com.

It was a great meeting.

A Blog for the HOS Search Committee

Welcome!

Kadima Hebrew Academy's Head of School Search Committee now has a blog. This blog will be the central location for all things related to Kadima Hebrew Academy's search for a new Head of School.


After ten years under the able leadership of Dr. Barbara Gereboff, Kadima is looking for a new leader for its school. Look to this blog for updates and communiques regarding our efforts. It is also place to provide comments regarding our efforts as we go through this process.


As many of you know, we have assembled a terrific and broad Search Committee. The Committee members include:


Jack Sholkoff, Chair. Jack has served on Kadima’s Board of Trustees for seven years and am currently serving my fifth year as Executive Vice President. My son attends sixth grade in the middle school.

Rabbi Richard Camras. Rabbi Camras is the Rabbi of Shomrei Torah Synagogue and is a teacher, educator, and leader in the Jewish community. Rabbi Camras’ daughter is in the sixth grade at Kadima Heschel West Middle School.

Shawn Evenhaim. Shawn is the President of Kadima. He has served tirelessly in leading the school for the past several years, and in particular, was instrumental in providing the school with its permanent home. His oldest son is a recent Kadima graduate. He also currently has a son in the middle school and a son in the elementary school.

Brett Grauman. Brett is a member of the Board of Trustees and currently serves as our Treasurer. He has a son in Kadima’s pre-school and a daughter in second grade.

Leora Raikin. Leora’s son is in the fourth grade at Kadima and she has been actively involved in recruiting and volunteering for Kadima.

Mari Siegel. Ms. Siegel teaches social studies in the middle school and has taught at Kadima for thirty years.

Natalie Spiewak. Natalie is the President of Kadima’s parent teacher organization (PTO) and a member of our Board. She has a son in kindergarten and a daughter in third grade.

Mark Teitelbaum. Mark has served on the Kadima Executive Board for the past 5 years and currently is Executive Vice-President. He also served for many years on the Executive Committee of Heschel Day School (Northridge), and served on the Search Committee that found and engaged Heschel’s present Head of School. He is also a founder of New Community Jewish High School and a parent of a Kadima graduate.

Rabbi Stewart Vogel. Rabbi Vogel is the Senior Rabbi at Temple Aliyah and President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. He has extensive experience and training as an educator, administrator and teacher. His four children have attended Kadima and his youngest son is in the seventh grade.

Howard Wang. Howard is the founding director of Sierra Canyon School, one of the premier secular private schools in the United States. Howard has been a leader in private school education for more than three decades.

Elana Zimmerman. Elana is the immediate past president of New Community Jewish High School. Both of her daughters graduated from Kadima.

The Committee has met and has discussed the merits of using a Search Consultant or going it alone, since we have several members who have significant contacts within the education community. We have also had a detailed discussion concerning the type of leader we believe will best serve Kadima in the post-Gereboff era, and are also working closely with the Board of Trustees in this area. We are seeking input from a variety of sources--parents, teachers, community leaders and other experts as we move forward with the search process.

We are also conducting a brief internet survey regarding the tasks that our stakeholders believe are most important for the next Head of School. The survey results are coming in, and they are interesting, as they reveal that different stakeholders--board members, parents, teachers--have different perspectives on what the major priorities are. It will be the Search Committee's job to synthesize this information as we move forward with the search.

We've been pleased with the survey tool--Zoomerang--which allows us to conduct surveys quickly and inexpensively. We may use this material again as we seek to get as much input as we can from our various constituencies.

Stay tuned to this blog for more information and more reports as we move forward toward finding a new leader for Kadima Hebrew Academy. And you can always send an email to kadimaheadsearch@gmail.com with your confidential comments.

And please forgive the formatting errors, we are still learning how to blog!