Lowell School, Inc. is a non-profit educational institution organized under the laws of the District of Columbia. The School is governed by a Board of Trustees, which is responsible for determining the mission and strategic plan of the School, establishing overall policy and assuring financial stability. Through its selection of a Head of School to serve as Lowell’s chief executive officer, the Board also ensures implementation of the policies it has adopted.
This year’s Board consists of 27 voting members who serve staggered one-, two-, or three-year terms. Typical of independent schools, Lowell’s Board of Trustees is self-perpetuating, electing new members at the end of each school year from nominees put forth by the Committee on Trustees. Members include the Head of School and the President of the Parents’ Association, who are ex-officio voting members, serving with full voting rights for the period each holds his or her position. The Board also includes a faculty representative, as a non-voting, ex-officio member.
Lowell’s current Board of Trustees consists primarily of Lowell parents but also includes representation from the Lowell faculty and administration and non-parent and alumni parent members. More significantly, the membership consists of individuals from a range of professions, including administrators, educators, fundraisers, money-managers, lawyers, planners, builders, and researchers — who together bring a variety of skills to the work of the board. The Board strives for diversity in the backgrounds and skills of trustees; however, all members share a common institutional commitment and fiduciary responsibility to maintain the character, philosophy, and fiscal health of Lowell School.
The Board works through standing committees: Admissions, Buildings and Grounds, Development, Diversity, Finance, Personnel Policies, Trustees, and Head Support and Review. The Board also has a task force focused on marketing and communications. From time to time, parents, staff, and others who are not trustees serve on Board committees or task forces. In the normal course, the Board holds eight regular meetings during the school year and an annual meeting at the close of the school year, which is attended by newly elected Board members. Actions of the Board are reported regularly to the community through letters from the Chair of the Board. Board meetings generally are scheduled from 7:00-9:30 pm on the third Thursday of the month.