Pressing Questions: If you only had the funds for one campus physical improvement, what would you make?
Spring 2019
That’s what Alex Brosowsky, now in his fourth year as head of school at The Quaker School at Horsham (PA), recently asked several heads of school.
I recently visited a school for its 10-year accreditation. I try to serve on at least one accreditation team per year, as I believe they are truly the best professional development experiences.
When visiting the school, I learned that they were replacing SMART boards with amazingly thin LCD touchscreens that don’t require a projector. I was blown away, and during the interview process, I couldn’t stop daydreaming about installing these beauties in every classroom at my school.
On the train ride home, reality and disillusionment set in. At The Quaker School, we currently have a parking lot renovation planned. We don’t have the capital expense budget to refit our classroom technology and make new parking spaces. I realized I needed to choose.
This made me wonder what kinds of choices my fellow heads of school are making, especially when they have limited funds—or funds only for one major project. I reached out to colleagues to gain some perspective.
“For every potential physical plant project, I weigh three essentials in order: safety, program, and beauty. Miquon’s decision to invest in an upcoming library renovation meets all three criteria—a replacement for a building built in the 1930s. This is the one project to fund because it unites our past with ideas we imagine for the future of the school. It’s a bigger project than we can independently afford and requires our community to join us in supporting what can be. Most of all, it stands as a clear example of our responsibility to care for the facilities that have gotten us this far.”—Susannah Wolf, Principal, The Miquon School (PA)
“Timber-framed Lane Auditorium at Oakwood Friends hosted sock hops in the 50s, political sit-ins in the 60s, and speakers including Eleanor Roosevelt, Norman Rockwell, journalist and alumnus Juan Williams, and singer Bonnie Raitt. To ensure its structural integrity and legacy, multiple renovations are needed. Original steam-heating systems, windows, plumbing, locker rooms, and architectural layout remain largely unchanged and require attention. Expanded ADA accessibility, electrical upgrades, increased seating capacity, and smart-technology HVAC and energy-efficient insulation and windows will help ensure another century at the center of our school community.”—Chad Cianfrani, Head of School, Oakwood Friends School (NY)
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