The State of NCS is—Excellent!

In her April 8, 2015 “State of the School” address to the NCS Parents Association, Head of School Kathleen O’Neill Jamieson reported on progress made on the goals of NCS’s 2012-2017 Strategic Plan, a very successful admission season, new coordinate activities with St. Albans, and the status of funding for the new library.

Mrs. Jamieson began by recognizing the contributions and professionalism of our Cathedral Choristers, who in addition to a rigorous schedule for Easter Week, have sung at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall this year. She also noted the many Scholastic Awards in art and finalist awards in the Parkmont Poetry Festival earned by NCS students.

She then spoke about a wide range of school activities, many of which are fulfilling goals set by the Strategic Plan:

• Our STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program is making impressive progress. The appointment of Nancy Ehrlich as STEM coordinator and the creation of the engineering “Garage” in the school’s Carriage House are supporting STEM curricular initiatives in all grades. “We want to engage girls as soon as possible,” said Mrs. Jamieson. “The earlier students are engaged in these disciplines, the more they will elect to follow them in the future.” NCS students’ success in their first year of competition in the Science Olympiad, when they medalled in 23 out of 23 events at a regional competition, is just one sign of new student engagement in STEM.

• In support of professional development, a faculty committee has developed a comprehensive evaluation system that has expanded the process to include more peer classroom observations, goal setting, professional reflection, and collaborative planning. The first cohort to use the new system will begin this fall. Mrs. Jamieson also announced of this year’s recipients of endowed awards for faculty, including the Katharine Lee International Study Award to Social Sciences Teacher Rita Rajen, and the John S. Wood Great Cities Teaching Fellowship to Foreign Languages Teacher Kate Sheeler. In addition, many faculty are presenting at discipline-specific conferences.

• The new daily schedule implemented with St. Albans is achieving many of its goals, including new opportunities for coordination. While STA and NCS have committed to a two-year test period for the schedule “without tinkering,” the Lower School will move forward on the goals of the Strategic Plan to increase language study period in grades 4-6 and to increase science study time in grade 4.

• Mrs. Jamieson announced that the two schools are committed to a coordinate health and wellness program, one that will also involve more communication with parents. The Middle School “Prevention Convention,” to be held on May 12 for 8th grade NCS and STA students, will include parents for the first time. She also noted that the April 14 Diversity Forum will be a coordinate activity.

Enrollment: NCS is now fully enrolled for the 2015-2016 school year. The greatest numbers of new students are entering in grades 4, 6, and 9.  Mrs. Jamieson also reported that NCS’s historically low attrition remains just that: 2.4% to date, in comparison to an average 9-11% in similar independent schools.

The Annual Fund and Campaign for NCS. With only a few short months left, our faithful volunteers are seeking $413K to meet the Annual Fund goal. The highest percentage of individual class participation is currently 71%, which leaves room for growth in all classes. The Annual Fund plays an essential role in NCS’s operating budget, helping to fill the gap between tuition and the cost of an NCS education.

Mrs. Jamieson announced that construction on the renovation of Procter Hall will begin this June, with funds successfully raised to complete the performance arts level and first floor. “Our goal is to raise the remaining $5.3 million need to keep the construction going to get the library done by September of 2016. The entire project could be completed in just over a year, if we can continue construction. The full project will include the new library, a new chapel in the old ‘Whitby Gym,’ and a new courtyard, all of which will have a major positive impact on school life.”

Finances. Following Mrs. Jamieson’s remarks, Governing Board Finance Committee Chair Elise Rabekoff gave an overview of the school’s finances and the budget for the coming year. She described NCS as “very well-managed,” having maintained a balanced budget, with surpluses, for multiple years. She reported the school’s endowment has recovered from the recession, but at $27 million is still too small—two-thirds short of the usual benchmark for an endowment (three times an institution’s operating budget; NCS’s is $24 million).

Ms. Rabekoff noted that the budget is where the school’s goals and philosophies work out in practice. “Are we meeting our academic excellence and communitarian goals? Can we be the school we want to be and the reason we send our girls here? These are the questions we must ask when working on the budget,” she said.

Ms. Rabekoff reported that the new budget for FY16 includes a $1330 increase in tuition and a $200K increase in financial aid. The Annual Fund goal will increase by 2.5%. She announced that to help retain the best teachers, NCS will institute a 50% tuition remission program for faculty and staff for the first time next year. (In the past, faculty have received a benefit in the calculation of financial aid.) She also explained current efforts to anticipate and plan for payments on debt related to construction of the Athletic Center and the underground Cathedral garage.