Governance

Scattergood Friends School is owned and under the care of Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative). All responsibility for governance of the school falls to the The School Committee. The School Committee is a group of 14 to 20 individuals from various backgrounds, most Quaker but not all, who serve for terms of 3 years. Committee members attend six School Committee meetings each year and serve on various subcommittees. Their mission is to support the goals and program of the school. They work to be open to new insights from any source and to be unencumbered by conflicting interests, roles, and loyalties.

Current Board Members

  • Ruth Hampton (clerk) – ’85
  • Roy Helm (assistant clerk) – ’76
  • George Bergus
  • Monica Beals – ’88
  • Linda Corbin-Pardee
  • Kris Hilgendorf – ’77
  • Katie Jacoby
  • Nancy Jordan
  • Alex Lippitt
  • Eric Stakland – ’69
  • Kent Tjossem
  • David Wilcox
  • Aaron Woolfson – ’91

2020-2025 Strategic Plan

  • Affirm that our curriculum, policies, and programs are mission oriented.

    • Conduct Community Healing Project
    • Review and revise student, staff, and School Committee handbooks
    • Launch a revitalized theater program for the middle school and high school
    • Report findings of Community Healing Project to extended Scattergood community
    • Complete a comprehensive curriculum scope and sequence
    • Conduct the ISACS re-accreditation process
    • Conduct the Friends Council on Education re-accreditation process
    • Launch the Peace & Social Transformation, Sustainable Agriculture, and Arts & Craftsmanship focus areas
    • Revisit to reaffirm or revise our Mission and Vision Statements
    • Launch a revitalized interscholastic sports program

  • Address facilities needs and bring dorms into compliance with modern regulations and standards.

    • Begin preliminary planning phase for the Comprehensive Campaign
    • Conduct the Feasibility Study for the Comprehensive Campaign
    • Revamp The Hickory Grove, a comprehensive Estate Planning Program
    • Kick off the Public Phase of the Comprehensive Campaign
    • Begin scheduling dorm renovation projects
    • Report the results of the Comprehensive Campaign to the community
    • Hold a celebratory event to honor the community’s support of the Comprehensive Campaign

  • Create a more sustainable work environment and compensation package to promote stability in staff.

    • Improve staff health insurance by outsourcing human resources services
    • Increase faculty and staff professional development through Friends Council on Education, ISACS, TABS, etc.
    • Implement a compensation plan that incentivises staff retention
    • Examine and adjust calendar and schedule planning to be more sustainable for staff
    • Host a Friends Council on Education event to promote the school and help with recruitment

  • Connect with our extended Scattergood community, in particular our alumni.

    • Reopen campus to alumni and visitors
    • Engage the local community through organized events such as work days, theater performances, and Practical Farmers of Iowa
    • Engage the community by visiting local organizations such as monthly Friends meetings, Lions club, and other mission-aligned groups
    • Host an Alumni Arts Reunion (August 2023)
    • Increase opportunities for on-campus activities for alumni and IYM(C) members
    • Implement the revised development communications schedule

  • Address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at all levels of the institution.

    • School Committee to work with consultant on DEI training
    • Broaden new staff recruitment efforts beyond familiar sources to reach a wider candidate pool
    • Audit the newly revised Curriculum Scope and Sequence to ensure that we address issues of systemic racism, climate change, social justice, and the interconnected nature of these topics
    • Begin incorporating the recommendations of the School Committee from their DEI trainings
    • Continue working with our consultant to identify additional blindspots in our policies

  • Raise enrollment levels to capacity in both the Middle and High School programs.

    • Establish a consistent summer camp program to serve as both a revenue stream and a pipeline for prospective students
    • Build relationships with consulting firms to increase the number of prospective, international students
    • Develop stronger relationships with potential feeder schools, particularly those with similar missions and/or Quaker affiliation
    • Strengthen local outreach to Iowa City, West Branch, and other nearby communities.
    • Relaunch our website to be more compelling and thorough in depicting our academic program and student life experience
    • Create more opportunities for potential students and their families to be on campus for activities that connect to our program and mission