The Board of Trustees at Holland Christian is made up primarily of parents of children that attend the school. Typically, the Board members comprise a cross section of our school society. Over the decades that I have been involved with our board the Trustees have been trades people, educators, small business owners, doctors, pastors–and the list goes on. As we head into the 2021-2022 school year, we have 10 board members, but that number varies from year to year depending on the needs of the board and the availability of those willing to serve. The HC Board may be between 9 and 12 members. The common bond of all who serve on our Board is a passion for Holland Christian Schools and its mission to “Equip minds and nurture hearts to transform the world for Jesus Christ.”
Board of Trustees
Welcome to the Holland Christian Schools Board of Trustees section of the school’s website. It is our hope that the information presented here will be helpful to all school society members.
The Board of Trustees at Holland Christian is made up primarily of parents of children that attend the school. Typically, the Board members comprise a cross section of our school society. Over the decades that I have been involved with our board the Trustees have been trades people, educators, small business owners, doctors, pastors–and the list goes on. As we head into the 2021-2022 school year, we have 10 board members, but that number varies from year to year depending on the needs of the board and the availability of those willing to serve. The HC Board may be between 9 and 12 members. The common bond of all who serve on our Board is a passion for Holland Christian Schools and its mission to “Equip minds and nurture hearts to transform the world for Jesus Christ.”
We are a “Governing Board” as opposed to an “Administrative Board” or a “Representative Board.” A Governing Board does not participate in the day-to-day running of the school. That is the job of the Head of Schools and his or her administrative team. The Board works to assure that there are well defined governance, policies, funding, and organizational structure. The Board also assures that we have a very capable Head of Schools leading an administrative team of highly professional, highly capable staff members to execute our mission. Functionally the Board provides leadership in the areas of Education, Finance, Stewardship, and Trustees.
The Head of Schools reports to the Board of Trustees and is solely responsible to “run the school” day-to-day, semester-to-semester, and year-to-year.
This year the Board worked for several months examining and redefining our Strategic Priorities for the next 3 to 5 years. They are:
1. Holistic Christian Education and Faith Formation: Set and achieve well-defined goals in Christian education and faith formation/integration; equip students in partnership with families and churches.
2. Better Together in Christ: Thrive as a place of belonging and discovery for all families with focus on the changing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity within our Christian community and the different learning capabilities of students.
3. Academic Excellence: Pursue measurable and comparative evidence of academic excellence where each student is valued and equipped to reach his/her potential academically and with appropriate life skills.
4. Sustainability and Stewardship: Enhance enrollment growth processes and continue strong financial management to ensure long-term financial sustainability and affordability.
5. Leadership Development: Develop, empower, and retain dedicated professionals while enhancing the number of teachers and staff who are prepared to serve as academic and administrative leaders in Christian education.
Our Head of Schools, Eric Forseth, will now work with his administrative team to articulate how each of these priorities will be pursued and measured operationally.
As we move forward in pursuit of fulfilling our mission at Holland Christian, it is our ongoing hope that you will positively and prayerfully engage and support this work.
Sincerely in Christ,
Jeff Pett
President of the Board
Board of Trustees Information
2021-22 Board of Trustees
His areas of expertise at Hope College and in his field of Business and Economics are leadership, organizational effectiveness and change, and strategy and organization design. His research focuses on leadership and strategic change, power and politics in organizations, and the role of business in society. He began his career at NASA in Houston, Texas, as an internal organization development consultant. His subsequent consulting experience includes serving as a senior manager for Ernst & Young Management Consulting and as a practice leader for Hewitt Associates.
Chad values “raising my children in a community of faith, understanding that all the world belongs to God. More specifically, I value Holland Christian as it appears to give students the tools to think critically about a broad range of issues rather than merely indoctrinating them with a set of beliefs and ideas. Good theology is critical, but, to me, a sound reasoning faith trusts and thinks about God in all situations.”
Kevin appreciates the education that both he and his wife received from HCS, especially the worldview they learned here, that “God permeates everything, even math.” He says that this same worldview is “essential to instill in each generation, so as they enter the workforce they know that no matter what they are doing, kingdom building is present in that activity.” With his financial and vocational background, Kevin is well-gifted to be “part of an organization that is accountable to a much larger group of stakeholders and the challenges that go with that.” He is accustomed to working with the day-to-day “operations of an organization within a public sphere, but also being accountable for [its] long-term financial sustainability.”
Board Meeting Dates
The Board of Trustees holds its meetings monthly, with the following meeting dates currently scheduled:
- September 16
- October 21
- November 18
- December 16
- January 20
- February 17
- March 17
- April 21 (Annual Society Meeting)
- May 19
- June 16
- July 21
- August 18
The Holland Christian Board of Trustees welcomes your comments and suggestions. Please address your e-mail communications for board members to hcboard@hollandchristian.org. And look for Board/Superintendent Updates emailed to your inbox after each meeting.
Board Nomination Form
A Holland Christian Trustee should meet the following expectations:
• Be a member of the Holland Christian Education Society (an HC parent or donor)
• Be a supporter of Holland Christian Schools and its mission.
• Have a passion for and commitment to Christian education; be able to provide vision for the future of Christian education in our context.
• Be a committed Christian and a member in good standing of a Christian church.
• Demonstrate a commitment to a Reformed understanding of the Christian faith by signing a Faith Covenant.
• Be willing to assist with the fundraising efforts on behalf of Holland Christian Schools, including having a passion for addressing affordability issues.
• Not be employed by HCS or be a family member (spouse, parent, child) of an HCS employee. Also, no board members of the HC Foundation may serve concurrently on the HC board.
Board Trustee Nomination Form
Looking for more detail?
These are the highlights of why we do what we do, but if you want to read our full Statement of Educational Philosophy it goes into a lot more detail.