Above Board: Fall 2026 | News | Friends Select School

Friends Select’s board of trustees is responsible

Who are the trustees?
We are educators, lawyers, corporate and nonprofit leaders, and entrepreneurs. A third of us are Friends Select alumni, and another third are parents of current FSS students. Just over half of us are Quakers. We self-identify as African American, Asian American, White, Jewish, Hindu, Christian, LGBTQ+, male, and female. Our love of Friends education and Friends Select in particular is the glue that binds us as a board.

How do we work?
Most of the board’s detailed work occurs in committees, with each trustee serving on at least one committee. The board as a whole meets roughly eight times a year to act on committee recommendations, approve the annual budget, set tuition and compensation, support the head of school, and develop our skills as trustees.

• Committee on Trusteeship serves as a nominating committee for the board, orients new trustees, and ensures that we follow our bylaws in every aspect of our work together.
• Development Committee works closely with office staff to support all fundraising efforts, including the annual fund, planned giving, and leadership gift solicitations. 
• Finance Committee handles the fiduciary work of the board, including the annual budget and managing the school’s endowment. 
• Head’s Advisory Committee supports the head of school throughout the year and also conducts his annual goal-setting and performance review.
• Property Committee monitors the school’s physical plant needs, including both maintaining current systems and responding to expansion opportunities. 
• Quaker Life Committee ensures that the board is following Friends practices in its work. The committee also plans events that build the relationship with the two Friends meetings with whom we have a care relationship.

What has the board been working on recently?
In addition to its routine work, the board negotiated the lease for the second and third floors of the Three Parkway Building as part of our Parkway Campus Expansion, enabling students and employees to move into new spaces in January 2026. The board reviewed plans and finances for the construction of the Friends Select Green, a major improvement to the outdoor spaces available for student learning, growth, and enjoyment of nature, with an anticipated opening in August 2027. We engaged in professional development on AI practices and policies for schools and evaluated our own use of AI as a board. These are just some of the many things that the board has been prioritizing to maintain the vitality of our school and our community.  

By Nancy van Arkel, Board Clerk