En raison du prix élevé de la poste, nous avons limité cette lettre à une langue. Pour une traduction française, veuillez adresser votre demande par e-mail jusqu'à 17 juin à l'adresse suivante : versionfrancaise@yahoo.com.au

11 June 2002

As you know, the International School of Geneva's Governing Board has decided to hold a referendum, a vote of "confidence or no confidence" in its leadership. This vote is critical to the future of the school. As a group of La Chat parents who have volunteered many hours for the school – either through serving on the CDG, the PTA, as class reps, or through the various groups that work to improve school programs – we feel that we have come to know the school well. For reasons that we will explain in this letter, we urge you to vote for keeping this Board.

While the atmosphere throughout the Foundation has significantly deteriorated during the last several months, we believe it is important to highlight some of the progress that has been made, specifically at La Chat. Certainly there have been missteps, mistakes, and errors of judgement on all sides, and the Board is responsible for its share. However, we believe that one important result of the turmoil is that the Board is firmly committed to a thorough reassessment of how the Foundation – and the individual campuses – are governed.

This reassessment has already begun in the form of a Governance Task Force, which includes teachers, parents, alumni, administrators, and present and former board members. The work and conclusions of the task force will have a profound effect on La Chat and the Foundation as a whole. Clearly, the Foundation and its campuses have evolved to the point where a change in the governance structure is necessary.

However, to bring about effective change for the long term, we need stability in the short term. Turning out the present board will only bring important work on governance and other key issues to a standstill. At this critical turning point in the life of the school, we cannot afford that.

None of us is 100 percent satisfied with the path the Foundation has taken in recent years; our public debates, which tend to focus on problems, are evidence of that. However, it is important to consider some of what has been achieved over the last 18 months, under the direction of the current Board and Director General. The following are a few examples of the progress we are making at the school:

• Regular, professional appraisal is being introduced for teachers and administrators; the first annual appraisal of the DG's performance has been conducted by the Board with input from some 50 teachers, administrators and parents on all campuses.

• The Board and DG, with extensive input from staff, parents, and relevant professionals, established and implemented a comprehensive Child Welfare Policy to protect our children from inappropriate actions, and teachers from inappropriate allegations.

• Important measures have been taken to improve communication within the school community – Board meeting highlights via email, the DG's newsletter, the La Chat Bulletin, and Carpe Diem, the student newspaper.

• La Chat has developed a long-range capital projects plan with input from teachers, administrators, parents and the CDG. The plan includes a comprehensive list of capital projects for all building renovation and expansion needs, with estimated costs, in priority order.

• To implement the first phase of this plan, the Board recently approved the following capital projects for La Chat:

• The purchase of the Deblue land across from La Chat's Sports Hall. The CDG is currently working on plans for how best to use the land to relieve overcrowding and improve the quality of education at all levels of the school;
• Remodeling the old secondary library to create more classroom space (work to begin this summer);
• Construction of a new sports facility and renovation of the old one (the architectural competition will begin this summer);
• The addition of a third floor to the La Chat primary building to provide larger classrooms, space for more computers, and a lunchroom – to better serve existing students, not to expand enrollment;
• Renovation of the Ancien Batiment (old secondary building);
• Funds for a variety of projects to improve our campus security;
• Funds for improving recreational space at La Chat.

Regarding finances and tuition increases, the Board has hired a professional accounting firm to review all the finances of the school, in an effort to improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary expenditures. At the same time, we believe the Board is committed to supporting our teachers. It conducted a focused survey of salaries at comparable schools, resulting in a new teachers' contract with increases that allow us to offer competitive salaries to recruit and maintain our excellent faculty.

The Board has also hired a Development Director to raise funds for the school. The campaign is off to a good start. Several million Swiss francs have been raised so far for capital projects on existing campuses and the possible construction of a campus at Grand Saconnex. In coordination with the Development Director, La Chat now has a fundraising committee to identify key needs and fundraising strategies for the campus. This work is important – over time, developing a second source of income should mean parents won't have to face the significant tuition increases of recent years.

Finally, it is important to note that the accreditation self-study is progressing well, with the involvement of teachers, administrators, parents, students and board members. Numerous La Chat committees are working on issues ranging from curriculum development to guidance, student life, and assessment of learning. Foundation-wide committees are working on refining the school's philosophy and objectives, organization and administration, staffing, and financial management. This process is bringing back a sense of ownership of the school by the community.

This process of re-accreditation for the school, and the work it entails, is as crucial to the future of the school as the reassessment of governance. Our accreditation self-study must be completed in the fall, after which the school will undergo a review by over 40 professionals from around the world. These professionals will visit the school in April to judge whether we will be re-accredited.

***

These are pivotal times for La Chat and the Foundation as a whole. The re-accreditation process is as vital to today's secondary students as it is to tomorrow's. The reassessment of governance will determine how we make decisions that affect the future of our school – and our students – for years to come. All of us – parents, teachers, students, administrators – want change and improvement. The choice before us is how to best achieve that.

Turning out the present board would no doubt bring about a change of personalities, but it would do little to address the core issues that need to be addressed. Replacing board members at this time would not bring us any closer toward realizing the school's agreed objectives; rather, it would create further uncertainty and instability, at a time when we need stability to continue building on the progress we have already made.

We urge you to vote for a steady process of change and improvement, through hard work and cooperation. In this way, we will provide our teachers with the tools they need to carry on their work in a positive atmosphere, and we will provide our children with the best education possible. We urge you to vote in favor of keeping the Board.

Sincerely,

Anja Barnhoorn-de Lange, Class Parent Rep

Henry Birt, CDG rep to Finance Committee

Sabine Birt, Former Primary Class Parent Rep Coordinator

Jane Boynton, Class Parent Rep

Marlene Buckler-Zahar, Class Parent Rep

Alicia Griffiths, Class Parent Rep Coordinator, Chat Years 1-6; & Member, ECIS Accreditation Committee on Health Services and Safety

Deborah Guebert, Class Parent Rep Coordinator Years 10-13; & Member, Education Committee

Sandra Hails, former President, PTA; Member, Child Welfare Committee; & Member, ECIS Accreditation Committee on Foundation Staff

Elaine Hamid, Class Parent Rep