Governance Structure Overview
The purpose of the governance structure at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork is to create an environment and methods of operation that will allow the faculty as a whole to deepen its study of pedagogy, the students’ needs and anthroposophy. A second purpose is to provide clear mandates and guidelines for decision-making authority for each governing body, giving clear guidance to our methods of operation, while honoring the community’s wisdom and the spiritual wellspring that gives life to Waldorf Education.
The focus of the faculty is cultivation and implementation of the pedagogical mission of the school, which has as its foundation in anthroposophy and the educational insights of Rudolf Steiner. The faculty committees oversee: the school programs and faculty mentoring and evaluation (Pedagogical Council), student support needs and assessment (Care Group) the Kinderhaus programs (Early Childhood Committee), discipline issues (Guidance Council) and the festivals (festival committees). The faculty is mandated to make recommendations to the Faculty Administrator and the Administrative Council regarding pedagogical issues and teacher hiring. The Faculty Administrator oversees and is accountable for the faculty. (note: At WSRF the full circle of teachers is considered the College of Teachers, as referred to by Rudolf Steiner)
The focus of the staff is efficient running of the school operations. Staff positions currently include: Enrollment Coordinator (will eventually be overseen by the Community Development Administrator), Office Manager, Office Assistant, Director-Qualified Administrative Assistant, and bookkeeper as well as bus drivers and cleaning and maintenance staff. The Business Administrator oversees and is accountable for the staff.
The focus of the Parent Council is to serve, support and enhance the education of all children of the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork Valley and be the voice of the parent body as well as to help create a sense of community, to participate enthusiastically in school activities and to strive to become living models of the values held in Waldorf education. The Parent Council is designed to be supported by the Community Development Administrator. In the absence of the Community Development Administrator, the leaders of Parent Council have stepped forward to support the Board by carrying some of the work of this position.
The Administrative Council serves as Head of School and is designed to have three members that oversee and are accountable for the three realms of school life: the pedagogy (Faculty Administrator), the business affairs (Business Administrator), and community building and development (Community Development Administrator). The Community Development Administrator, currently has not been hired due to budgetary constraints and the Board is overseeing the tasks of that position. The Administrative Council is responsible for oversight and support for daily operations, including school programs, personnel, facilities, and resources, while effectively advancing strategic goals for school improvement. This decision-making body receives recommendations from the other bodies of the school as appropriate. The Board of Trustees oversees and is accountable for the Administrative Council.
The mission of the Board of Trustees is to ensure financial health and stability, legal compliance, physical plant integrity and creation/implementation of long-range strategic plans for the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork in a moral and ethical fashion according to the principles of Waldorf education. The Board Committees oversee the finances (Finance Committee), recruitment of new Board members (Trustee Development Committee), the Administrative Council (Administrative Council Oversight Committee) and the Community Development Administrator tasks (Development Committee). The Board of Trustees is accountable to the federal and state governments for legal and financial compliance issues, and to the entire Waldorf community for the fulfillment of its mission.