Governance Policies

ISNS Governance Policy

ISNS is one of several dozen schools owned by the family of Dr. Francis Pang. The family of schools is incorporated under the name of AKD – Advanced Knowledge Development.

The purpose of this policy is to outline the structure of local governance on site at ISNS. A separate AKD Board Policy is in place (see below) which describes the structure and operating procedures of the AKD Board.

Each school within the AKD company operates independently under the direction of its own Executive Director. Schools within the AKD company collaborate as they see fit.

The Executive Director for each school is appointed by Dr. Francis Pang, as the head of the company and chairperson of the board. The role of Executive Director is often filled by a member of the Pang family.

Role and Responsibilities of the Executive Director

The Executive Director reports directly to the AKD Board.

The Executive Director:

Provides the overall vision and sets the overall direction of the school.
Ensures that the campus is adequate to support the academic program and student numbers.
Gives approval for all major policy and operational decisions that may affect the direction of the school or have a legal impact on the school.
Approves the school’s guiding statements including the mission, vision and defining slogans.
Determines the overarching system of education by which the school operates – for example, the use of the New Brunswick Curriculum and the adoption of the IB programmes.
Approves the overall budget and annual budget category amounts.
Signs off on all purchases and expenditures.
Gives final approval for the hiring of all faculty and staff.
Signs the employment contracts for all faculty and staff.
Hires, supervises and evaluates the Head of School and the Directors of Operations, Finance and General Affairs. Supervision is conducted through weekly meetings and regular communication.

ISNS Management Structure

The Executive Director entrusts the day-to-day operations of ISNS to the Head of School and the Directors of Operations, Finance and General Affairs as follows:

All academic matters and issues are the responsibility of the Head of School (see job description).
All non-academic matters and issues are the responsibility of the Directors of Operations, Finance and General Affairs (see job descriptions).

The Head of School and Directors of Operations, Finance and General Affairs manage their teams according to school policies outlined in the Faculty Handbook, Parent-Student Handbook and HR Rules and Regulations. Lines of reporting are determined by the ISNS Academic Organizational Chart and Operations Organizational Chart.

The Head of School and the Directors of Operations, Finance and General Affairs will provide a year-end report to the Executive Director in June. The Executive Director will review these reports as a means of evaluating the Head of School and the Directors of Operations, Finance and General Affairs.

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AKD Board Policy for ISNS

ISNS is part of a large family of schools in China owned and operated by Dr. Francis Pang and his family. The family of schools is incorporated in Beijing, China and the business is officially called AKD, which stands for Advanced Knowledge Development.

Description of the Board

The Chairperson of the board is Dr. Francis Pang. Dr. Pang was the founding member of the board and the AKD company.
The majority of board members are members of the Pang family.
At least one board member must be a Chinese citizen in order to comply with Chinese government regulations.
The number of board members is not set or limited, but the board must always consist of an odd number of individuals in order to prevent a tie vote.
Dr. Francis Pang, as the chairperson, decides who may become a member of the board.
The chairperson decides who can become a shareholder and voting or non-voting member of the board.
The chairperson of the board decides on what a quorum is for the purpose of vote taking.
Shareholders who are not voting board members are not permitted to have any influence or say in the operation of the school.
The board entrusts the oversight of the school to the Executive Director and will communicate with the school through the Executive Director on most matters.
The Board does not intervene in the day-to-day operations of the school and is restrained to the duties listed below.

Meeting Times

The AKD Board meets formally twice per year. Meetings may be called at any time if there is an important or urgent issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

Purpose of the meetings:

Determine and review overall yearly budget for ISNS.
Review the student enrollment report from the school and discuss the status and health of the current enrollment.
Review the salary scale for faculty and staff along with market reports on current salary levels for equivalent positions in China.
Discuss the status of major accreditations (e.g. CIS, WASC, IB).
Discuss factors with effect teacher recruitment and retention that can be addressed at the board level (such as the salary package).

Operating Procedures

The chairperson sets all operating procedures for the board.
The board serves as visionary body for the school and ensures that a structure and financial backing is in place for the school to continue as both a viable business and effective educational institution.
The board does not engage in direct management of the school. The AKD board relates to ISNS through the ISNS Executive Director, who is a member of the Pang family and the AKD Board.
The board may advise the Executive Director with regards to the hiring or dismissal of the Head of School and Director of Operations and Finance. Otherwise, all staffing decisions are made on site.
Parents are not permitted to communicate directly with the Board. Individual parents or the Parent Association may communicate with the Head of School and Director of Operations, who can relay messages to the Executive Director.
The operations of the board will always support the educational interests of the student body.
The board is committed to operating in an ethical manner and aims to treat all AKD employees with fairness.
The board operates in a manner that is in accordance with all laws in the country of operation.

Duties of the AKD Board

Provide an over-arching direction and purpose for the school.
Manage the financial health of the school.
Approve the annual budget.
Create a fair and sustainable salary scale for faculty and staff based up current market research.
Create an employment contract(s) to be signed by all faculty and staff.
To oversee any legal issues that the school may encounter and engage legal help if necessary.
Overseeing and providing support to the Executive Director.
Managing the ownership, leasing or rental of property.
Approving any major renovations or improvements to the physical campus.
Overseeing merger of dissolution of the school.
Maintaining positive professional relationships with the education bureau and other government agencies.
Ensuring that the well-being of students is looked after in the event of an emergency or significant change in staffing or structure. The Board will declare an ad hoc meeting to deal with a crisis when necessary. The Board upholds the ideal of ensuring that students’ education will continue at least for a period without disruption should the school be sold or dissolved. The Board upholds the ideal of finding the best possible alternate means of carrying out the functions of the school in the event of an emergency.

Commitment to Creating Global Citizens

ISNS is a true international school with the aim of preparing students to thrive and be successful citizens of the world wherever they may find themselves later in life. As such, we want ISNS students to develop a deep understanding of our multicultural world. ISNS students will work to understand and develop respect for peoples of every background, culture and ethnicity. We desire that ISNS students become leaders in the international community, helping to transform their world in meaningful and positive ways.