The Board shall comprise 8 members: The Chair is selected/appointed by Executive Board The Director and Head of School, and Secondary and Primary Principals, shall serve in a permanent capacity. There is one elected parent member, and two teacher members elected from the secondary and primary teaching staff. (Excerpt from the MEFIS Board Policy #2.110)

In the past two years, the MEFIS Board of Governors has created a School Constitution, written a School Organization Chart and Job Descriptions for all faculty and administrative positions within the school. The Board has also been very active in completing the MEFIS Policy Manual, which is available on the school server and in school staff areas.

"Board elections shall take place in the fall of each school year. In the Annual Fall Meeting of Board, new board will be constituted. Elected Members of Board may be re-elected. Results of the election for parent and teacher representatives will be mailed to Board Chair before the first Board of Governors meeting. The elections at school shall be conducted by secret ballot. The number of votes together with the ballot papers shall be given to Board Chair before the meeting. Candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be deemed to have been up for board approval. At its first meeting of 4 appointed governors or at the discretion of Board Chair, two weeks prior to the first meeting, Board Chair may either convene a short meeting or via e mail to approve the school board election results for approval of the 3 seats." (Excerpt from the MEFIS Board Policy #2.110 & # 2.120)

The term of office of [elected] Board Members shall run for 2 school years. In case of extenuating circumstances, an elected member's service time can be extended unanimously. There are three elected members of the Board- two MEFIS teachers and one parent member. The Board Chair, the MEFIS secondary and primary principals, and the MEFIS Director and Head of School are permanent members. (Excerpt from the MEFIS Board Policy #2.110)

The MEFIS Board consists of six permanent and three elected members. Two teacher members are elected by the teaching staff, one each from the primary and secondary schools. The parent representative is elected by the MEFIS Board from a panel of nominees, based on experience, school involvement, or professional training which may be beneficial to the MEFIS community. Elected members serve for a term of two years, and may be re-elected.

The MEFIS Board had a one & half day Board Training session with Alan Conkey on the 10th-11th October, 2008- See Agenda below: CIS On-Site Board Development Workshop Agenda- MEFIS-October 10 - 11, 2008 Friday 3:45 - 4:00 Introductions 4:00 - 5:30 The State of CIS Boards 5:30 - 6:00 A Quick Look at MEF 6:00 - 6:15 Break 6:15 - 6:45 Standards of Good Practice/Code of Ethics 6:45 - 7:00 Wrap Up/Questions/Homework Saturday 9:00 - 10:30 Decision Making Matrix 10:30 - 10:45 Break 10:45 - 11:30 Roles and Responsibilities 11:30 - 12:00 Case Study 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch 1:00 - 1:45 Policy Development 1:45 - 2:30 Agendas, Meetings & Yearly Planning 2:30 - 2:45 Break 2:45 - 3:15 Case Study 3:15 - 3:45 Committees 3:45 - 4:45 Evaluating the Partnership 4:45 - 5:00 Wrap Up/Questions, Comments, Evaluation Individual Board Member attendance at conferences and training sessions directly or indirectly related to education or School matters shall be encouraged for the values they bring to the School and the professional growth of Board Members. (Excerpt Policy # 2.250 BOARD MEMBER DEVELOPMENT)

In the Organizational structure the MEFIS Board is between the Executive Board and the Director/General Manager. (see MEFIS Organizational Structure Chart) MEF International School is operated by the MEFIS Board and Executive Board. Board is charged with policy setting and overall management and administration of the School in accordance with the law and the Statutes of the Ministry of Education as well as the mandates of the programs the school is offering. (Excerpt Policy 1.110 Governance of the School)

Board is charged with implementing the requirements of the MEFIS Statutes. Board is also charged with campus policy setting and overall management and administration of Board in accordance with Turkish law and the Board Statutes. Board does not interfere with the day to day running of the schools. In performing their tasks, Board Members shall have as their objective the well-understood interests of the MEF International School and the excellence of education for its students. Specifically, Board shall have power and responsibility: - To implement and monitor the decisions and resolutions of the AGM; - To submit reports and financial statements to Executive Board and the school community; - To make recommendations to Executive Board and the AGM; - To administer funds; - To approve the budget of the schools; - To provide feedback to Executive Board to appoint, evaluate and terminate the employment of Director and Head of School; - To approve posts and contractual terms for new staff position; - To consult with Director and Head of School on appointment of administrative staff; (Excerpt Policy 2.100 POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS)

Board shall approve the budget as well as tuition and fee payment procedures for the following school year in accordance with the following timeline. The tuition/ fee structure shall include payment procedures, refund criteria and deadlines for payment of fees. No later than at its regular February meeting, Board will discuss the budget framework for the following fiscal year and establish parameters to guide the Director and Head of School in the preparation of the budget for the forthcoming school year. The number and type of posts and the contractual terms for staff for the following fiscal year will be finalized no later than December 10th. The purpose of this early approval is to authorize the Head of School to compile staff recruitment plans for the following school year. School Principals will submit a first draft of the expense budget to the Head of School. Head of School will present a first draft of the proposed budget to the Director to be submitted to the Executive Board. No later than at its regular June meeting, Board will adopt the proposed budget for the forthcoming fiscal year. The adoption of the budget by Board authorizes Head of School to commit the resources as provided within the budget for the next fiscal year. Once agreed upon, the budget will be submitted by August to Executive Board for review, consult, and approval. (Excerpt Policy # 3.110 ANNUAL BUDGET DEVELOPMENT)

The Board is charged with implementing the requirements of the MEFIS Statutes. MEFIS Board is also charged with campus policy setting and overall management and administration of MEFIS Board in accordance with Turkish law and the Board Statutes. The MEFIS Board does not interfere with the day to day running of the schools. In performing their tasks, MEFIS Board Members shall have as their objective the well-understood interests of the MEF International School and the excellence of education for its students. The Board shall establish and monitor policies covering various phases of the operations of the School, and shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that these policies are properly interpreted and implemented. The minutes of the Regular Board Meetings are not available for public inspection. Discretion is used in the dissemination of decisions/information via Principal's office. (Excerpt Policy #2 MEFIS Board of Governors Operations)

The minutes of the regular meetings of Board of Governors shall record, at a minimum, the decisions taken by Board, whether by consensus or by vote. The Secretary of Board shall be responsible for the minutes & the Chair will be responsible for the safekeeping of the minutes and for their orderly transfer to his/her successor. (Excerpt Policy # 2.500 REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS) Minutes are recorded at Regular Board Meetings and at Executive Sessions of Board. The minutes of the Regular Meetings of Board shall record, at a minimum, attendance and the decisions taken by Board, whether by consensus or by vote. The Secretary of Board shall be responsible for the minutes & the Chair will be responsible for the safekeeping of the minutes and for their orderly transfer to his/her successor. The minutes of the Regular Board Meeting are prepared and presented for approval to all members for feedback; at the subsequent Regular Board Meeting these minutes are approved and count as the official record of Board actions and are maintained in perpetuity by the School. The minutes of the Regular Board Meetings are not available for public inspection. Discretion is used in the dissemination of decisions/information via Principal's office. (Excerpt Policy # 2.600 MINUTES OF BOARD MEETINGS)

Copies of the up-to-date Board Policy Manual will be available for public review in the school libraries and the administration offices. (Excerpt Policy # 2.400 FORMULATION AND MONITORING OF POLICIES)

The parent representative brings to the MEFIS Board his or her perspective as a parent, to contribute to the dialogue regarding school issues, and to assist with resolving those issues which fall under the jurisdiction of the MEFIS Board.

Parents should communicate general concerns and questions regarding the school to the school administrator. The administrator will then use discretion, deferring to the Board for consideration those issues which fall under the jurisdiction of that body.

Discussions and decisions made at board meetings are recorded in the minutes for each board meeting. These minutes are not available for public inspection. Discretion is used in the dissemination of decisions/information via Principal's office. The board may decide as a body what decisions and information, if any, shall be communicated to the parent community.