From sweeping changes like the installation of the Vassar Center to smaller curriculum tweaks, it seems like Lakeside is constantly in flux. However, rest assured that there is a method behind the madness. To find out more about how Lakeside plans and prioritizes for the future, Tatler reached out to Ryan Boccuzzi, Lakeside’s Upper School director and interim head of school; Birage Tandon, the school’s chief financial officer; and Amanda Darling, Director of Communications.

Lakeside’s guiding documents

The United States has its Declaration of Independence, Boy Scouts have the Scout Oath, and Lakeside has … many, many guiding documents. For starters, Lakeside’s mission statement was created in the 1990s. The three-part statement details Lakeside aspiration and commitment to help its students develop “creative minds, healthy bodies, and ethical spirits.”

If the mission statement is Lakeside’s Declaration of Independence, the strategic plan is its Constitution. The schoolwide strategic plan, titled “Hope in Action,” tells administrators how to follow through on Lakeside’s age-old mission statement in the present, and incorporates feedback from student focus groups, alumni, parents, and employees. As part of the strategic plan, Lakeside’s newly developed vision statement emphasizes the importance of “cultivat[ing] a school community that inspires and empowers all our students and educators with the will to seek joy, to be hopeful, and to transform the world with care.”

“I really like the action verb of transforming because I think that’s what our community is hungry for. What our world needs are students who feel like now is their time to get involved and do something,” Mr. Boccuzzi says. 

The emphasis on acting now, in the present, is especially prominent. Lakeside often considers, “As a school, how are we equipping [students] as not just future leaders, but to do something now? How do we make sure that the curriculum feels connected to students’ daily lives, and give them the agency to apply what they’ve learned?” For example, Lakeside’s electives often incorporate experiential components such as mock trials or congressional sessions.

At the same time, Mr. Boccuzzi emphasizes the importance of community-building as a method of empowerment. “It’s harder to feel empowered to do something if you don’t feel seen and cared for, and like you belong as part of this community. So all of our work to make sure we’re a community is just as important as ever. People won’t take risks or try something new if they don’t feel connected to their communities.”

So … what next?

With the philosophical ground covered, the next step is to start acting on Lakeside’s vision of the future. “The great news is that we’ve had two years and a huge process of going through the strategic plan, and it resulted in a fantastic document about what our community cares about. So now it’s a lot about executing,” Mr. Boccuzzi explains. 

When it comes to execution of architectural change specifically, Lakeside looks to its master plan, an architectural document covering campus facilities. “If we were to build tennis courts, for example … where would we build them? How much would it cost? What else could we use that space for?” As Ms. Darling explains, the master plan answers these questions. “It’s a document of exploration to help us understand what’s possible.”

However, moving forward with these decisions equally requires funding; Lakeside’s ambitions must be grounded in fiscal reality. “When you know what our priorities are as an institution using the strategic plan, and you know what the facility needs are, the missing part is the money,” Ms. Darling explains.

Following the money

Lakeside is a not-for-profit. This means that unlike for-profit corporations, whose goal is typically to maximize returns for their investors in the form of share prices, Lakeside earns just enough revenue to help it break even. The school earns around $35 million annually from students’ families in the form of tuition, minus financial aid. That sum, along with the Lakeside Fund and the annual endowment draw, covers the school’s expenses. These include operating costs, financial aid, salaries, and employee benefits like medical and retirement plans.

To spend this money, Lakeside has a budget, largely created by Ms. Tandon herself. She estimates that around 75% of the budget is spent in salaries and staff benefits. The remainder is distributed for school programs. “Mr. Hartley, for example, asks me about helmets for football or our new flag football team. Or I’ll get something from drama. I gather all that information [to create the budget].” SAGE is another example of a new but significant cost recently added to Lakeside.

Other factors are also considered. Before the budget is finalized, Ms. Tandon reaches out to insurance brokers and benefits brokers in consultations, cross-references it with last year’s budget, and factors in cost-of-living increases. Then, she recommends tuition increases to the board of trustees based on Lakeside’s projected costs for the next year.

The master plan plays a large role in how Lakeside decides to allocate funds, Ms. Tandon says. The creators of the master plan consult with faculty, staff, and the school administration to survey potential projects on Lakeside’s horizon. They evaluate proposals for a swimming pool or parking structure, for example, and assess how they align with the school’s priorities. “It’s like … deciding what you’re going to spend your allowance on [at home],” Ms. Tandon laughs. “Just multiply that by a few million and it’s my job.”

Conclusion

In short, Lakeside’s decisions happen when the stars miraculously align — or, when the school’s mission statement, strategic plan, master plan, and financial capacity all converge. “The Allen-Gates remodel is a great example where we can say, ‘Hey, the strategic plan enables us to do all these things in educational excellence,’” Ms. Darling says. “[Meanwhile], the master plan helped us understand what facilities we had by moving to the Vassar Center.”