Jim Wickenden, principal of his eponymous firm, Wickenden Associates called out school heads in the name of shared sacrifice in his blog post titled “Setting an Example.” Citing school cost cutting efforts, Jim notes the symbolic importance of school heads sharing in communal sacrifice and the message that a school heads public sacrifice would send.

“…And speaking of symbolism, I think this is a great time for independent school leaders to consider making a personal sacrifice as well. If, for example, the Head of School were to publicly reduce his or her own salary by an amount sufficient to fund one child’s attendance or to save a position or program that would otherwise be on the chopping block, that would send a powerful message indeed. Furthermore, it would give the school’s leadership more credibility when communicating with the school family about the “hard decisions” that have to be made.”

Jim’s argument echoes calls regarding shared sacrifice that we’ve written and highlighted:

Piney Woods School Faculty Practice Common Sacrifice

Some Thoughts As Boarding School Layoffs Mount

Photo credit: Wickenden Associates