Dear Friends,

In September, our school begins to hit full stride.  New relationships have been formed, old associations renewed.  Plans have been laid, schedules set.  We have set off on a course that we hope will lead us to excellence in every aspect of school life.  But how will we know when – and if – we get there?

Last year, your Board launched Project 60, a multi-year exercise in self-reflection.  We began a comprehensive review our mission, policies, programs and facilities as we approach the 60th anniversary of AES. 

In the first phase of this exercise, we considered whether our school can to continue to grow to offer a place to every child in Delhi’s expatriate community.   Reluctantly, we concluded that we cannot.  AES does not have the resources to continue to expand.  Our campus has reached its maximum desirable density.  Our financial well-being and our unique privileges cannot be placed at risk by unilaterally moving to build either a new school or a satellite campus.

So now your Board moves to consider the second – and more difficult – set of questions posed by Project 60.  How does a capped enrollment affect the complex interplay among our mission and charter, the quality of our educational program, the diversity of our student body and our financial well-being?  How does a school with an income linked almost exclusively to tuition continue to improve and expand its programs and facilities?  What must we preserve and what changes must we make to ensure our school’s place among the elite of international schools?

At least part of the answers is clear: the responsibility for nurturing our school’s present and future lies with the parents, teachers and staff who make up the American Embassy School Association.  AES is a self-governing, self-sustaining institution.  Our school’s vitality depends on the participation of community members.  

The members of your Board of Governors – Shafi Saxena (Vice President), Bis Subramanian (Treasurer), Steve Solnick (Secretary), Kevin Blackstone, Jeff Harding, Bob Hetzel, Holly Higgins, Trudy Matchett-Griffiths, Karen Oliver and I – look forward to working with you as collectively we re-examine and re-imagine our AES and its future.

Best regards,

Jack Golden
Board President