Talk to Paul Harrell About Your School

The first call is a conversation, not a pitch, and it covers three things: your three numbers and what they say, the one problem you most want gone, and whether True North is the right fit. Bring the problem that keeps you up at night.

Your three numbers: two years of 990s, your student retention percentage, and your faculty and staff retention percentage. Also bring the problem that keeps you up at night. If you have the numbers on hand, the call gets twice as useful. If you do not, the School Health Check walks you through all three first.

Yes. Paul will tell you the truth about your situation either way, including if the truth is that you do not need him. Sometimes the right answer is a referral or one piece of advice rather than an engagement. The call also covers whether True North is the right fit, which is a real question, not a formality.

It helps. The Health Check is the same fifteen-point self-assessment Paul runs on every school that calls him, built on the Three Numbers, the Monthly Three, and The Three Roles. Taking it first means you walk into the call knowing more about your school than most boards do. It has its own page and is not required.

Paul Harrell, who founded and runs True North Christian Advisors. He has spent fifty years in education, twenty of them in Christian schools, and has helped turn around six schools. His story is on the Paul Harrell page if you want to know who you would be talking to before you write.