Josh Bishop: Navigating Financial Challenges in Small International Schools

In this episode, Josh Bishop, Head of School at Surabaya Intercultural School in Indonesia, shares his insights on navigating the financial challenges faced by small international schools. With a focus on managing limited budgets while meeting the expansive educational needs of their students, Josh offers innovative financial strategies and budgeting techniques. The discussion covers smart resource allocation, the importance of data in budgeting, and how to leverage the school’s existing expertise to reduce costs. Josh’s experience with both small budgets and large needs offers valuable lessons for school administrators and financial officers around the world.

Join us as Josh explains how his school turned around its financial situation despite facing challenges like transitioning during the pandemic, a fluctuating expat population, and the intricacies of implementing new technology in a budget-conscious environment. He shares practical tips, including a smart approach to technology adoption and creative problem-solving strategies that have helped Surabaya Intercultural School thrive. For deeper dives into these strategies, Josh’s full course “Small Budgets and Big Needs” on the ISS Edu platform offers further resources and insights.

Episode Highlights

Introduction of Josh Bishop [3:29]

Navigating budgetary challenges smaller schools face [4:31]

Effective ways of introducing new technology in schools [8:34]

Small budgets, big needs [14:57]

The 5 Why’s Protocol [19:44]

A systems approach to thinking and decision-making [23:23]

Macro to micro [25:49]

AI is a timesaver [26:55]

Strategic Fundraising [27:53]

Key Takeaways

Using long-term data trends helps small schools better forecast and manage enrollment, leading to more accurate budget planning.

Thriving in international education requires openness to change and cultural differences.

Introduce technology with a clear educational benefit, and ensure staff and students are properly trained to use it effectively.

Cultural competence and inclusivity are essential in international school settings.

Quotes

"Oftentimes, in education, when we’re confronted with a problem, we assume that’s the problem. And I would argue, we don’t ask enough deep questions to understand if it’s the root problem, or if it’s a causation of a deeper problem.”

"We tell our staff and our students the same, failure is an important part of learning so long as you learn from it and don’t repeat it.”

"I think AI is taking a lot of things off their plate so that they have more white space to think critically and creatively.”