OUR FACULTY

If you understand a great teacher as someone who falls in love with the material daily in front of the students, you appreciate the teaching practiced every day on every campus at BB&N. As Mino Caposella '85 describes it, “The faculty challenged us to join them in their love of what they were doing. They welcomed us into this totally exciting dance. I learned from them that when you're passionate about something, you can do an incredible amount of work and it feels easy.” In that atmosphere, young minds naturally open themselves to fresh ideas and rise to unfamiliar challenges – the indispensable steps to growth.

BB&N has come to be known for intellectual firepower, a reputation built on the strength of our faculty and the students they inspire. Today, we owe it to these extraordinary educators to honor their skill and dedication, and to make sure BB&N can continue to attract and retain faculty of such caliber for all the years to come.

“For me and later for our kids, the faculty were just wonderful mentors – not only great teachers of their subjects, but people you admired for what what they brought to life.” - Nat Gorton '56 (Parent '88, '90, '92)

Our Challenge: Sustaining Excellence in Teaching

$12 million in endowment to support faculty compensation and professional development

To arrive at the best way to recognize and compensate our current and future faculty, we need a shared understanding of the context.

Like every school, BB&N is already feeling the effects of the national teacher shortage, especially in math, science and technology. BB&N also faces the prospect of losing close to thirty percent of its teaching staff to retirement within the next ten years. Through steady, focused effort, we have been closing the salary gap between BB&N and our peer independent schools. However, our modest endowment and dependence on tuition have prevented us from approaching the pay scales of leading public school systems; as a result, we lose current or prospective teachers to the lure of nearby suburban schools every year. Magnifying all these factors, especially for young faculty and those with children, is the startling cost of Boston-area housing.

Through the thoughtful and imaginative work of our Commitee on the Faculty and the Task Force on Endowment for Faculty Support, we have developed a clear agenda to begin to address these concerns. Our goals: to make BB&N a leader among Greater Boston independent schools in faculty support and quality of life, and to be financially competitive with area schools, public and private, in an increasingly competitive market.

As members of the BB&N community, we know the transformative power of wonderful teachers. Together, we have the power to honor their service and continue to attract dedicated educators who are leaders in their fields and will be leaders in the lives of our students.

“I am privileged to have my children taught by these extraordinarily gifted teachers.” - Rob Leith, Upper School English/Art History (Parent '09, '11)