In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, we dig into one of the most complex and timely questions facing independent and private schools today: should your school participate in voucher or ESA programs. This conversation is especially relevant for school leaders navigating financial pressure, enrollment strategy, and mission alignment as school choice expands across the country.

We are joined by Steve Salvo, Head of School at St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School in Tampa, and Michael Christopher, consultant with Independent School Management (ISM). Together, they bring both a lived leadership perspective and a national consulting lens to help schools think clearly about what is at stake, what questions must be answered, and how to approach vouchers with intention rather than pressure.

In This Episode

• What voucher and school choice programs actually look like across different states
• The non-negotiable questions boards must answer before saying yes to vouchers
• Financial planning risks, including sustainability if voucher funding changes
• How vouchers can impact mission, admissions, faculty, and program integrity
• Best practices for communicating voucher decisions clearly to families and staff

In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, we’re joined again by leadership coach and consultant Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, founder of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching and Consulting. Rebecca works with early and mid-career women leaders in schools and nonprofits who are often praised for doing everything but rarely supported in sustainable ways.

Together, we name what so many school leaders are quietly carrying: More responsibility with fewer resources, expanding roles without expanded pay, and the unspoken expectation that caring deeply means endlessly giving. Rebecca breaks down why this dynamic is so common in schools, how it leads to burnout and even physical illness, and what women leaders can do to protect their health, boundaries, and sense of worth without losing relationships or credibility.

• Why “doing more with less” has become normalized in schools and nonprofits
• How overextension and praise can mask burnout and exploitation
• Why delegation is a core leadership skill, not a failure
• How to advocate for fair compensation when your role expands
• Practical ways to say no and set boundaries without damaging trust

As we wrap up the year, it’s just the two of us, Aubrey and Tara, reflecting on what we’ve learned from our guests and what’s ahead for schools in 2026. This year, so many of our conversations have come back to two big shifts: the rise of millennial parents as today’s primary decision makers and the growing role of AI in how families search for and evaluate schools.

In this episode, we’re sharing how these changes are transforming school marketing and admissions and what you can do to keep up. From phone call anxiety and value-driven messaging to AI-powered search results and website structure, we’re talking about what schools must adapt to stay relevant in a digital-first world.

In This Episode:

• What millennial parents want from independent schools and how they make enrollment decisions
• Why authenticity and social proof matter more than polished marketing
• How to rethink your website for AI-driven search and zero-click results
• Simple ways to make your admissions process work for digital-first families
• A fun AI test you can try to see how your school shows up in search
• Our reflections from a year of meaningful conversations and what’s ahead in 2026