Archdiocese of San Francisco San Francisco, California Superintendent of Catholic Schools July 1, 2017 www.sfarchdiocese.org
The Position The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its new Superintendent of Catholic Schools. This is a significant leadership role in a dynamic, high-profile Catholic archdiocese serving an increasingly diverse population of families and parishioners. Established in 1853, the Archdiocese of San Francisco is a top-20 Catholic diocese in the U.S. serving 24,635 students in 51 elementary and four secondary schools. In addition to these archdiocesan schools, the community also includes ten Catholic secondary schools and eight Catholic elementary schools sponsored by a variety of religious orders and congregations.
The Catholic Mission The Catholic schools programs of the Archdiocese of San Francisco are dedicated to the mission of providing young people in Catholic schools with a challenging academic program firmly embedded in the Catholic intellectual tradition that will help them to grow in faith, hope, and love. The Archbishop is dedicated to staffing these programs with well-trained teachers, each of whom will serve as authentic ministers or role models of Catholic faith. He is committed to providing these catechists with excellent resources for instruction, prayer, service opportunities, and community-building activities.
The geographic reach of the Archdiocese is also quite impressive and unique, encompassing the three adjoining counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin. In addition to the challenges of serving a geographically and culturally diverse population, the Archdiocese exists within a greater San Francisco community. Once known as a very Catholic city, San Francisco is increasingly known for its secular beliefs, practices, and alternative family values. This is a time of promising transition for Catholic schools within the Archdiocese. Following a contentious and challenging negotiation of secondary school faculty contracts with the American Federation
In partnership with parents, the primary educators of children in the ways of faith, it is the goal of the Department of Catholic Schools to help children deepen their understanding of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. With God’s help, the efforts of teachers and staff will assist students’ growth into adults whose faith is “living, conscious, and active.”
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“I warmly welcome your interest in the position of Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. San Francisco is a beautiful city which, besides its famous hills and great views of the Pacific and the Bay, is also a city with a long-standing Catholic presence, especially in the Church’s institutions. It is also a dynamic city, with many new corporations focused on digital services and eager to hire young, technologically savvy employees. Politically, San Francisco has been very liberal during the past several decades. In the coming decades, the Catholic Church has to learn to work more effectively in urban environments that often do not support Catholic values. We think of ourselves here in San Francisco as the epicenter of new strategies in Catholic teaching and practice to confront weakening support in the public sector for traditional religious values in education. I welcome the challenge we face here in San Francisco, and I realize that you would not be applying for this position if you were not a Catholic with courage, energy, and an array of strategies to confront the new situation in which the urban Catholic schools find themselves in the United States. In the Archdiocese we want to expand our Catholic schools to be ever more accessible to all of our people, and also make their Catholic practices inside and outside the classroom even more effective in elevating the academic performance of the young people entrusted to our care.” - Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
of Teachers Union (AFT), the schools and Archdiocesan leadership have resolved their differences and are united in their eagerness to go forward, and to take teaching, learning, and Catholic mission and identity to the next level. The Archdiocese seeks a faith-filled practicing Catholic with exceptional vision, passion, and entrepreneurial leadership skills to lead the Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) during this exciting period of growth and renewal. The next Superintendent will be expected to work collaboratively with school pastors, principals, and community leaders in achieving three urgent objectives: • Increase enrollments throughout the system, especially among some of the elementary schools in the inner city, and at least maintain current enrollment levels in all other schools; • Develop winning strategies for enriching and sustaining Catholic mission and identity in its schools; and • Raise the bar on academic rigor, creating a culture of high expectations and performance in student achievement. There is a genuine sense of excitement throughout the Archdiocese for the promise of new leadership and a bold new vision for Catholic schools. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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History of the Archdiocese Under Pope Pius IX, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco was established in 1853. At its foundation and throughout its history, the Archdiocese has been an immigrant church, serving the Spanish-speaking Catholics who had long-resided in the area and the diverse groups of settlers who immigrated to the region. It greatly shaped the development of the city, starting schools, orphanages, hospitals, and homes for the elderly in its first three decades of existence. The Dioceses of Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Stockton were formed in 1962 from areas previously part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In 1981 yet another diocese, San Jose, was created from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which now covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo. In the mid-twentieth century, the Archdiocese was seeing rapid changes, yet the leaders of the Archdiocese were unwavering in making significant contributions to both the city and to the state of Catholicism. Support for the Catholic Church saw periods of growth in the 1960s, and the sixth Archbishop of San Francisco, Archbishop McGucken, opened many new parishes and schools as a result of the increasing Catholic population. Archbishop Quinn’s leadership during the 1970s and 1980s saw the Church dedicating its attention to major social issues while preparing its followers for the changing times coming with the approaching new millennium. The seventh Archbishop of San Francisco, Archbishop Levada was instrumental in establishing a national shrine to St. Francis of Assisi, the Archdiocese’s patron saint, and participated in Jubilee celebrations in 2000 that included a mass attended by 32,000 worshipers. In concurrence with a conversation happening across the country, Archbishop Neiderauer, the eighth leader of the Archdiocese, dedicated much of his attention to the cause of just treatment for undocumented immigrants. A native of San Diego, Fr. Cordileone was first appointed auxiliary bishop of San Diego in 2002. After serving as the fourth Bishop of Oakland for three years, Bishop Cordileone became the ninth Archbishop of San Francisco in 2012. He currently chairs the USCCB’s Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage and sits on the Committee for Canonical Affairs. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for Catholic University of America, the Governing Board of the International Theological Institute, and the Subcommission on the Liturgy for the Anglican Ordinariates. As mentioned above, the Archdiocese of San Francisco is a top-20 diocese in the U.S. in terms of number of students served through its schools. The schools are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) as well as the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA), and they operate under the direction and guidance of the DCS. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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San Francisco, California San Francisco, the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California, is a hilly city on the tip of a peninsula surrounded by the majestic Pacific Ocean and picturesque San Francisco Bay. The city has had a large influence on the history of California as well as the United States. Originally a Spanish mission and pueblo, it was conquered by the U.S. in 1846 and saw the flocking of thousands to its shores during the Gold Rush. Since then, the city’s momentum hasn’t slowed, and it is a center for progressive culture, high technology, and commerce. San Francisco is home to a little bit of everything: year-round fog, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Victorian houses. In the Bay sits Alcatraz Island, site of the famous former prison. With a population of around 865,000, San Francisco is a popular tourist destination but also ranks highly on world livability rankings. The city’s colorful neighborhoods provide distinct and unique areas to enjoy culture and arts events, food, and shopping. Many localities feature a mix of businesses and venues that serve both residents and visitors and contribute to the city’s lively atmosphere. San Francisco also has a very active environmental community, and has been at the forefront of many global discussions about our natural environment.
Challenges and Opportunities Reporting to the Moderator of the Curia and Vicar for Administration, the new Superintendent will assume responsibility for a Department of Catholic Schools eager for new leadership and direction. A highly-experienced and well-regarded Interim Superintendent is currently in place who is preparing the way for change and creating new state-of-the art tracking systems and controls that will assist the next Superintendent in implementing the new agenda. Specifically, the next Superintendent will be expected to address the following: • Create a strategic plan for the Archdiocesan schools. There is currently no updated Strategic Plan for Education in the Archdiocese. The next Superintendent will have an opportunity to engage the Archdiocesan community in embracing a bold new vision for education and executing with discipline and purpose. This is an extraordinary opportunity to raise the bar on student achievement and position the Catholic schools for a promising future. • The next Superintendent will be expected to represent Catholic education to the larger community and be an articulate, confident, and persuasive spokesperson for Catholic mission, identity, and values. The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates
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• The Archdiocese of San Francisco exists within an urban culture known nationally for its secular agenda as well as its non-traditional approaches to life. This is a politically sensitive milieu and must be navigated with great care and purpose. • The next Superintendent will need to be a strategic and generative leader who can raise the profile and value proposition of Catholic schools in the community and “create demand” for the unique gifts derived from a Catholic education. Consumer demand is no longer a given and requires outstanding leadership in making the case. • Enrollments have declined in recent years among some of the schools within the Archdiocese, especially at the elementary levels and in communities serving diverse populations. • The next Superintendent will need to work collaboratively with Archdiocesan leadership in securing the resources necessary to implement these plans. • In addition, a new policy of “seismic retrofitting” of school facilities within the City of San Francisco has placed increased pressure on schools to undertake facility improvement plans. • Attracting and retaining high quality faculty is a challenge for all Catholic schools today, given the modest resources available to compensate competitively. Equally important, the Archdiocese of San Francisco is committed to improving and enriching Catholic formation among all faculty and staff. This will require a Superintendent who has a very clear idea of Catholic mission and identity in schools, who is personally committed to his/her Catholic beliefs, and is prepared to support and facilitate faith formation across all schools. This will be a top priority for the next Superintendent of Catholic schools. • Although the high school teachers’ three-year contract with the American Federation of Teachers has been signed, this was a high profile dispute that resulted in negative publicity locally and nationally. Any lingering effects will need to be addressed and resolved. • And, finally, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has a large and growing Latino population that represents great upside potential for its schools and parishes. Engaging effectively with this important demographic could deliver exceptional benefits to the Archdiocese and the many Latino families impacted.
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Qualifications and Qualities of the Superintendent This is an exceptionally high profile opportunity requiring a leader of great stature, confidence, and integrity. The Archdiocese of San Francisco seeks candidates with significant transformational leadership skills and vision. In addition, the next Superintendent will ideally have the following attributes: • A faith-filled practicing Catholic – confident and secure in his/her beliefs – who is capable of articulating the powerful value proposition of Catholic education. • A fundamentally relational leader who will build bridges to the larger community, the American Federation of Teachers, and the presidents and principals of schools, as well as the parishes and pastors within the Archdiocese. • Have a very clear idea of Catholic mission and identity in schools and an appreciation for the critical importance of the humanities in its connection to Catholic intellectual tradition. • A visionary, entrepreneurial, and transformational leader who can work effectively and collaboratively within the structure of the Archdiocese and its parishes. The candidate must be capable of leading through persuasion and not top-down authority. • A person capable of effectively managing within a complex environment and of executing and implementing ideas with discipline and accountability. • An innovative and inquisitive leader who is open to new models of governance and regional school structures. • And, finally, a humble but determined, servant-leader who will partner with the Archbishop and other Archdiocesan colleagues in achieving the vital goals for Catholic education within the Archdiocese.
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To Apply Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email and as separate documents (preferably PDFs) the following materials: • A cover letter expressing interest and aligning your skills, experiences, and values with the leadership needs of the Archdiocese; • A current resume including all appropriate dates; • A one-page statement of educational or leadership philosophy; and • A list of five (5) professional references with all contact information. No references will be contacted until a serious mutual interest has been established, and only with your permission. Send to: Bob Regan Senior Search Consultant Group Practice Leader, Catholic Schools Practice bob.regan@carneysandoe.com
Jennifer Christensen Search Consultant jennifer.christensen@carneysandoe.com
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