Schools

Navigating Governance vs. Operations: A Common Challenge for Catholic School Boards

December 8, 2025

Strong governance is essential to a thriving Catholic school, yet boards everywhere face the same question: Where does governance end and operations begin?

It’s one of the most consistent challenges we see in our work. Board members bring passion and expertise; school leaders bring mission-driven, day-to-day experience. Without shared clarity, even the best intentions can blur roles and create confusion.

And your school is not alone. Nearly every board we support navigates this same tension, which makes sense—Catholic school boards are filled with people who care deeply, and the line between oversight and management isn’t always obvious.

We recently facilitated a governance–operations role-play with a Catholic high school board, and the conversation was so productive that it inspired this post. Below, we outline why this challenge is so common, how boards and school leaders can address it together, and a simple exercise any board can use to build confidence around their roles.

If your board has ever wondered, “Is this ours to solve?” you’re in good company—and with the right tools, this is a challenge you can absolutely overcome.

Why This Challenge Is So Common in Catholic Schools

Catholic schools differ from many independent or charter school governance models:

Boards are volunteer-based, with members who care deeply about the school and want to help in practical ways.
Resources are limited, so board members often feel compelled to “jump in” operationally.
Roles vary widely—from advisory boards, to boards of limited jurisdiction, to boards of specified jurisdiction—each with different canonical and diocesan parameters.
Relationships matter deeply. Board members often have children, history, or parish ties to the school, making the line between objective governance and personal experience more difficult to hold.
Mission-driven environments create urgency. When enrollment dips, finances tighten, or culture challenges arise, it can be tempting for everyone to step in everywhere.

This is not failure.
This is normal.

The key is building the capacity and shared discipline to respond well.

How Boards Can Approach the Governance–Operations Challenge

Start With Clarity About the Board’s Purpose

Board members should have a common understanding of their jurisdiction. In most Catholic schools, the board’s primary responsibilities include:

Mission fidelity
Strategic direction
Financial oversight
Policy development
Advancement and resource stewardship
Hiring, supporting, and evaluating the school leader

This clarity alone resolves a significant percentage of role-confusion issues.

Embrace the “Nose In, Fingers Out” Principle

Boards should seek information broadly—finance, academics, enrollment, facilities—but remain disciplined about not managing the day-to-day decisions, processes, or personnel involved.

Curiosity is healthy.
Intervention is not.

School Leaders Should Proactively Communicate

Principals and presidents play a major role in keeping governance healthy. Leaders should:

Provide the board with high-level information
Explain the rationale behind decisions
Offer options when board input is needed
Clarify which matters are operational and therefore off the board’s plate

A principal empowered to lead—and a board confident in that leadership—is the strongest combination.

Revisit Roles Regularly

Especially in seasons of stress (budget season, leadership transition, enrollment challenges), boards should revisit:

Committee charters
Board bylaws
Lines of authority

Role clarity is not a one-time achievement—it’s a discipline that must be tended.

You’re Not Alone — and You Can Get This Right

Catholic school boards rarely struggle because of a lack of commitment—they struggle because governance requires a clarity of role that mission-driven teams don’t always pause to articulate. One of the most effective tools we’ve used with boards is a sorting exercise that distinguishes governance from operations in a concrete, practical way. The insights it produces are meaningful.

We’ve prepared a downloadable version for boards ready to begin this conversation. And if your board is looking to build a more disciplined, future-focused governance practice, we’d welcome a deeper conversation about how we can support that work.

- Megan Famular

The Critical Importance of Leadership

October 25, 2025

Rick Pendergast was a Senior Consultant with Meitler for 20 years, helping to develop comprehensive strategic plans with 128 elementary and secondary schools in 20 different dioceses throughout the United States. He recently retired from Meitler.

The world of Catholic education has changed dramatically since I entered elementary school in 1956 and even more so since the beginning of this century. These changes include replacing religious instructors and administrators with lay people, the advent of technology in the classroom, and the expansion of government funds to offset school tuition.

One critical element of success has remained the same – leadership. Dedicated teachers and staff, sound financial planning, and facility management are all important, but second to leadership. Leadership is the most important element of a successful school.

I have observed both exceptional and poor leadership among diocesan school leaders: principals, superintendents, chancellors, and bishops. Each one plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of a school.

I have worked with talented and dedicated school principals who were personally engaged with the students and staff, who challenged faculty to consistently aim for excellence, and who had an eye on every element of the school. I have also worked with principals who were incapable or unwilling to put in the effort to create or maintain an excellent academic environment. That lack of engagement on the part of leadership quickly moves into the faculty and staff and, ultimately, affects the motivation of students.

Most superintendents empower their principals to pursue continuous improvement, making central office staff available to schools providing resources for staff development. Other superintendents, however, impose personal ideologies that stifle growth. Too often using a one size fits all philosophy, these central offices value conformity throughout the schools in the diocese without acknowledging the differences in local issues such as cost of living and student demographics. Most disturbing, I have worked with exemplary principals who, because of this central office approach, are either looking for a different job or simply giving up in the face of too many obstacles.

I have worked with bishops who are keenly aware of the issues within their schools and provide assistance when and where appropriate. They are involved in the public relations of their schools and help with essential fundraising events. They personally communicate with their principals and faculty, encouraging them to grow in faith and maintain the Catholic mission of the school. Other bishops seem almost unconcerned with the Catholic schools in their diocese or, worse, see Catholic schools as a drain on the diocese, diverting personnel and resources away from the pastoral activities of the parishes.

Order schools have a different dynamic, but it still comes down to leadership. The layers of bureaucracy are fewer, but still prone to tradition rather than innovation. The reduced numbers of religious available to staff a school or its leadership positions is a challenge, but some orders have adapted. For example, the Marianists proactively addressed their reduced numbers by implementing continuous training in the Marianist charism for current and aspiring administrators. I’ve seen similar programs with many other order schools. Unfortunately, not all orders have done the same. In some cases, the Board of Directors, lacking immersion in the charism, moved the focus away from the school’s heritage.

Moreover, term limits for Religious school administrators, often 3 or 4 years with one extension, can disrupt continuity. While this is good for the order, sharing experiences throughout its membership, it sometimes causes problems for schools trying to focus on continuous improvement. While interviewing a group of teachers at an order high school, I asked why they weren’t using the newly mandated methodology. They said, with no hesitation, that the priest head of school was going to term out next year, so why bother with a program they don’t like and that might not be maintained.

Facilities are important, but I have seen both elementary and secondary schools with poor facilities doing a wonderful job educating and forming youth. One of my favorite examples is St. Anthony High School in Jersey City (sadly closed for financial reasons), known nationally for its successful boys’ basketball team, yet lacking its own gym! They borrowed a barely adequate gym from a nearby non-profit. I suggested to the coach that the gym was a problem, and he disagreed. Though he would have preferred a better facility, he focused on teaching and coaching in the space available to him - no excuses.

Hiring appropriate, certified teachers has been a large problem for years. They are on the front line of forming youth and must be capable and mission driven. Once again, I experienced principals, supported by their diocese or order, who found creative and affordable ways to hire and retain an excellent faculty and staff. Equally as important is the willingness of the school principal to remove ineffective teachers and the diocesan HR department to help transition poor teachers out rather than fearing frivolous lawsuits. Weak leadership can lead to a mediocre faculty.

Financial management is crucial to a school’s success and longevity. The role of leadership here is critical. I have sadly worked with schools where the external leadership (diocesan or order) was unaware of looming financial problems until it was too late. I have also worked with schools where the principal did not pay attention to the budget or balance sheet because “that’s not my area.” In contrast, those schools I experienced with strong leadership always had a principal that was deeply involved with financial planning and participated in the creation and administration of the annual budget.

I hope this personal analysis of our schools is not disheartening. In fact, my 20 years working at Meitler with Catholic schools throughout the United States leaves me optimistic. Most of the schools I encountered have strong leadership and are supported by dedicated employees, parents, and board members. Most dioceses and Orders support their schools appropriately and help them become exemplary educational institutions.

It is the schools lacking strong leadership that remain most in my memory – not because they failed but because their issues were so often solvable. Leadership remains the key to unlocking the full potential of Catholic PK-12 education.

-Rick Pendergast

Rethinking College Prep: Why Catholic Schools Must Go Beyond the Transcript

September 22, 2025

In Catholic education, the phrase “college preparatory” is more than a label; it reflects a tradition of academic rigor, faith and moral formation, and a commitment to excellence. Our schools have long been places of transformation, shaping not only minds but hearts. Yet in today’s complex educational landscape, we’re invited to deepen that promise by ensuring that transformation includes the skills students need to thrive in college and beyond.

The big question to ask ourselves is: Are we preparing students to be successful throughout college, or simply to get in?

The distinction matters. While Catholic schools boast impressive graduation rates and college enrollment figures such as 99% graduate, 86% enroll (NCEA, 2023), these metrics don’t tell the full story. Nationally, nearly one in four college students fail to return for their sophomore year and among part-time students, the retention rate drops below 60% (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2023). These numbers reveal a troubling gap between readiness and persistence.

So what’s missing? The answer is twofold.

One lies in executive functioning, which is a set of cognitive and emotional skills that allow students to manage their time, regulate their emotions, advocate for themselves, and adapt to new challenges. These are not soft skills. They are survival skills. And they are often assumed to develop passively, rather than taught intentionally.

The other lies in the will of school leaders to transform the high school experience to reflect the needs of young people entering college today versus forty years ago.

The Myth of Passive Development

Too often, schools operate under the assumption that executive functioning will emerge naturally through academic rigor and structured environments. College presents a radically different reality. Students must navigate unstructured schedules, complex social dynamics, and high-stakes decision-making, all without the scaffolding they’ve relied on in high school.

Consider daily life: Are our students consistently managing their time, completing tasks independently, and making thoughtful decisions? Or are these skills masked by external structure and adult oversight?

Academically, we celebrate high achievement. But beneath the surface, are students truly equipped to organize complex assignments, sustain attention across multiple modalities, and retain information under pressure?

Socially, we emphasize community and character. Yet college requires emotional regulation, self-advocacy, and the ability to navigate diverse relationships. Are we creating environments where these skills are practiced and refined, or merely preached?

And when it comes to long-term goals, do our students know how to set meaningful objectives, adapt when plans falter, and persevere through ambiguity? Or are they entering college with a transcript full of achievements but little experience in personal strategic planning?

Catholic Education’s Unique Opportunity

Catholic schools are uniquely positioned to address this challenge. Our mission is not just academic, it’s formational. We aim to develop the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. This holistic vision provides fertile ground for cultivating executive functioning in ways that align with our values. This requires intentionality on the part of the school.

We must move beyond the assumption that structure equals skill. Instead, we need to embed executive functioning into the curriculum, advisory programs, and spiritual formation. That means teaching students how to plan, reflect, regulate, and advocate-not just in theory, but through lived experience.

It also means tracking what matters. Graduation and enrollment are important, but they’re not enough. Catholic schools must begin monitoring alumni persistence, transfer rates, and degree completion. Only then can we assess whether our preparation truly endures.

A Call to Action

If we want “college preparatory” to mean more than a marketing label, we must interrogate our practices. Are we cultivating executive functioning intentionally, or relying on tradition and structure to carry the weight?

We need school leaders, boards, and counselors to rethink the growing employment opportunities and career paths available for students in the 2020’s and to the future in the 2030’s. What exists for students to build a successful life, one with a sustainable family income, growth potential, as well as personally fulfillment?

Let’s teach our students to manage their time, regulate their emotions, and advocate for their needs. Let’s prepare them to set goals, adapt to change, and persevere through uncertainty. Let’s ensure that when they walk across the graduation stage, they’re not just ready for college, they’re ready to build a better life for themselves.

In the end, college readiness isn’t about acceptance letters. It’s about formation. And Catholic education, at its best, is formation that lasts.

-Dan Heding

Five Preparation Priorities For Catholic School Leaders

August 16, 2025

As summer winds down and backpacks begin to fill with sharpened pencils and fresh folders, Catholic school leaders stand at the helm, ready to guide their communities into a new school year. Beyond lesson plans and enrollment numbers, the mission is centered on forming minds and hearts rooted in faith. A school that constantly renews its mission stays alive and relevant in both heart and purpose. The new year is more than an academic refresh, it’s a spiritual recommitment. Catholic school leaders have the chance to be shepherds, scholars, and stewards all at once. By planning intentionally and leading faithfully, they’ll not only educate minds but ignite souls.

Here are five key areas for Catholic school leaders to prioritize and set the tone for a meaningful and well-rounded school year:

1. Renewed Spiritual Leadership

Catholic schools aren’t just institutions of learning, they’re sacred spaces of formation. Reigniting the spiritual heartbeat of the school helps anchor every decision in Gospel values.

Schedule time for personal prayer and reflection.
Plan community-building faith events like faculty retreats, student-led prayer services, and liturgical celebrations.
Collaborate with parish priests or campus ministers to ensure that the school year starts with a Mass or blessing.

2. Strengthening Academic Excellence

Faith and intellect walk hand in hand. Leaders should ensure academic rigor meets high standards. Launch a professional development series that not only boosts pedagogical skills but also integrates Catholic identity into each subject.

Review curricula to align with both diocesan and state guidelines.
Support instruction that meets diverse learners’ needs.
Promote math, reading and writing literacy initiatives alongside theology.
Calendar staff/department meetings to consistently revisit the series throughout the year.
Identify measures for success that can be recognized using classroom visits.

3. Fostering Environments of Safety and Belonging

Safety is more than just about physical space, it is also about emotional and spiritual well-being. A spirit of belonging affirms the dignity of each student, reflecting Catholic values and fostering a community of respect and support.

Create proactive mental health support systems. This could be in the form of a peer mentoring program or regular wellness check-ins by counselors, teachers, and school leaders.
Ensure that policies reflect the dignity of every person, adult or child, reinforcing that all faculty, staff and students are made in the image of God.
Review emergency procedures and update safety protocols with faculty and staff and practice. Have a calendar of when drills and procedures will be practiced with students. These can often be put aside during busy times of the year.

4. Deepening Parent Partnerships

Parents are the primary educators of faith. Strengthening that partnership cultivates a richer home and school connection. A united front between school and home leads to stronger outcomes and deeper formation.

Host a faith-centered back-to-school night or welcome breakfast.
Tailor monthly newsletters to intentionally highlight spiritual themes, classroom happenings, and family resources.
Invite parents to volunteer for service projects and classroom activities that reinforce Catholic Social Teachings and academic support practices.

5. Evaluating Long-Term Mission Goals

While daily operations can be demanding, it is important for leaders to carve out time for visionary thinking.

Revisit the school’s mission statement and consider whether it reflects the community’s current needs and aspirations.
Set 3 to 5 year goals for enrollment, fundraising, spiritual engagement, and alumni relations.
Form an ongoing strategic planning committee to maintain long term visioning for the school.

-Dan Heding

Reflecting on Grad at Grad Statements on the Feast of St. Clare

August 11, 2025

“We become what we love, and who we love shapes who we become.” – St. Clare of Assisi

I remember one August (many years ago) when I spent several days preparing my classroom for the start of school. I had just been hired for my first teaching job, teaching middle school students in a Catholic parish school in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI. I was hanging up some motivational posters in the classroom (probably purchased through a catalog I found in the teacher’s lounge of the school where I did my student teaching). One poster said, “Who you are becoming is more important than what you are achieving.” I chose to put it at the front of the classroom. I certainly wanted my students to work hard, to get good grades, and to achieve a lot, but even at the beginning of my teaching career I had a sense that there was truth to that poster.

A number of years later I started working at a university sponsored by Franciscan sisters, in a lay ministry formation center called the Saint Clare Center. As I began to learn more about St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, I realized that they would have agreed with the poster at the front of my first classroom. Rather than seeking upward mobility, they chose a life of downward mobility, embracing poverty and service because they wanted to become more like Jesus. For Clare, a key to becoming more like Jesus was prayer. In one of her letters, she encouraged the reader to “Gaze upon Christ, consider Christ, contemplate Christ, so as to imitate Christ.” Clare sought to become a vessel of God’s compassionate love for others, and prayer was part of her method to promote that transformation – as was her practice of washing the feet of the other sisters in the convent, or her habit of walking through the dormitory at night to make sure each sister was well covered by a blanket.

Today is the feast of St. Clare of Assisi. If she came to a graduation ceremony at one of our Catholic schools, I think she would be uninterested in our students’ GPAs and unimpressed by the dollar amounts of the scholarships they had won. I think she would be much more interested in whether the students reflected the goals we establish when we write a Profile of a Graduate or a Grad at Grad document. In those documents, we do say that we want students who have become academically strong, who have developed into critical thinkers and lifelong learners. But we also say that we want students who have become faith-filled, generous, and compassionate. We want students who, because of their time spent in our Catholic schools, have become more fully the people God calls us to be.

This raises one question for me, on this feast day of St. Clare. Our schools are intentional and systematic about how all the parts of the school work together to produce academically strong students. Are we as intentional and systematic about how all the parts of the school work together to help students become more faith-filled, generous, and compassionate – or do we leave that task to the campus minister and the theology teacher? Is there room for us to do better at identifying methods of transformation, simple steps that everyone in the school can take to help our students (and ourselves) become more like Christ?

-Michael Taylor

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