Beginning with the 2018/19 school year, Xavier High School adopted a President-Principal model of school governance. This change was approved by the Xavier School Board, the Xavier Foundation Board, and the Archdiocesan Catholic School Board.
This model is a form of governance that takes the varied and numerous responsibilities for managing a private, Catholic school such as Xavier and spreads them over two leadership positions. A key outcome of going to this model is that it will allow both Xavier High School and the Xavier Foundation to be under a shared governance structure for the first time since the inception of the school.
The President-Principal model is now frequently used in Catholic secondary education. According to research from the National Catholic Education Association, this model is used in 60% to 75% of secondary Catholic high schools in the country. It is also being successfully used by other Catholic high schools in Iowa.
Xavier is now established as a premier high school option in the Cedar Rapids area educating servant leaders of tomorrow in a Christ-centered Catholic tradition. As we embark on our next twenty years, we have several challenges and opportunities on the horizon as we seek to expand our enrollment and diversify our revenue base. We believe this next chapter for Xavier High School will benefit from a President-Principal model of leadership.Read the full case statement from the President-Principal Task Force...
Presentation from President-Principal Open Forums:
What is the President - Principal Model? It’s a form of governance that takes the varied and numerous responsibilities for managing a private, Catholic school such as Xavier and spreads them over two leadership positions. A key outcome of going to this model is that it will allow both Xavier High School and the Xavier Foundation to be under a shared governance structure for the first time since the inception of the school.
What will be the President’s job? The President is the head of the school with ultimate responsibility for the Catholic faith formation of its students and their academic success. The President’s direct reports will be the Principal, Director of Development, Controller, and Facilities staff. With the Principal managing the day to day academic affairs of the school, the President will have capacity for other very crucial tasks often overlooked or under-resourced in many private schools. These include visioning, long range planning, strategic goal setting & execution, financial management, public relations & marketing, and fund raising.
What will be the Principal’s job? The Principal will have primary responsibility for day to day academic affairs of the school, including curriculum development, faculty development & evaluation, activities, and student affairs. Direct reports will include the Associate Principal, the Activities Director, Faculty and some staff. The Principal will have equal responsibility, along with the President, for Catholic faith formation of the students.
Why does Xavier need a President? Xavier’s Principal has been ultimately responsible for all the above duties for the last twenty years, with the exception of fundraising which was the responsibility of the Foundation with the assistance of the Principal as requested. We believe overall effectiveness for Xavier will increase by adding the role of President to our executive leadership team. This allows the Foundation and fund raising to be brought under the responsibility of the President, frees up the Principal to concentrate on academic and school related goals, and allows the President to work on longer range strategic objectives while assisting the Principal and Director of Development in achieving their very important goals for Xavier High School.
Will we still have an Executive Director of the Foundation? Yes. The title is being changed to Director of Development. The day to day activities of the Foundation still need a day to day manager. This role has been reporting to a volunteer board, with no reporting tie to the school. Now the role will report to the President providing better alignment with the school.
Why are we making this governance change now? In the face of declining revenue, primarily driven by declining enrollment, we need to execute on better strategies to increase enrollment and increase third source income. This takes a comprehensive vision, long term planning, and the ability to execute marketing, branding, and fund raising strategies. This takes executive leadership with time and capacity to work on these issues.
When is this change taking place? The goal is to have a new President named by March 1
st with the new position starting July 1, 2018 for the next school year.
Who will make the hiring decision? A five member Joint Executive Committee (JEC) of the Xavier School Board and the Xavier Foundation will conduct the search in consultation with the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools. The JEC will make a recommendation with the final approval by the School Board with concurrence from the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools.
Does the role of the School Board change? No. The School Board is still ultimately responsible for governance of the school and nothing changes in its governance structure or oversite authority. The President will report to the School Board.
Will there still be a Foundation Board? Yes. The Foundation Board will continue as a separate legal board. The office of the Foundation will continue to be run on a day to day basis by the Director of Development who will report to the President. Over time, under the direction of the President and Director of Development, this board is anticipated to take on additional strategic initiatives in marketing and branding in order to drive growth in enrollment and third source income.
Will our current Principal be considered for the President position? It is anticipated that our current Principal will apply, so he will be considered along with all other applicants.
Who becomes Principal if our current Principal gets the new President position? The new President will conduct a search for a new Principal in consultation with the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools. He or she will then recommend a new hire to the School Board for final approval.
Will school tuition increase because of this new position? No. A tuition increase for 2017/18 will be consistent with prior school years and reflect increased operating costs that we have typically encountered.
Will parish subsidies to the school increase because of this new position? No. There is a long standing agreement with the parishes on subsidies through 2022. That will not change.
If tuition or parish subsidies do not increase, how will the school pay for this new position? The school and the foundation have agreed to split the cost of the new position 50/50. The school will pay for its share through a combination of reductions in other administration personnel expense, and a small reduction in budgeting for future capital projects. Over time the expectation is that the position will pay for itself through additional revenue (increased third source income or increased enrollment).
What will be the actual additional cost to the school? The net annual additional cost to the school is projected at no more than $25,000, which is .45% of the school’s $5.4 million annual budget.
Why don’t we just go to a K-12 Catholic system in the Cedar Rapids metro area? That is beyond the scope of the two Xavier boards making this decision. Such a decision needs to start with the parishes, parish schools, and their families. However, we do believe that by going to this President – Principal model, Xavier will be in a good position to support such an effort from the parishes, if it would come together in the future.
Will the President work with the elementary and middle schools on enrollment ideas? Any efforts to increase Xavier enrollment will be aided by growing enrollment at the feeder schools. So, yes, the President will be well served by coordinating efforts to grow enrollment across all Catholic schools.
Who else uses the President – Principal model to govern their high schools? We visited with Davenport Assumption and West Des Moines Dowling Catholic in Iowa and with Rockford Boylan in Illinois who all use this model. According to the National Catholic Education Association, this model is used in 60% to 75% of the Catholic secondary schools in the country.
Aren’t there other President/Chief Administrator led schools in Iowa? Several other high schools in Iowa are part of a K-12 or K-8 system that is led by President or Chief Administrator. These include Regina in Iowa City, Wahlert in Dubuque, St Alberts in Council Bluffs, and Columbus in Cedar Falls.