School Commission
The Catholic school is an expression of the educational mission of both the parish and the Archdiocese with which it is associated. Father Richard Hayatsu is responsible to the Archbishop for the administration of the total parish, including the parish school. Rosemary Leifer, Principal, reports to the pastor, is a member of the parish staff, and functions as the chief administrator of the school. Just as the parish council serves with the pastor on behalf of the total parish community, so the School Commission serves with the principal on behalf of the school community.
Today's Catholic school principal, faced with many demands, needs assistance from a group of people who are committed to the Catholic school and willing to work for the good of the school and parish. The School Commission provides this assistance. The School Commission Board meets every-other-month on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from September to June, at 7pm. On the months the full Commission does not meet, each sub-committee meets to discuss issues specific to that committee.The School Commission is an advisory body comprised of twelve elected members established by our Pastor, Father Hayatsu, and Principal, Rosemary Leifer, in accordance with Archdiocesan policy, to assist them in the governance of St. Francis of Assisi School. Members are selected and/or elected to participate in decision-making in designated areas of responsibility. Usually these areas include planning, policy formation, finances, the selection or appointment of the principal, development (including public relations and marketing) and evaluation. (Building Better Boards, 1990)
Our School Commission plays a very important role in our school. Its purpose is to advise and support the pastor and the principal in the formation of policy and the ongoing development of our school. Our current School Commission members are all school parents who advise the pastor and principal on school policy. They come from a variety of backgrounds and professions. Currently the members are:
| Father Richard Hayatsu | Pastor | |
| Rosemary Leifer | Principal | [email protected] |
| Dan Kingston | Chair | [email protected] |
| Melissa Downey | Member | [email protected] |
| Nicole Lauinger | Member | [email protected] |
| Stefanie Hanley | Member | |
| David Paice | Member | [email protected] |
| Hector Ramos | Member | |
| Krista Tuininga | Member | [email protected] |
| Alana Vinther | Member | [email protected] |
| Kristen Quilici |
Member
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| Amy Zottman |
Member
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| Bridget Hughes Cabiles |
Member
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| Faith Reiter |
Member
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Our Strategic Plan is a result of a year-long community effort. The Strategic Planning process was initiated by the St. Francis of Assisi School Commission in June of 2017 to identify the major opportunities and threats facing the school over the next decade and align the community’s energy and resources around a strategic response. The Commission wanted a plan that would be:
- Implementation-oriented, not just an abstract document;
- Broadly-owned, providing everyone in the school and parish community the opportunity to give input;
- Forward-looking, preparing the school for emerging realities; and
- Significant, focused on a few key initiatives that will make all the difference in how the school accomplishes its mission.
A Steering Committee was chartered by the School Commission to guide the process, assisted by Managing for Mission, a consultancy that specializes in strategic planning for Catholic schools. The committee was chaired by Steve VanDerhoef, and included principal Rosemary Leifer, pastor Fr. Richard Hayatsu, Gena Aiello, Tom Curran, Heidi Greenan, Rita Hulsman, Dan Kingston, Gretchen Longridge, Bruce Mennella, Peter Nichols and Jerry Shields. The committee in turn conducted an online SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis in which 23 people participated; sent a Stakeholder Survey to all members of the school and parish community, to which 40% responded; and invited all members of the community to participate in person in a Stakeholder meeting held at the school to gather broad input on St. Francis’s strategic needs, with over 40 people participating. From these and others, 37 people were formed into Topic Teams to study and propose goals in four different strategic areas:
- Faith and Community
- Academics and Extra-curriculars
- People: Staff and Volunteers
- Facilities
The well-considered proposals of the Topic Teams were presented to the Steering Committee, which worked with Principal Rosemary Leifer to craft them into this document, which will provide St. Francis with a roadmap to its future. Each year, Ms. Leifer and her school team, in conjunction with the School Commission, will craft an Annual Implementation Plan (AIP), spelling out in greater detail the steps to be accomplished in that year toward achieving the strategic goals.
The foregoing process distilled the many aspirations of the St. Francis School and Parish community into five strategic goals. These goals, which are described in greater detail in the attached plan, will be the focus of the school’s development over the next eight years.
