STRATEGIC PLAN 2023-2028

Mission and Catholic Identity

The Church’s teaching mission includes inviting young people to a relationship with Jesus Christ or deepening an existing relationship with Jesus, inserting young people into the life of the Church, and assisting young people to see and understand the role of faith in one’s daily life and in the larger society. “This unique Catholic identity makes our Catholic elementary and secondary schools ‘schools for the human person’ and allows them to fill a critical role in the future life of our Church, our country and our world”(The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium, 1997). The following standards address Catholic identity and culture as vital to the mission of Catholic schools in the United States. – NCEA NSBECS 2020

 

 

GOAL 1 | Mission and Catholic Identity
All schools will employ the “The Defining Characteristics of Catholic Schools” as presented in the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS).

KEY STRATEGY CI | 1.1
The Catholic Schools Office will assist schools and board committees in implementing a self-assessmeny using the NSBECS.
 

KEY STRATEGY CI | 1.2
The Catholic Schools Office will ensure diocesan, and school mission statements are reviewed, clarified, and, if necessary, updated, and the commitment to the mission is renewed annually, including an emphasis on discipleship and improving the Christian community.
 

GOAL 2 | Mission and Catholic Identity

In collaboration with the diocese and parish communities, Catholic schools will intentionally form missionary disciples and evangelizers in
the world.

KEY STRATEGY CI | 2.1
The Catholic Schools Office will facilitate an annual meeting between pastors and administrators to discuss the school's spiritual, catechetical, and evangelical mission and work.

KEY STRATEGY CI | 2.2
The Catholic Schools Office will support administrators and teachers in strengthening their faith leadership in their schools and classrooms.

KEY STRATEGY CI | 2.3
Schools will offer parents and guardians inspiring opportunities for Christ-centered adult faith formation and support their work as the primary educators of their children in the faith.
 

GOAL 3 | Mission and Catholic Identity

Catholic schools will utilize resources authentic to the Catholic faith to intentionally create a vibrant Catholic school culture and disciples of Jesus.

KEY STRATEGY CI | 3.1
All schools in the diocese will use age-appropriate, catechetical resources authentic to the Catholic faith.

KEY STRATEGY CI | 3.2
The teaching of the Catholic faith, with a focus on Jesus Christ, will permeate all academic content areas.

KEY STRATEGY CI | 3.3
Catholic Schools Office will support schools in forming students to respond to contemporary social issues from a Catholic perspective.

 

GOAL 4 | Mission and Catholic Identity 

The Catholic Schools Office will identify strategies to encourage and support Latinos and other cultures’ greater participation in the gift of Catholic schools. 
 

KEY STRATEGY CI | 4.2 
The Catholic Schools Office will encourage administrators to educate staff, students and stakeholders to address cultural trends in their communities. 

 

GOAL 5 | Mission and Catholic Identity 

The Catholic Schools Office will work with administrators and pastors to draw families into the heart of parish life. 

KEY STRATEGY CI | 5.1 
Provide catechesis on the importance of the Mass being the source and summit of the Catholic faith. 

KEY STRATEGY CI | 5.2 
Increase access and decrease barriers to weekend liturgies. 

Governance and Leadership

Central to the mission of the Church is the work of Catholic school education. The success of this mission depends on the key components of effective governance, which provides direction or authority, and leadership, which ensures effective operations. Catholic school governance and leadership can be seen as a ministry that promotes and protects the responsibilities and rights of the school community. Governance and leadership based on the principles and practices of excellence are essential to insuring the Catholic identity, academic excellence, and operational vitality of the school. Although governance models vary based on the sponsorship of the school, those who serve on the governing body or leadership team in Catholic schools provide for an environment for the teaching of doctrine and Sacred Scripture, the building and experiencing of community, the serving of others, and the opportunity for worship. – NCEA NSBECS 2020

 

GOAL 1 | Governance and Leadership       

Diocesan, parish, and school leadership will work in close cooperation to ensure each school's fidelity to its mission. 
 

KEY STRATEGY GL | 1.1 
Diocesan leadership will continue to define and support the role of diocesan clergy in all Catholic school systems. 

GOAL 2 | Governance and Leadership 

Diocesan leadership will empower and support leadership throughout every level of the Catholic school system. 
 

KEY STRATEGY GL | 2.1 
The Catholic Schools Office will support the development of essential aspects of leadership in Catholic education, including a commitment to the mission of Catholic education and the formation needed to assume the role of faith and instructional leader.

Academic Excellence

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops affirms the message of the Congregation on Catholic Education that intellectual development of the person and growth as a Christian go forward hand in hand. Rooted in the mission of the Church, the Catholic school brings faith, culture and life together in harmony. In 2005, the bishops noted that “young people of the third millennium must be a source of energy and leadership in our Church and our nation. And, therefore, we must provide young people with an academically rigorous and doctrinally sound program of education” (Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary School is in the Third Millennium, 2005)  – NCEA NSBECS 2020

 

GOAL 1 | Academic Excellence
The Catholic Schools Office will collaborate with administrators to develop a shared vision around learner-centered Catholic education. 

 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 1.1
The Catholic Schools Office will facilitate the formation of common beliefs around why learner- centered Catholic education is necessary for each child to achieve their God-given potential. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 1.2
 The Catholic Schools Office will offer summer academies for administrators and teachers around learner-centered, equitable Catholic education. 

 

GOAL 2 | Academic Excellence 
Expand the knowledge and skills of administrators and teachers to develop inclusive, culturally-responsive schools. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 2.1
The Catholic Schools Office is committed to supporting school leaders and educators in inclusive education valuing each child’s human dignity and unique abilities. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 2.2 
The Catholic Schools Office will promote culturally responsive instruction especially in areas with high populations of English learners. 
 

 GOAL 3 | Academic Excellence
School leaders and educators will investigate innovative, research-based academic programs built around the shared vision of learner-centered Catholic education. 

  
KEY STRATEGY AE | 3.1 
The Catholic Schools Office will collaborate with administrators to research models of learner-cen- tered education that meet the needs of each school based on their key finding data. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 3.2 
Explore the benefits of Competency-Based Education (CBE) in Iowa along with work-based
learning opportunities, internships, and community partnerships. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 3.3 
Teaching and learning will empower learners to incoporate current technology tools and encourage them to become responsible digital citizens that incoporates reasoning based on our Catholic faith. 

  

GOAL 4 | Academic Excellence

School leaders and educators will create a guaranteed viable curriculum with clear expectations and a progres- sion of learning that leads to mastering graduation expectations.   

KEY STRATEGY AE | 4.1 
With input from key stakeholders, school leaders will establish a graduate profile, a clear visualization of the expectation of what every learner must know, understand, and be able to do when they graduate from our Catholic schools. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 4.2
School leaders will create a guaranteed, viable, Catholic-infused curriculum that is horizontally and vertically aligned to standards and establishes expectations for what learners will know and be able to do at every performance level. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 4.3 
Once expectations for learning and mastery are clear, ensure all stakeholders have a shared awareness of the learner’s continuous progress with standards referenced grading. 

GOAL 5 | Academic Excellence
School leaders will ensure and sustain effective teaching and learning in every classroom. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 5.1
School leaders will develop and promote a mentoring and induction program for all teachers new to diocesan schools. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 5.2 
Teachers will use a variety of student data to inform their instructional practices and to plan for con- tinued and sustained student growth. 

KEY STRATEGY AE | 5.3 
School leaders will align professional development and evaluations to the newly developed diocesan vision of academic excellence and student reporting. 

Operational Vitality

Catholic schools are temporal organizations committed to the Church and the mission of Catholic education including a commitment to a culture of excellence and rigor. These schools exist in a milieu of constant socioeconomic challenges grounded in continuous need for sustainable financial planning, human resource/personnel management and professional formation, facilities maintenance and enhancement, and the requirement for institutional advancement and contemporary communication. Catholic schools must adopt and maintain standards for operational vitality in these areas and define the norms and expectations for fundamental procedures to support and ensure viability and sustainability. When a school does not maintain standards for operational vitality, the continuation of academic excellence is in grave jeopardy. Over time, even an academically rigorous school with strong Catholic identity will not survive without operational vitality. Standards for operational vitality must focus on the “operation” of the school—how it works and how it is supported—in four key areas: finances, human resources/personnel, facilities, and institutional advancement. The leader/ leadership team must manage each area and be subject to the direct oversight of the governing body in these matters. – NCEA NSBECS 2020

 

GOAL 1 | Operational Vitality

All Catholic schools will optimize enrollment through effective marketing, recruitment, and retention efforts at both the local and diocesan levels.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 1.1
Each Catholic school in the Diocese of Sioux City will maintain an enrollment management plan.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 1.2
Each Catholic school in the Diocese of Sioux City will appoint an Enrollment Champion to implement the enrollment management plan and be a liaison with the Catholic Schools Office.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 1.3
School budgets will include a line item to fund marketing and enrollment management initiatives.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 1.4
All schools will implement a parent satisfaction survey to measure attitudes, perceptions and expectations to internally assess school performance, areas of strength, and areas of needed growth or change.
 

GOAL 2 | Operational Vitality

With the fastest-growing number of school-age children being immigrants, our Catholic schools will expand outreach to the Hispanic community and families of other cultures to promote greater access to our Catholic schools.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 2.1
Investigate scholarship opportunities specific to cultural diversity to make Catholic education more accessible.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 2.2
The Catholic Schools Office will partner with stakeholders to bring awareness to cultural challenges in light of the gospel.
 

GOAL 3 | Operational Vitality

Diocesan leadership will research options for assessing and monitoring the financial health of the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 3.1
Business managers will prepare timely financial reports, the annual budget, and critical statistics relating to the school's financial condition, and in collaboration with the school administrator, share with the local school board.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 3.2
Diocesan leadership will provide annual education on school finance, budgeting practices, and accounting practices for scholarship funds for school business managers, bookkeepers, school administrators, and pastors.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 3.3
Diocesan leadership will guide schools in communicating a summary overview of the school budget and financial information to parents and necessary stakeholders.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 3.4
The Diocese of Sioux City will establish minimum expectations and essential responsibilities for the school bookkeeper/business manager positions.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 3.5
Catholic Schools Office and diocesan leadership will annually review viability benchmarks for each school.
 

GOAL 4 | Operational Vitality
Diocesan leadership will create a centralized support network for schools to streamline specific administrative roles and services across schools in the diocese.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 4.1
The Catholic Schools Office and diocesan leadership will create a database for staffing needs and available centralized administrative and support services.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 4.2
The diocesan technology committee will work with schools and school systems to develop and prioritize technology and technology integration.
 

GOAL 5 | Operational Vitality
The funding model for schools will reflect a sustainable balance among revenue sources.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 5.1
Schools will transition to a new tuition model through a phased approach that more closely reflects the actual cost of education.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 5.2
Revenue from published tuition and fees will be at least 50% of total operating revenue within three to five years. 


KEY STRATEGY OV | 5.3
The Catholic Schools Office will standardize best practices for diocesan and local scholarship awards.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 5.4
The Catholic Schools Office and diocesan leadership will support schools in initiating local annual campaigns.
 

GOAL 6 | Operational Vitality
The diocese will explore the potential to undertake a major campaign to support schools and other diocesan ministries with a commitment to ensure schools remain available, accessible, and affordable to all parents and students.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 6.1
Diocesan leadership will prepare a formal diocesan case statement that will serve as the foundation for developing a major campaign to sustain quality Catholic education in the diocese.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 6.2
Diocesan leadership will develop a list of needs and opportunities that could be funded through a diocesan campaign for Catholic education.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 6.3
Initiate planning for the diocesan campaign for Catholic education to commence in the next four to five years.
 

GOAL 7 | Operational Vitality

The Catholic Schools Office will facilitate intentional conversations around increased compensation for school administrators, faculty, and staff.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 7.1     
The Catholic Schools Office will create a diocesan teacher salary scale for parish and system schools to serve as a minimum guideline in establishing future faculty and staff compensation.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 7.2
The Catholic Schools Office will research and share opportunities for alternative approaches to compensation to ensure all staff are appropriately compensated.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 7.3
Standardize employee benefits for all schools.

 

GOAL 8 | Operational Vitality

Catholic Schools Office and diocesan leadership will support schools in developing a master facility plan that prioritizes short and long-term physical needs.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 8.1
Collaborating with diocesan leadership, the Catholic Schools Office will develop a template with criteria and expectations required for each master facility plan.

KEY STRATEGY OV | 8.2
Each school will schedule facility advantages and limitations assessments to support academic and extracurricular programs.