To the Jesuit High School Community:

Jesuit High School of Sacramento began its most recent strategic planning and discernment process in January 2020. The creation of a Comprehensive Strategic Plan provides an opportunity to keep Jesuit aligned to its mission by setting a direction for the future. The plan will outline the school’s goals and objectives for ongoing growth and improvement, enhancement, and advancement in multiple areas arising from the foundational principles of Catholic, Jesuit secondary education.

This strategic planning effort flows naturally from Jesuit’s collective work during the last several years. Beginning in 2019 the school conducted its regular review of its Catholic Identity and Jesuit mission through the Sponsorship Renewal Process of the Jesuits West Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). This process has now concluded and the Jesuit, Catholic identity of Jesuit High School was enthusiastically reaffirmed during the Sponsorship Renewal Mass held on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, presided over by the Provincial Superior of Jesuits West, Very Rev. Sean O. Carroll, S.J. 

Jesuit Sacramento also benefited from the self-study and formal visit in 2019 of the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), resulting in a full six-year re-accreditation. Both of these processes require that Jesuit High School reflect on its mission and identity, determine goals and areas for growth, and create a plan to continue improving service to the students and their families in light of the mission.

One of the areas for growth from these processes was an updated enrollment study.  This study is being accomplished through the strategic planning process. Both nationally and locally, Catholic school applications are under pressure. As a result, Jesuit has been actively collecting data on demographics and doing regression analysis to identify an ideal school size. In addition to ensuring the school is faithful to its ongoing improvement, the Strategic Plan ensures that the school is prepared to successfully navigate the changing landscape of Catholic, private education taking place both regionally and nationally. 

During the course of developing a strategic plan, the involvement of stakeholders from every corner of the community allows Jesuit to have a long-term framework for decision-making that builds upon the common values held by the community. The previous strategic plan, completed in 2013, covered eight years and expired in July of 2021. The current process will look toward the next 5-10 years.

While the pandemic complicated the initial project timeline, the strategic planning and discernment process has continued moving forward through multiple phases, including:

Spring 2020

• Full scope of work identified by Strategic Planning consultant
• Qualitative research with perspective families

Fall 2020

• Development of a fact-based situation assessment 
• Focus Teams of faculty and staff
• Production of a reflection paper on hopes for Jesuit graduates in the future
• Survey of faculty  

Spring 2021

• Potential strategies developed by Focus Teams

Summer 2021

• Exploratory Strategic Work Team begins work on potential strategies

Fall 2021

• Focus Teams of faculty and staff
• Survey of current parents on what brought them to Jesuit and their ideas about how the school can best serve its mission going forward
• Survey of alumni on what was important to them about their Jesuit education and how they view Jesuit and its mission.

Spring 2022

• Listening Sessions with faculty/staff, alumni, Principal’s Advisory Board, Board of Trustees
• Consultative meetings with leaders of local Catholic schools and the Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento
• Prayerful discernment by school leadership

Spring 2022

• Proposal to extend work one year approved by Board of Trustees

Fall 2022

• Ongoing data collection and surveying of stakeholders under the direction of the Board of Trustees

Summer 2023

• Framework completion will be done with the final plan drafted and prepared for review and consideration by the Board of Trustees

TBD

• Master Facilities Plan Development to complement Strategic Plan
• Beginning initial phase implementation of Jesuit High School of Sacramento Comprehensive Strategic Plan

During various phases, the process is designed to engage all stakeholders in developing a shared future vision. Some groups have already had listening sessions and surveys, others will do so in the coming year. Additionally, some stakeholders have been involved on Focus Teams, Strategy Work Teams, or had presentations of fact-based situation assessment. Stakeholders include:

• Current parents
• Alumni
• Students
• Faculty
• Staff
• Administrators
• Benefactors

As with all organization strategic planning, a wide variety of business and structure scenarios are considered during the process in numerous areas of operation. As the Comprehensive Strategic Plan is developed, a main component includes strategic enrollment options. To date, no decisions or a specific direction have been made. At the April Board of Trustees meeting, the Trustees approved a recommendation from Fr. McGarry for up to one additional year of research on the strategic plan before any decision or strategic direction is set. As such, research and conversations on multiple focus areas for enrollment are still ongoing and include:

• Scale the all-male student population in line with current demographic trends
  -OR- 
• Reenvision the student population to provide Ignatian education to young women and young men 

Staying true to Catholic identity and Jesuit mission while being responsive to the challenges and opportunities facing Catholic, private education continues to guide this important work. As Jesuit moves through the next year, the Universal Apostolic Preferences, Profile of a Graduate, and Jesuit High School of Sacramento Mission Statement will be a guiding force. 

Additional engagement of our stakeholders will also be critical to the process ahead. Jesuit has been and will continue to consult with the Jesuits West Province, the Diocese of Sacramento, peer schools, current families, alumni, faculty and staff, and benefactors as it does the important work of strategic planning and discernment.

As in all things at Jesuit High School Sacramento, God animates our efforts through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and keeping ourselves grounded in prayer and the gospel principles of Jesus Christ.  Jesuit will continue its pursuit of excellence in serving the greater Sacramento community by providing a top-quality Catholic, Jesuit, values-based college preparatory education. We strive to do this through a unique integrated approach of academic excellence, co-curricular involvement, spiritual and religious formation and a commitment to service as a way of life and a means of making the world a better, more humane, God-centered place.  

Thank you for your support of and interest in Jesuit High School.  Please contact me or the following school leaders with any questions you may have:

Rev. John P. McGarry, S.J.
President 
Jesuit High School of Sacramento
John.McGarry@JesuitHighSchool.org

 

Dr. Michael Wood ‘99, Principal | Michael.Wood@JesuitHighSchool.org

Ms. Annie Crew-Renzo, Assistant Principal for Mission and Vision | Annie.Crew-Renzo@JesuitHighSchool.org

Mrs. Elizabeth Sands, Director of Marketing and Communications | Elizabeth.Sands@JesuitHighSchool.org