Roger Bacon to Return to President plus Principal Administration Model

Please see below for a press release from the Chair of the Roger Bacon Board of Directors, Thomas J. Hattersley '68.

Dear Roger Bacon Community,

As the new Chair of the Roger Bacon High School Board of Directors, I would like to extend my gratitude to you for your loyal and personal support of Roger Bacon High School. Our campus is a hub of activity educating our young men and women in the true spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. We are blessed to have confident leaders, dedicated faculty and staff, and passionate alumni and parents at our school who work diligently every day to maintain the values that were established in 1928.

While our history is rich with tradition, we must always plan for the future – and the future of Roger Bacon is bright. With that said, I would like to share a couple of important announcements:

• The creation of a new “coast-to-coast” Franciscan Province
• The Board’s decision to reactivate the role of President of Roger Bacon High School

I am pleased to relay the Franciscan Order’s bold plan to reorganize and revitalize its organization. In the fall of 2023 our Province, Saint John the Baptist, along with five other Franciscan provinces in the United States, will merge to form one province – The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This new province will be headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Roger Bacon High School will remain a sponsored ministry of the new Our Lady of Guadalupe Province.

With this new governance and as we prepare for our 100^th Anniversary in 2028, it is more important than ever that Roger Bacon remain a highly self-sufficient and sustainable ministry. It is a theme echoed throughout the pages of our strategic plan Marching Forward: Roger Bacon 2028. For this reason, after very careful research and prayerful thought, we have made the decision to return to the President plus Principal model of administration beginning in the 2023-2024 school year.

This is not new for Roger Bacon. Our school operated under the President plus Principal model from 2001 to 2020. In 2020, at the Board of Directors' request, Steve Schad accepted the dual role of Principal and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a position he will continue to hold this school year. Our tremendous success the last two years is a testament to his dedication and effort. It is Steve’s recommendation that the role of Principal/CEO be separated into two positions, President and Principal. The President will serve as the chief executive officer while the Principal’s role is that of the chief operational and educational officer.

The Board has established a Presidential Search Committee charged with identifying a well-qualified individual to serve as President of Roger Bacon High School. As the committee embarks on this important journey, I ask for your prayers for our success.

Importantly, I ask that you join me and the entire Board of Directors in offering sincere appreciation to Steve Schad for his tireless efforts, stellar performance, and the positive leadership he graciously displayed in acting as Principal and CEO. We are looking forward to his long-term, continued success as an admired leader at our beloved school.

If you have any questions, please email our Director of Marketing & Alumni Engagement, Brandon Spaeth '11.