Superintendent of Schools

Job Description

Diocese of Lincoln - Superintendent of Schools
Position Success Profile

Reports To: Bishop James D. Conley

Direct Reports: Chancery education-office staff; Ed-Tech Office leader

Key Partners: Fr. Stoley (Superintendent of Record during the credentialing period), Pastors, CAO's, Principals, Diocesan HR, Diocesan Communications Office, Office of General Counsel, Diocesan CFO

Schools & Enrollment: 30 schools across the diocese: 24 elementary schools, 6 high schools, ~6,600 students

I. Why This Role Exists

The Superintendent exists to carry the Diocese of Lincoln's schools from a position of strength into one shared, vibrant vision of Catholic education, held in common by pastors, principals, and parents alike. The diocese has a foundation of low tuition rates, a strong Catholic identity, and vocations to the priesthood and religious life that is nearly unmatched nationally. Bishop Conley's One Heart in Christ pastoral plan names education as one of four pillars for the next five years, and the new federal tax-credit scholarship program is opening real financial possibility for how these schools are funded and whom they can serve.

This work is part of the broader renewal Pope Leo XIV described in Drawing New Maps of Hope as the Church's educational constellations, and Lincoln can step further into it without hurry. The role calls for a unifier and an evangelizer: someone who spends substantial time in the field building confidence among pastors, encouraging principals, and rekindling the imagination of families who already love being Catholic but want real clarity on what a vibrant Catholic education looks like, seeing every classroom, in Bishop Conley's words in his letter on the Joy and Wonder of Catholic Education, through a sacramental lens that connects every subject, every discipline, into one coherent and knowable whole.

II. Core Outcomes

The Superintendent exists to produce these eight results. They are the fruit by which this role will be evaluated.

Unified Catholic Mission & Identity: Pastors, principals, and parents across the diocese operate from a shared, clearly articulated vision of Catholic education, grounded in orthodoxy and the Catholic intellectual tradition carried by ICLE formation. Schools are aligned in curricular vision and implementation, and all the oars row in the same direction.

Evangelization & Public Presence: The Superintendent functions as a visible evangelizer for Catholic education, engaging parents and communities directly and rekindling enough enthusiasm that financial and volunteer support becomes a natural outflow instead of a hard ask.

Enrollment Growth & Access: Schools move closer to capacity over five years, and the new federal tax-credit scholarship program is understood and actively used by families and donors as a funding and access tool.

Execution & Follow-Through: Translates vision into priorities, timelines, support structures, and monitored implementation, reliably moving work from plan to practice.

Principal Equipping & Support Across Pastors & CAOs: Within the diocese's reporting structure, the Superintendent equips CAO's and principals with the resources, training, and ongoing support they need to strengthen their schools and progress toward the diocese's shared vision, working closely with CAOs and pastors on principal hiring and development.

Financial Sustainability of the School System: Schools operate on a sustainable financial footing, working from practical models the Superintendent builds for the diocese's distinct urban and rural economies. Pastors and principals adopt those models willingly, and fundraising and the tax-credit scholarship build on that foundation.

Licensure Progress & Regulatory Integrity: The Superintendent makes documented, on-pace progress toward Nebraska superintendent licensure, meets Nebraska Department of Education accreditation-reporting obligations for every school, and models the same openness to formation expected of the diocese's teachers.

Operational Health & People Leadership Across the Network: The Superintendent brings strong people-management to a large network of schools and staff. Serving as a leader of leaders, the Superintendent inspires and holds accountable priests, religious sisters, and lay principals alike, as the network's day-to-day operational health strengthens year over year.

III. Two Phases of This Role

This profile describes the role in full. Authority arrives in two stages, keyed to credentialing pace, and this section is the only place that distinction appears once full superintendent endorsement requirements are met.

Phase 1: Leading While Credentialing

Owns the credentialing path. The incoming Superintendent drives the plan and coursework toward the Nebraska Superintendent endorsement. Incoming superintendent takes on the title of Chief Administrative Officer of Schools initially while completing the credentialing pathway, and upon completion, will assume the full title of Superintendent. The diocese funds it, and progress is reported to Bishop Conley quarterly.

Shares authority for compliance. Fr. Stoley continues as Superintendent of Record and carries accreditation, certification, and the state and federal filings that require his signature. The CAO of Schools office prepares and supports that work but does not certify it, and changes to what the diocese reports to the state pass his review first.

Leads from day one. Mission, curriculum and formation, personnel, operations, enrollment, and advancement are delegated from the Superintendent to the CAO of Schools the first day.

Builds trust first. The early months belong in the field: meeting every principal and pastor, learning each school on its own terms, and building the relationships that make later change possible.

Phase 2: Full Authority, Once the Endorsement Is Earned

The two offices merge. The role now also assumes responsibility for accreditation, certification, budget, emergency operations, and signature authority alongside its existing duties. Duties not restricted by the state to the office of Superintendent may be delegated to future associate superintendent(s) and partners in the chancery.

The focus of the role does not change. It is curriculum, people, and strategy facing in both phases. Earning the credential finishes consolidating the authority that began on day one. The work itself stays the same.

IV. Role Context

Key Partnerships

Bishop James Conley: Ultimate authority and true partner in mission. He defines the standard this office is measured against. The Superintendent brings mission, personnel, and enrollment clarity directly to him, and speaks for the schools while the Bishop speaks for the diocese.

Fr. Stoley (Superintendent of Record): Holds regulatory assurance and signature authority through the credentialing period, providing continuity and institutional knowledge while the incoming Superintendent leads the implementation of Bishop Conley's vision for Catholic Education from day one.

CAOs (Chief Administrative Officers): The executing partners at the school level. They carry out principal selection, evaluation, and separation and faculty hiring, based on the standard set by the superintendent. They and their principals own certification currency and athletics eligibility outright.

Parish Pastors: Many function as the CAO of their parish's school. These are the Bishop's own relationships, and the Superintendent carries the working partnership within them. The pastor concurs in the appointment of a principal and may be the employer of record.

School Principals: The people who carry the renewal in their buildings. The Superintendent owns their selection, evaluation, and development, and provides the resources and training they need to progress toward the diocese's shared vision.
Office of General Counsel: Consulted on hiring criteria, discipline involving protected conduct, and personnel investigations; accountable for records; and a working party in a crisis, not an after-the-fact advisor.

Diocesan CFO: Holds insurance, claims, and risk transfer, administers diocesan capital funding, and works with the Bishop on compensation. The Superintendent proposes within that envelope.
Diocesan Director of Communications: This office serves the Bishop's ministry with Christian joy as resources for parishes, schools, institutions and people of the Diocese of Lincoln.

Decision Rights

What this office owns, what it proposes for the Bishop's decision, and what it supports rather than directs.

Owns (curriculum): Leads the team spearheading renewal curriculum design, texts, and scope and sequence; assessment strategy and accountability for academic outcomes; faculty formation and professional development; instructional supervision, classroom observation, and coaching; the academic calendar and instructional schedule.

Owns (personnel): Principal recruitment, selection, evaluation, development, and separation; faculty hiring standards, mission-fit criteria, and interview protocol; the Office of Catholic Schools staffing structure.

Owns (strategy): Enrollment marketing, recruitment, and family communication; advancement, major gifts, and donor relations; scholarship program administration; school policy and handbook adoption; the financial models offered to schools and parishes; the Office of Catholic Schools operating budget; technology and data protection; and day-to-day public representation of the schools.

Proposes for the Bishop's decision: Observable benchmarks rendered from his vision and the Joy and Wonder of Catholic Education principles; compensation philosophy and salary scales, set with the CFO; diocesan tuition and financial-aid policy; the opening, closing, merging, or relocating of a school; chancery education positions; and commitments above the set threshold or spanning fiscal years.

Supports rather than directs: State and federal filings, accreditation reporting, and certification compliance, which this office prepares and the Superintendent of Record certifies until the endorsement is earned; special education and student discipline determinations; facilities, capital projects, and parish property; insurance and risk, held by the CFO; and records and legal response, held by Counsel.

Informs: Bishop Conley on all material personnel, legal, financial, or reputational matters, without delay. Parishes and schools control their own budgets directly, and the Superintendent stays fluent and engaged in them without running them.

Compensation: Competitive salary + benefits

To Apply: Send resume or CV and cover letter to Penny Jenson: pjenson@arcadiaed.com

About the Employer

The Mission of the Catholic School System of the Diocese of Lincoln is to form students spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically, in partnership with parents, and in harmony with the specific gifts given by God to each student. In order to fulfill this mission, these schools are committed to integrating the best programs and means of education with Catholic faith and moral values.