- For generations, Catholic schools have been an important part of education in Sacramento.

Today, their system is at an inflection point.

Across the country, Catholic schools face declining enrollment, rising costs that are forcing tough decisions.

Now, a major shift.

Jesuit High School announced that it will start admitting girls after decades as an all boys institution.

What is the future of Catholic education in Sacramento?

My guests are Dr.

John Moran, president of St.

Francis High School, and Victoria Valdez, a 2019 graduate of St.

Francis.

Doctor Moran, Victoria, welcome to Studio Sacramento.

- Thank you Scott.

Good to be here.

- Doctor Moran, what is this moment that Catholic schools that have been so much of in the fabric of the Sacramento region for so long?

What are they facing today?

- Well, um, you have to start back in 1965 was the beginning of the decline of, Catholic school enrollment in America.

So that's the larger and larger context.

That's been continuing, um, and is not really abating, overall.

But if you bring that to Sacramento, there were six, um, Catholic schools, a number of years ago.

Um, it's down to, three major Catholic schools now.

And, each of them, you know, has a niche in the market.

- Jesuit, Christian Brothers, and St.

Francis.

- Yes.

Those are the three main ones.

Um, and, um, I-- in my career, um, and here I really believed in the firm philosophy that you can buck the trends of downward enrollment in two fundamental ways adding more value to your school every year and communicating that value better.

Excuse me.

And so that's what we've embarked upon at St.

Francis.

It's always been an exceptional school for 86 years now.

It's been preparing amazing young women like the one we have here in Victoria, but over 12,000 others, who are leaders across industries.

And-- but we're not sitting on our laurels.

We're continuing to add value, new programs, improving the quality of each current program that we have.

Um, and just, continuing to find new and better ways to prepare young women for the lives of faith, excellent leadership and service.

And so I, I come to this with a lot of energy and excitement about our future.

- So Victoria, you-you not only went to St.

Francis, but prior to that, you went to another school, St.

Robert.

- Yes.

- What did your k-through-12 education experience - what did it mean to you?

- I'm first of all, very grateful to have had the privilege to attend, Catholic education for my elementary school years and my high school years.

I feel like fundamentally, the structure and also the size of the school as well, really plays a big role into the way that you're able to create relationships with people.

I went to St.

Roberts, and when I was at St.

Robert's K through eighth, I was in always one of the smaller classes.

And so being with the same, same 20 to 30 kids just fluctuates on the year.

Being with the same 20 to 30 kids for nine years, you really understand the value of close friendships that you carry on in your day to day life as a young, as a child, pretty much.

And same with St.

Francis.

I mean with St.

Francis.

I went to St.

Francis knowing maybe five girls.

And what's funny is, is my graduating class at St.

Roberts was only eight girls, so I went from going, being in a class of eight girls to the next year, being in a class with 250.

And so I really- going to St.

Francis and not knowing anyone, I didn't enjoy it, as would any 13, 14 year old would.

And my parents were still like, “By the end of freshman year, if you still don't like it and you still haven't found, you know, your group or your niche, you can go to Christian Brothers.” because that's where everybody from St.

Roberts goes.

And by the beginning of my sophomore year, I had found my community, found my people, and by the end of my senior year, really, I probably knew probably about three quarters of my class.

- Wow.

- And you also through just the mixed classes, you know, I was in a class with some of the girls that were in grade below me or in the grade above me.

And even then, being a young adult and going out and doing things, and you just run into people and it's just like clockwork, like, oh my God, I haven't seen you in forever.

And so I... the big takeaway that I am the most grateful for with attending Catholic education, is just the lifelong connections that you make with people.

I feel like those types of communities really helped breed that sense of community, essentially.

- And connection.

- And connection.

Yes.

- So full disclosure, um, my kids went to St.

Robert and my son went to Christian Brothers because that's where everybody goes.

And my daughter went to St.

Francis.

And so I-I-I know the system.

I know the system-- - Mhm.

- Well enough-- - Yeah.

- As a parent.

One of the things I'm curious about, though, is you had kind of the dual experience.

St.

Robert was a coed- a coed school.

St.

Francis is an all girls school.

And for most of us, we never had the experience of going to a single gender school.

What do you think was special about that experience for you that uh, you take with you even today?

- What's special about that experience to me is that I was able to really find myself at an age where a lot of people, I feel like, try to find themselves and not find themselves until later in life, which there's nothing wrong with that.

But going to, um, going to a high school where it's all girls... For example, like if you say something wrong in class, you don't have to worry about a 15 year old boy making fun of you.

And then you're like, oh my God, this guy thinks I'm stupid and vice versa with, you know, Jesuit as well.

When I was choosing to go to St.

Francis, my dad went to Christian Brothers and my mom went to St.

Francis.

My dad had only experienced Christian Brothers as an all boys school, I believe, until his sophomore year.

Um, so he had two years of all boys and then two years coed, and then my mom obviously experienced St.

Francis as all girls, and I have lots of aunts and uncles and cousins that went to Jesuit, Christian Brothers or St.

Francis.

So I had a very good, um, understanding of what each experience could be like.

And what's funny is, is when you mention to people that you're going to St.

Francis, for example, in my experience, the one thing that people will always tend to say if they didn't go there and experience this is, “Oh my God, all girls that so much drama.” My personal experience.

Yeah-- People don't agree on things.

People get into arguments.

That's human nature.

That's not something that is foreign to the experience of living life.

But if I'm being honest, it wasn't that dramatic of an environment as people try to make it out to be.

I really do feel like St.

Francis helps breed young women to be the best versions of themselves through all the different programs and classes and experiences that they have to offer.

One thing that always stuck with me through my experience at St.

Francis is, is we had a theology teacher who had been there for eons.

His name was Mr.

Norman, and if you went through Catholic school and end up going to St.

Francis, you know who he is.

And he had taught my mom and my aunts.

And so and his wife was also the principal at St.

Roberts for a little bit.

So I knew him very well, and I ended up being his TA and we would talk about things and we started talking about a topic like this.

And he said, “You know, one time we had a substitute come...” and he was kind of like a long term sub.

Someone was out on leave.

And Mr.

Norman was like, “I was talking with him in the break room, and he told me, you know what, Rick?

You guys breed very masculine women here.” - What?

- And Mr.

Norman was like, “I've never heard of anybody describe it that way.” And that was really off putting because why - for a young woman to be able to express their opinion, be able to have a conversation with someone with a differing opinion, and also just be able to express themselves and how they want to and how they feel.

Why does that have to be seen as masculine?

And so I think St.

Francis really helped us feel not in that way, not in that these characteristics are masculine, but more in a sense of these characteristics are of people that are strong and independent and know what they want.

And so I think that is what I'm most grateful for in the fact of going to St.

Francis is that I was able to be taught that at an age where it really does matter.

I was in high school from the ages of 13 to 17, and I believe if I didn't have that foundation, I probably would have... learned those lessons later on in life, whereas learning those as a 13 year old really sets you up to be very strong minded and determined, and also just be able to express yourself in an adult way.

- When you hear this Dr.

Moran, what-what the what reaction does that kind of well up in you?

- I am so proud and honored, to serve an institution that produces young women like Victoria.

I mean, that's dropped the mic.

I mean, she just said it all so articulately.

And so imagine going to school every morning and, observing 700 young women of this caliber and quality and growing into the caliber and quality that she is now.

It inspires me.

It amazes me, um, and, and encourages me for our future because we need strong, articulate, bold women who will, close the gender gaps, across industries.

And we need these type of women in all of the social engines of change in the arts, in government, in media, in business.

Um, and, women are starting to close some of those gender gaps, but there's still a long way to go.

And I really love that St.

Francis is in the business of bucking those trends.

- So and you're bucking those trends.

But there are other macro trends that are affecting you.

We've had the closure, um, of a couple of the feeder schools.

Uh, St.

Robert survives, but we have a couple other feeder schools within the, the parochial system here locally that are going to merge into St.

Robert.

And there are still the big three, which are, St.

Francis, Christian Brothers and Jesuit.

But then, and it seemed that all three of you had your respective missions.

And then the announcement, uh, in recent past that Jesuit is converting to a co-educational model, um, was a surprise, I'm told, to many.

What do you think will be the impact of that change on, St.

Francis and its ability to meet its mission, but also the to put it in a business context, meet its numbers?

- I think minimal-- nothing if not minimal.

We, um, you know, there were rumors, after they made their announcement that we're closing, some of those rumors are still lingering.

Um, amongst those rumors.

- Oh, that St.

Francis is closing.

- That St.

Francis is closing-- - Really?

- Because Jesuit has announced that they're going co-divisional.

So, amongst those rumors next year, we have our enrollment numbers, and next year is the first year in five years we're not going down in enrollment.

We've stabilized.

Um, and we're just beginning to, build this renaissance at St.

Francis, rebuilding the arts.

And, accentuating, the STEM programs and and, plans for rebuilding, large sections of the campus.

So, you know, our future doesn't depend on any other school, what they do.

It depends on what we do.

- Right.

But you all are still a part of kind of the system in Sacramento.

And, I'm-I'm curious.

They are-are moving to admit girls.

You all could have moved in the opposite direction - decide to admit boys.

Uh, what made the decision right for them, but not right for you?

- That's a great question.

So, well, you know, we don't need to have a mission change.

We are financially stable.

I just printed my-- - Are they not financially stable?

- Well, Ill let them speak for themselves, but I'm just saying that, I printed our, published our presence annual report just recently and showed that we're debt free.

We have a very large, savings.

We have been strategic in our investments or we're continue to be strategic in our financial investments and in our financial responsibility.

There's one reason, and I've been in this business for, well since 1996, is that there's one reason that, religious schools go out of business, and that's a lack of cash flow.

We don't have that, we have tremendous cash flow and tremendous savings.

We own our buildings.

And so, we are very well positioned to, rebuild, the, the enrollment.

First of all, we have to stabilize it, which we have just done in less than one year.

And then from there we grow.

And it's just by adding excellence.

I've competed with Catholic schools, other Catholic schools, my whole career.

It's friendly competition, but it's competition.

And, I- I just would hate to be anybody competing for the girls market in Sacramento against St.

Francis.

I don't know how you can compare to it.

We've been having excellence for 86 years and we're getting more excellent every year.

I've told my team we're going to get 3% better every day.

And they're-they're rising to the challenge.

We're adding new programs every year.

And so I'm very bullish on our future.

And I feel confident about it.

- Well, you have an alum right here in Victoria whose mother is an alum as well.

Right?

- Yes.

And my younger sister.

- And your younger sister.

Victoria, I don't want to put you on the spot, but I've got to ask the question.

Um... When-- do you have children yet?

- No.

- Okay.

Alright.

- No.

- Assume-- assuming that you might at some point.

Or you have friends maybe, that are having children.

How-- how do you feel about the likelihood that St.

Francis for their girls will be an option?

And before you answer, let me just ask Dr.

Moran one question.

What's the tuition right now?

- It's, $17,000 and change, and it would be just over $18,000 each year.

- $18,000?

- Yeah.

So you hear that-that type of number.

Okay.

What is it that you can offer to Doctor Moran and his staff that they need to be prepared for so that the next generation of Victorias and-and your younger sister are able to attend, given just sort of kind of the realities of the world right now.

- I've always said that if I have children and they are girls, I would hope that St.

Francis would still be an option for them.

Um... and... In the sense that I, myself and whoever I decide to have children with can afford that as an option for them.

Um, I've always seen it as a privilege to have gone to Catholic schools growing up, private Catholic schools growing up.

And I hope that in the future, considering the realities of the world today, that I am able to afford to make that sacrifice for my future children.

If I have any.

- And if I may, dovetail with that, is that, we're very well aware of the financial pressures on young families.

Uh, so, um, for the students coming in for the-the new freshmen class, we have provided more financial aid than ever before.

That was a very, conscious decision.

Um, and we need to help families, and we want everyone who wants a St.

Francis education to be able to come.

And so we're, we're putting financial skin in the game to help them, more than ever before.

- Now, it-- that particular issue of, uh, cost, very real for our emerging generation of new families.

- Right.

- The other pressure that I keep reading about has to do with demographics.

The public school systems here locally are dealing with that.

We have some schools, some public schools that, are, you know, by and large, using only a fraction of their physical plan because they just don't have the students and neighborhoods don't want to close them down because everybody wants a local school.

- Sure.

- What-what is the demographic challenge that you're facing?

Is it the same one?

Is it different somehow?

How are you handling.

- Oh, it's the same.

I mean, the school age children in California is dropping precipitously and is predicted to continue to do so.

Um, and so, um... I-- my premise and supposition is that as long as we continue to be most excellent in and all girls education, which is unique for young women, and we'll still be the only one in Sacramento that's an all girls campus, that there will always be a market for that.

The best schools are recession proof and I've seen the best schools are market proof and demographic proof.

And so the best schools have waiting lines even in the worst of times - waiting lists.

And, we are already the best on many levels.

We-- a report just came out of the, San Francisco Chronicle that we are the number one school in Sacramento County of any school, in placing our graduates into the most selective UCs.

- Really?

- 57% um, higher than our closest competitor.

So we are a superior, academic, prep school.

But we're not again, we're not sitting on those laurels.

We just had a meeting with our team to say well, what are some of the academic barriers to students coming in and how can we improve our academic enterprise?

We're always looking at what we can do better.

- You, uh, you talk about achievement and things like that.

And, you've had some, some very distinguished alumni.

One that comes to mind because I'm a movie buff is, Greta Gerwig, who, I don't remember whether she was nominated for an Oscar or whether she won an Oscar.

- I think she won the Oscar, didn't she?

Or she-- - Not for, not for Lady Bird.

I don't believe she won it for Lady Bird.

- Maybe-- maybe-- - Oh, she won it for Barbie.

- Barbie.

- Barbie.

That's right.

- Ah!

- Yes.

- Okay, okay.

- Yeah.

- Two amazing movies.

- Yeah.

I'm just curious.

Does she ever come back?

- Oh, I haven't seen her, but I- I'm going to try to reach out to her.

I would love her to come back.

You know, we're in a big renaissance in our arts department, so I really want her to come back and help us supercharge what we're doing, uh, to-to really strengthen the arts again at, St.

Francis.

And we're coming a long way.

We just came out of a great 80s town performance.

That was, I would say, professional, at least college level.

And, just, I think what happened to St.

Francis, it's so well-rounded across the board in all of the different aspects of what a school should give.

It's not like one thing is stronger than the other.

And so this is why you have such well-rounded graduates in the top universities.

Why are they getting in?

Well, you know, a lot of people have straight A's at schools, but the top universities are looking for the well-rounded individual who's done leadership, service, the arts, athletics, top academics.

And it has a great, ethos for life and has a moral grounding.

And St.

Francis provides that.

- Victoria, uh, after you graduated, what was your path?

Dr.

Moran is talking a lot about the UCs and whore the graduates.

Tell us your story up till now.

- So I graduated high school at- I was very young for my class.

I was 17, and I was not really sure of what I wanted to do.

And my mom was just like, why don't you just do community college to transfer so you don't have to make a commitment that you're not sure if you're going to be able to fulfill.

So after high school, I did the Los Rios Community College system.

I did that for about two and a half years until I pretty much figured out where I wanted to transfer to, and I-- If I'm being honest, was not the biggest fan of college and still being in school.

I'm like, I just want to get this over with.

- Its ok, we can talk.

I understand.

- Yes.

I'm like, I would just like to get this over with.

And so the most logical decision for that was to continue my education at Sac State.

So then I transferred to Sac State, and I graduated in 2024 with a business finance degree.

- And what are you doing today?

- And today I-- my parents are union contractors.

They do anything you can put on a wall; plaster, paint, wall covering, things like that.

And so I have joined them at our office here in Sacramento, and I work on our accounting side of the office.

- Any designs on taking over the company one day?

- Um... I've thought about it.

Construction is a very stressful, very stress inducing business to be in.

I mean, my parents have had this business for 20 years.

Um, my younger sister is 20, she'll be 21 in October, and I'm 24.

And so I've really watched my parents, start from the ground.

And it's been very it's been very... I don't even know how to describe it.

It's just seeing from what it was to what it is now is just a really-- it makes me really proud of my parents.

- Well-well, I will tell you.

You know what?

There is plenty of room for female CEOs of construction companies.

Dorene Dominguez, head of Dominguez-- or, uh, Vanir Construction is, one of the largest construction companies in the country.

So maybe that's a meeting we should set up.

And that-- we're going to leave it there for right now.

And, thank you both.

[both] Thank you.

- Keep up the good work.

- Pleasure.

Yeah.

- And that's our show.

Thanks to our guest and thanks to you for watching Studio Sacramento.

I'm Scott Syphax.

See you next time right here on KVIE.