Why doesn’t Fresno Catholic high school have a principal?

For nearly a year, Fresno’s sole Catholic high school has been operating without a principal.

The leadership position at San Joaquin Memorial High has remained vacant since last March following the ouster of the school’s longtime principal, Anthony Goston. It’s unclear whether the role — among five administrative positions eliminated last year by leaders of the Fresno Catholic School System, which governs the high school — will ever be filled.

San Joaquin Memorial, instead, has operated under an unorthodox (but not unheard of) leadership structure. Two administrators have been leading the school and splitting the responsibilities traditionally handled by a single school principal, according to the Diocese of Fresno, which oversees the city’s Catholic school system.

Diocese spokesperson Chandler Marquez said the administrative changes at San Joaquin Memorial were the result of a new leadership structure, described as an “interim, expanded and distributed leadership model,” implemented last spring by Joan Bouchard, superintendent of the Fresno Catholic School System.

The Diocese of Fresno said in August that its new model would remain in place while it searches for a new Catholic school president, who would report directly to Bouchard. Former FCSS president Pamela Lyons left in June to lead the Catholic schools system under the Diocese of San Jose.

“There are three faculty members leading this model: One member oversees Curriculum & Instruction, another member oversees Student Affairs & Operations and the third oversees Finances,” Marquez said in August, noting that curriculum and instruction was previously managed by the principal. There is currently no director of finance, and Marquez said the role’s responsibilities are overseen by the school’s business manager.

Once the Diocese hires a Fresno Catholic School System president, they will re-evaluate the new leadership model, Marquez said.

As of early March, San Joaquin Memorial was still without a principal, and the Fresno Catholic School System remained without a president.

There are examples across the country of high schools that intentionally operate without principals and employ shared leadership models involving administrators, teachers, parents, even students. Teacher-Powered Schools, part of the education reform advocacy nonprofit Evolving Education, maintains an inventory of U.S. schools that have teacher-led or distributed leadership models, though it is at least partly a crowdsourced list. It lists 39 across California. The list does not include San Joaquin Memorial or any other school in Fresno.

Several disgruntled former staff told The Bee they believe some parents and board members were behind the decision to remove the principal and create a new leadership structure because they wanted more influence. The group requested anonymity, they said, for fear of hurting their chances at future employment in the industry as teachers and administrators.

Last March, five school employees sent letters to the Diocese of Fresno’s human resources department alleging a “hostile work environment.” The complaints claimed there was “overall dysfunction” at the school.

A draft accreditation report from Western Catholic Educational Association’s review of San Joaquin Memorial last year was obtained by The Bee. It highlights employees’ concerns and noted a “disconnect between the governing body and school leaders regarding planning, policy, and regulations.”

The draft report, which the Diocese of Fresno declined to discuss with The Bee, was based on the association’s school visit from March 10-12, 2025. The Bee has not been made aware of any final report.

“Based on interviews and observations, there exists a misunderstanding as to the role of the governing body and leadership in relationship to policy and operations, which has led to the governing body and leadership seemingly working independently from one another,” the draft accreditation report said.

The draft report also found “a lack of communication and collaboration among the President, Principal, leadership team, board and parents.”

The Diocese of Fresno declined to comment in February on the report or the claims from some former administrators and teachers that the leadership changes were pushed by some parents and board members.

San Joaquin Memorial has historically been led by a school principal, who reports to the Fresno Catholic School System president. The president leads the business side of the school system, comprised of San Joaquin Memorial, St. Helen’s School, St. Anthony’s School and Holy Cross Junior High.

The board presides over the Fresno Catholic School System, and the president oversees all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fresno, akin to a school district superintendent.

Tuition, registration and textbook fees to attend San Joaquin Memorial this school year total $15,750. The school offers various scholarship opportunities, and 40% of families on average each year receive scholarships or financial aid, according to the school.

The Bee contacted the Diocese of San Jose, where Lyons currently serves as the superintendent of Catholic schools, to speak with the former San Joaquin Memorial president. No one from the organization responded.

A version of the San Joaquin Memorial staff webpage — captured on April 30 by the Internet Archive — listed five school administrators. The new leadership structure listed on the current staff webpage now lists two administrators, minus a principal and president.

Presently, the school is led by Rachael Rosas, director of curriculum and instruction, and Luis Flores, director of instructional services and operational affairs.