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The Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) has announced the selection of Dr. David Schmitz, Superintendent of the Lebanon School District, as the 2025 Missouri Superintendent of the Year.  Dr. Schmitz was honored during the MSBA/MASA Annual Fall Conference held October 19, 2024, at the Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Missouri.

MASA Executive Director, Dr. Doug Hayter, stated, "Dr. David Schmitz has a true servant’s heart. From the work he has done to improve early childhood education to the support he shows his staff, he is connected to those in his district. Dr. Schmitz has so many wonderful leadership qualities, and I know he will be a great representative of his fellow Missouri superintendents.”

Dr. Schmitz is in his seventh year as Superintendent of the Lebanon School District. Dr. Schmitz has served in multiple roles since he began his career in educational leadership. Dr. Schmitz served as an assistant principal with the Fulton School District; an assistant principal and principal with the Springfield Public Schools; and the Director of Secondary Schools with the Springfield Public Schools.

In his application, Dr. Schmitz noted the Lebanon School District serves 4,500 students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Approximately 60% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced lunches. The district is central to the community of Lebanon and Yellowjacket pride runs deep.

Dr. Schmitz has put considerable emphasis on helping the district’s youngest students find success. Early in his time in Lebanon, he recognized that many of the families his district served were under-resourced. To address the needs of the children of these families, one of his first decisions was to create a Director of Early Childhood Programming. The Early Childhood Director was provided the means to improve the Parents as Teachers Program, and later the district opened an Early Childhood Center that provides community-based parent support through services and education aimed at equipping parents with what they need to feel and be successful.

Dr. Schmitz and his team are also focused on effective communication both within the schools and for the community. The district has implemented a comprehensive multimedia communications strategy centered around consistent messaging focused on their mission and vision. Dr. Schmitz noted, “Our approach ensures we are not only communicating to our district families and staff, but also to residents and taxpayers across our community. The emphasis on using social media for communications comes from consistent feedback in our stakeholder survey, which shows that social media is a preferred medium.”

While survey feedback communicates a strong preference for technology-oriented communication, the district knows a significant portion of their population continues to rely on more traditional print material. In recognition of that, the district publishes two print publications each year, including the Back-to-School Buzz and the Yellowjacket Magazine.

Dr. Schmitz places advocating for public education as a central component of his work as a superintendent. Schmitz actively engages with legislators to ensure Missouri’s public education system is supported by effective laws. Dr. Schmitz is also an advocate for the Success Ready Student Network's (SRSN) work to develop a statewide competency-based, growth-to-mastery assessment system. Those in public education have seen the lack of flexibility in how student achievement is measured, including strict testing mandates and 100% proficiency goals. Dr. Schmitz has worked to, “…emphasize real-world skills, student growth, and post-secondary readiness.” He and others are working with educators, policymakers, and communities to reshape Missouri’s accountability system to reflect the state’s diverse educational needs.

The Missouri Association of School Administrators is pleased to honor Dr. Schmitz as the 2025 Missouri Superintendent of the Year.

Dr. Schmitz will be recognized during the American Association of School Administrators National Conference on Education in March 2025 for his state selection.

About MASA

The Missouri Association of School Administrators is the statewide association of public school superintendents and central office administrators.  MASA develops and supports effective public school leaders who positively impact the lives of Missouri students.  

The success or failure of a superintendent is built largely on the relationship with the Board as a whole and with individual Board members. This workshop will include:

• An open discussion of key strategies for cultivating and maintaining a strong relationship with the Board and individual Board members.
• Roles and relationships of the superintendent and board related to district policies, contracts, evaluations, and the law.

Facilitators: Duane Martin, EdCounsel, LLC and a MASA Representative (s)

Time:                   9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (In person event only).

Dates and Locations:

• Thursday, November 7- Dallas County R-I Technical Center, 120 South Spruce, Buffalo, MO 65622 - Host: Tim Ryan, Superintendent 

• Friday, November 8 - Jackson R-II School District, Jackson H.S. (Ignite Center) 315 South Missouri Street, Jackson, MO 63755 - Host: Scott Smith, Superintendent – Map to location. The parking lot is located off Jackson Street.

• Tuesday, November 19 - Cameron R-I School District, 423 N Chestnut, Cameron, MO 64429, Host: Matt Robinson, Superintendent 

• Wednesday- December 4 - Orchard Farm R-I School District, Early Learning and Administration Center, 3489 Boschertown Rd., St. Charles, MO 63301 – Host: Wade Steinhoff, Superintendent

• Tuesday, December 10 - Paris R-II School District, 720 Cleveland Street, Paris, MO 65275 - Host: Matt Smith, Superintendent 

Session Cost:  $60.00 per person

Seating is limited -- Register Here!

Register Here Now!

Cost: $60 per workshop 

(In-person participation includes lunch)

(There is no charge to participate via live stream if your school district has a MASA Video Library Subscription for the 2024 - 2025 school year, but we still need you to complete the registration form, so we know when you plan to participate.)

Workshop #1 - "Setting the Tax Rate" - This event has past.

Presenters: Jason Hoffman, CFO, Jefferson City (retired) and Jim Cummins, Superintendent, Neosho (retired)

Date: July 30, 2024

Location - Lodge of Four Seasons, Lake Ozark or live stream

Time: 11:00 am. (immediately following the DESE Conference)

Description: This workshop will focus on the process of setting the tax rate for a school district.  Presenters will walk participants through the process of completing the State Auditor forms, as well as discuss how to plan, advertise, and conduct a tax rate hearing.   Sample documents will be provided to all participants.

Workshop #2 - "Evaluating the Budget" - Login to the MASA membership portal and register here!  

Dates: November 5, 2024 or November 6, 2024

Location - MCSA Education Center, Jefferson City, or live stream

Time: 11:30 am. (lunch) Workshop begins at 12:00 pm.

Description: This workshop will assist school administrators in identifying areas of budget concern and will provide an opportunity for general discussion about budgeting and other school finance topics.  The session will also include a discussion of current and future formula funding issues as well as advice on how to identify potential problems in a district budget.

Workshop #3 - "2025 - 2026 Budget Development" - Registration is not available yet for this workshop!  

Dates: February 10, 2025, or February 11, 2025

Location - MCSA Education Center, Jefferson City, or live stream

Time: 11:30 am. (lunch) Workshop begins at 12:00 pm.

Description: This workshop will assist school administrators as they begin the process of developing a budget for 2025-2026. The focus of the session will be on identifying key areas of concern, estimating revenues and expenses, and a general discussion of budgeting basics.  The Governor’s budget recommendations for education will be reviewed.

Register Here Now!

Workshops are sponsored by the following business partners.

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Find Previous MASA Awards Recipients Here!

The Missouri Superintendent of the Year is selected by the MASA Awards Committee in the fall of each school year.  Consideration for this award involves a separate application process and is not related to any other awards that are recognized by MASA or the eight MASA Regions during the school year.

Superintendent of the Year
Information and Application

Nomination forms and the application process for the 2025 Superintendent of the Year Program is now closed.

This Superintendent of the Year program is open to all U.S. public school superintendents who plan to continue in the profession.

The National Superintendent of the Year Program is truly representative of education's outstanding leaders from all parts of the country and abroad. Past recipients have come from diverse backgrounds - men and women representing small- to large-sized districts in rural, suburban and urban communities.

Selection process:

1. Anyone can nominate a superintendent.  However, the superintendent or their designee must complete the entire application and finalize it before the state deadline of September 12, 2024, to be considered.  The nomination form is not an application and cannot be considered.  Please notify the person that you nominate so they can complete the application process.
    
2. Applications for the 2025 Missouri SOY must be completed on the AASA Website by Thursday, September 12, 2024, to meet the state deadline for consideration.
    
3. Applications that were submitted prior to July 1, 2023, have been archived by AASA because they changed application platforms.  Those applications are no longer accessible.
4. The MASA Awards Committee will review all applications that are finalized by the state deadline and select Missouri's winner.
    
5. The Missouri winner will be announced at the MSBA/MASA fall conference.  
    
6. The Missouri SOY winner's application will be forwarded to AASA to be considered for the National Superintendent of the Year. 
    
7. The Missouri Superintendent of the Year will be recognized during the AASA National Conference on Education.

Link coming on July 7, 2025, for the Superintendent of the Year Application and Nomination Forms.

The following MASA Awards are presented  annually at the MASA Spring Conference. 

The voting members of each of the eight MASA Regions select a recipient or nominee for each of the following recognitions and then submit those individuals names to the MASA Awards Committee for recognition.  

You can find contact information for the MASA Awards Committee representatives here.

Pearce Award
The Pearce Award is presented each year to an outstanding Missouri Superintendent of Schools. The recipient receives a $500 cash award and a $500 scholarship to a student in the recipients' school district. Each MASA Region selects a nominee for the award. The recipient must be a practicing superintendent of a public school in Missouri and meet additional criteria. (Pearce Award Criteria). To make a recommendation for this award, contact your regional Awards Committee Representative.

Outstanding Emeritus Awards
MASA recognizes a retired administrator from each MASA region during the Awards Program. Individuals chosen for this award are selected based upon their length of service, their participation in MASA while an active member and continued interest in public education since retiring. (Outstanding Emeritus Criteria) To make a recommendation for this award, contact your regional Awards Committee Representative.

Honorary Life Member
Individuals who are a member of MASA at the time of their retirement are presented with an Honorary Life Membership in MASA.  (Honorary Life Member form)

Twenty-five Year Service Awards
Annually, MASA recognizes those superintendents in Missouri who have achieved 25 years of service in administration in the public schools. This service may include the principalship and administrative service in other states. Award winners must currently be a member of MASA.   (Twenty-Five Year Service Award)

Emerging Superintendent Award
Each year, MASA presents an award to an outstanding Emerging Missouri Superintendent of Schools from each MASA region.  The award is in recognition of outstanding performance in the demonstration of those skills that reflect the best in educational leadership. Nominees must be a practicing superintendent in their second or third year of employment as a superintendent; have never served as a superintendent of schools in another state; made a measurable contribution to the school district they serve as a Superintendent of Schools as verified by one or more practicing Superintendents from their MASA region; and be a member of MASA at the time of nomination. To make a recommendation for this award, contact your regional Awards Committee Representative.

Assistant Superintendent Award

Each year, beginning in 2025, MASA an award to an outstanding Assistant Superintendent of Schools or an individual in a similar central office administrator position from each MASA Region in recognition of outstanding performances in the demonstration of those skills that reflect the best in educational leadership.  When evaluating individuals for this award, consideration should be given to the nominee’s involvement in MASA’s Region and State meetings, committees, workshops, and conferences. Additionally, their contributions to the school district they serve, as well as their length of service in their current role, other administrative positions, and the PK–12 education profession, should be taken into account.  To make a recommendation for this award, contact your regional Awards Committee Representative.

Friends of Education Award
This award will annually recognize eight non-educators, one from each MASA Region for their contribution to education locally or statewide. Each of the MASA regions shall select a recipient of this award annually. The recipient must currently be a non-educator although they could have been an educator in the past. To make a recommendation for this award, contact your regional Awards Committee Representative.

Memorial Recognition
Annually, MASA recognizes former members who have passed away during the preceding year. We need your help in being aware of all those needing to be memorialized. Please take a moment and complete the form below if you know someone that we should include in our memorial list. (Memorial Recognition form)

If you have any questions about the awards, please contact your regional Awards Committee Representative or the MASA Office.  

Click on the following links to access samples of Jason Hoffman's spreadsheets that were shared during the recent MASA / MoASBO Finance Workshops..  You can download any of these sheets and make modifications that are appropriate for your district.  However, please remember that formulas are not locked so be careful as you make changes to cells that have formulas.  

Sample - Hoffman's Cohort Survival Template for estimating WADA (downloadable).

Sample - Hoffman's Expense Evaluation Spreadsheet (downloadable).

Sample - Hoffman's Long Range Projections Spreadsheet (downloadable).

Sample - Hoffman's Preliminary Budget Change Spreadsheet (downloadable).

Sample - Tax Rate Hearing Calculator 2024 (downloadable spreadsheet).