Scott Smith to Retire as CSPS Superintendent

CEDAR SPRINGS — The Cedar Springs Public Schools Board of Education has accepted Superintendent Scott Smith’s letter of retirement, effective December 31, 2026, and has officially begun the search for the district’s next leader.

During a recent meeting, the board chair moved to amend the agenda to include both the acceptance of Smith’s retirement and discussion of the superintendent’s evaluation status.

Trustees voted to record Smith’s evaluation as “effective,” enabling the district to use an effective rating for a third consecutive year. Following that vote, trustees formally accepted Smith’s retirement letter. Board members offered thanks and congratulations during the discussion, recognizing his leadership and nearly nine years of service to the district.

Smith was named superintendent in June 2018 after the Board of Education narrowed its search to a single finalist and voted unanimously to extend him the offer. At the time, he was serving as Assistant Superintendent for Hudsonville Public Schools.

Before coming to Cedar Springs, Smith spent seven years in Hudsonville. He previously served six years as a middle school principal with Hamilton Community Schools and began his career in education as a science teacher with Holland Public Schools, where he taught for three years. He earned a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University and holds both a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Earth Science from Western Michigan University.

Reflecting on his time in Cedar Springs, Smith was quick to shift credit to the community.

“I may have put an idea on the table on occasion, but the success of the last eight years is a reflection of the incredibly stable and supportive community, a dedicated board of education,” Smith said. “The things that cause me to smile aren’t the big things, it’s the little things. It’s watching our drum majors at the Red Flannel marching band competition.”

Smith said his path to district leadership is rooted in his calling to education.

“It goes back to the why behind my reason why I got into education,” he said. “I truly felt called to this community.”

Asked about challenges during his tenure, Smith described Cedar Springs as “a space ripe with opportunity,” particularly in his early days as superintendent.

“Early on it was about listening and connecting,” he said. “I would ask my teachers, ‘How do you earn trust?’ And the answer is, you start by doing trustworthy things.”

During Smith’s tenure, the district completed significant infrastructure upgrades to address aging facilities. While he acknowledged the improvements, he declined to take personal credit, instead pointing to the collective effort of staff, voters and board members.

Conversations with students also shaped his leadership decisions. Smith recalled speaking with a high-achieving student, one with a GPA well above 4.0 who had taken numerous Advanced Placement classes, only to learn her true passion was in the arts. The conversation led him to reflect on whether the district was adequately preparing students for a variety of postsecondary paths.

“You see these kids go thirteen years, from kindergarten, sometimes pre-K, to their senior year,” Smith said. “So, you have this clear starting line and this clear finish line. But you realize that the finish line is really just the starting line of something else.”

He added, “Somewhere during those thirteen years, a student is going to be taking a path, and it’s going to be different for every student. We had to find a way to make sure when they got to that second starting line, they were going to be prepared and successful.”

In response, Smith moved Ron Behrenwald into the role of Director of Secondary Academic Services & Post-Secondary Success, aimed at better aligning academic experiences with students’ interests and long-term goals.

When asked what advice he would offer his successor, Smith said, “Your job is to create conditions in which each one of your students and staff, each family, each member of the community can thrive.”

The superintendent position was officially posted July 21. Additional details regarding the search timeline and selection process are expected in the coming weeks.