Willard superintendent Matt Teeter resigned late Tuesday, last day will be June 30

Willard Superintendent Matt Teeter notified the school board Tuesday that he will step down on June 30, after five years in the district's top job.

Teeter told the News-Leader early Wednesday that he has loved the job and the district but felt strongly that this was the right time for his exit.

In a letter to parents and employees, Teeter said his original plan was to stay longer but decided, after much prayer, to step away.

"I had a plan to serve in this district until I retired, but sometimes, our plans are not ours. Each day I seek to be in the right place at the right time to serve in my calling, which is to 'Love well, lead well, learn well and live well,'" he wrote.

"Over the last several months, specifically, the last two weeks, there has been a shifting in my spirit which I have wrestled with. On Sunday, my wife and I had an overwhelming realization that included unquestionable and unimaginable peace, that my time serving as superintendent in Willard is done sooner than we expected."

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Teeter said he will work through the end of the 2021-22 year and has not yet decided what he will do next.

"You may ask, what is next? Honestly, we are not sure," he wrote. "This is certainly a leap of faith, but if the past is any indicator, I will land solidly on my feet loving and serving others well."

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In the spring, he plans to look for a different way to support public education and school leaders.

He said one thing is certain: After years of moving his family around, the Teeters will stay in Willard, where his wife works as a teacher, until his children graduate.

"We continue to plan for our three children to graduate here with the incredible options that our district provides," he wrote. "My wife will continue to serve as a pre-K teacher. We love Willard and see this as our permanent home."

He added: "I will continue to be an active parent and supporter of our Willard school family and community."

His children are in grades 4, 7 and 9.

Teeter was hired in mid-2017 to replace longtime Willard school leader Kent Medlin, and he spent many hours in his first year on the job meeting with each employee.

Asked what he was most proud of during his tenure, Teeter said "the people."

"The resilience and dedication of our people is unbelievable," he said. "It had nothing, obviously, to do with my leadership. That was already here."

During the past five years, Teeter helped retool the strategic plan, which has guided the district's approach to managing steady growth.

Teeter said the district, with school board support, expanded preschool and leadership training for employees.

"Willard has the best early childhood program, certainly in the region, if not the state, and we went from worst to first, in my opinion," he said.

Teeter acknowledged that the exit may appear abrupt to the public because he enjoys the job. However, he offered several examples about how he has learned to trust his gut and his faith in making decisions in the past.

"Five times or so in my life, the plan that I had laid out, that was amazing and great, shifted," he said. "Every time it shifted, it shifted to something much better on the other side than I could have ever dreamed."

He said as long has he puts family first and follows his faith, he is confident he'll figure out the next step.

Teeter grew up in Germany, where his parents worked as missionaries, and then moved to a small Missouri community near Columbia.

He has earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Truman State University, an educational specialist degree from William Woods University and an educational doctorate from Saint Louis University.

Teeter, who also graduated from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Leadership Academy, has spent his entire career in Missouri.

He was a teacher and coach in Mexico, Missouri; an assistant principal in the Park Hill and Jefferson City districts, and a principal in Smithville. In 2015, he became the superintendent in Smithton.

Kip Baker, president of the school board, issued a statement early Wednesday about the resignation. Teeter's current salary is $194,499.

Baker told the News-Leader the move was unexpected and the board plans to meet mid-December to figure out details for the national search.

He said the position will be posted by the end of this week with applications accepted, likely, through Jan. 15.

"We would like to thank him for his time and dedication to our Willard school district and we wish him the very best," Baker said. "The Willard School Board of Education will work to create a search and selection process for the district."

Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Willard superintendent Matt Teeter resigned late Tuesday