Lebanon district hires SPS exec as superintendent

The Lebanon R-3 Board of Education hired Springfield Public Schools executive David Schmitz as its new superintendent.

Schmitz, who’s currently director of secondary education operations for Springfield, is slated to start July 1. He succeeds the retiring Duane Widhalm, according to a news release.

"His impressive resume and passion for education will make him a wonderful asset to the Lebanon School District,” board President Bob O'Neil said of Schmitz in the release.

Schmitz, who retired as a major from the U.S. Army Reserves in 2010 after 22 years of service, was named to his current role at SPS in 2013. Prior to that, he worked as principal of Kickapoo High School for seven years.

In January, Widhalm announced he would retire after 13 years as superintendent and 33 years in public education, according to the release.

The Lebanon board hired the Missouri School Boards’ Association to search for his successor. Interviews were conducted the week of March 14 before Schmitz was voted in on March 17.

"MSBA has been fantastic to work with," O'Neil said in the release. "They ran the superintendent search very efficiently and brought us high quality candidates to interview and consider.

“Ultimately, we are very excited to welcome Schmitz into this role, and we look forward to all of the great things he will accomplish in leading our district."