Waterloo Community School District

Jared Smith

My journey has taken many turns. I began as a high school teacher in Sarasota, moved to teaching middle school in Chicago, before entering administration. I served as assistant principal at both the middle and high school levels, then principal and finally superintendent in both small and large districts.​

Nothing was ever handed to me. I applied for many jobs and did not get any of them. I spent eight years as an assistant principal; always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Those were humbling years, but they were also the years that shaped me most. Every time something did not go my way, I had a choice: reflect and grow, or move on unchanged. I chose to reflect.

Those years forced me to hone in on my core values: culture, communication, and making employee-friendly decisions. They have guided everything I have done since. I am still learning every day, but the broad perspective I have built across different states, school levels, and district sizes is what allows me to lead at the level I do now.

A Simple Formula, a Powerful Vision

As Superintendent of the Waterloo Community School District, I lead about 10,000 students and 1,600 employees, providing strategic leadership to ensure the district delivers results for students. My job is to set clear direction, ensure disciplined execution, and build systems that let schools perform at the highest level. To do that amid competing demands, we anchor everything in one framework: Attendance + Culture = Achievement. When students show up, and adults hold high expectations, achievement follows.

“Sustainable transformation comes from a strong leadership culture, not one strong leader. I could not do this without a great team.”

Getting to that clarity took about two years. And now, every one of our 1,600 employees can tell you what our goals are, because it is absolutely clear and simple. We have a tight one-page document that says exactly who we are. Whether I am in front of the school board or speaking to a room of 60 realtors, I deliver the same unified message. That consistency is what gradually tightens the looseness and builds alignment.

Driving Change at the Speed of Trust

Many leaders think community and board alignment will happen overnight. I am in year four here, and we’re still working on it. Stakeholder alignment is not an event; it is a daily practice. Every media interview, every community meeting, every conversation is an opportunity to reinforce the same core ideas, over and over again.

Leading change is one of the most complex tasks any leader must undertake. We have built a 12-step framework that takes our 60 building leaders through the full arc of a change initiative. From getting your leadership team on board and planting the early seed that something may be coming, to generating data, gathering community input, and collecting structured feedback.

We invest deeply in our leaders through one-on-ones and consistent communication, and that investment builds trust. Because of that trust, we can move with real agility, pivoting quickly in ways that even larger, more guarded organizations cannot. People may not always agree with a change, but because we have made wise decisions in the past and we explain our reasoning transparently, they are willing to take that leap of faith with us.

Measurable Results, Recognized Excellence

The work shows up in the numbers. During the 2024 to 2025 academic year, our Iowa Statewide Assessment scores increased in English, math, and science for all students, including English learners, minority students, and students with IEPs. Graduation rates rose by two percent. We reduced dropouts by 80 students.

Chronic absenteeism dropped seven percent, and daily attendance climbed two percent. Over three years, behavior referrals fell 25 percent while activity participation rose 15 percent. Teacher retention improved by three percent. We earned 90 percent employee satisfaction and were named Iowa’s number one School District Employer by Forbes. These outcomes are the result of discipline, focus, and a relentless commitment to doing the work consistently.

Embracing the Upcoming

I cannot tell you exactly where K–12 education will be in five years, but what I can tell you is that the leaders who will thrive are the ones who stay flexible. Schools are in the crosshairs of every major shift—technological, political, and social—and the leaders who struggle are the ones too fixed in their thinking to adapt.

On AI, my view is simple. We need to embrace it. You can fight it, complain about it, or even dislike it. But if it is here to stay, why spend energy resisting something designed to help us? Our job is already hard enough. We use integrated data dashboards across the district for attendance, achievement, and operational trends, as well as digital tools in classrooms for real-time assessment and intervention. When data is tied to the plan, decisions become proactive. That is the mindset I want across every level of this organization.

Build the Team Before You Build the Plan

If I could offer one piece of advice to fellow superintendents, it would be to build the team before you build the plan. Strategy matters, but the right people matter more. Invest in leadership development, communicate constantly, and create ownership at every level. Sustainable transformation comes from a strong leadership culture, not from a single strong leader.

It took a few years to get the right team around me, and it was worth every bit of that investment. The people I work with are positive, optimistic, and relentless problem-solvers. They remove barriers. When you have people who trust each other and are moving in the same direction, you can accomplish incredible things. I would not be here without them. This recognition belongs to the whole team.