Jeff Schneider Announces Retirement from HPS

After six years as HPS Superintendent and 31 years with the district, Jeff Schneider will be retiring from the district effective June 30, 2025.

Schneider started his role as superintendent in 2019, during the 2019-2020 school year.

“So I’ve been superintendent since 2019-2020. It’s a really easy school year to remember because we didn’t finish it… so I’m in my sixth year, but the first year was COVID in March,” Schneider said.

Schneider remembers the graduation ceremony from that year, which took place in July of 2020. 

“We had graduation in late July in the gym, and I think each graduate could only have four people attend, and we had to mark where you could sit in the gym so people weren’t so close. It was March (when the school shut down),” Schneider said. “We didn’t come back to school, so for that senior class, they left in March and then didn’t come back into the school until that practice for that graduation in July. And I remember some of them saying it was just kind of surreal, that it was such a strange time.”

Some memorable things from his time as superintendent include opening Morton Preschool, the start of unified bowling and show choir, and the positive relationships HPS has with area schools. 

He is grateful for how the schools work together in things such as two co-op high school sports teams, dual credit programs through CCC, and area high school students’ free admissions to Hastings College events during the 2023-2024 school year.

“Something I will never forget, this isn’t anything to do with me being superintendent, it’s just one of the things I have enjoyed the most, is unified bowling and unified show choir, watching those activities, I think is incredible… I think our co-op swimming program with Adams Central and girls wrestling is a great thing,” Schneider said. “We have a very good relationship with Adams Central and St. Cecilia, as well as Hastings College, CCC, so those things are some highlights.”

Though his job often deals with addressing things that aren’t going well in the district, Schneider believes there is a lot more positive than negative happening in the district overall.

“I think my day-to-day tends to be caught up in things that are not going well because that’s usually what people reach out to me about, but when you really step back and look at the whole picture, there are way more positives going on than there are negatives,” Schneider said. “It’s just that the negatives tend to get the focus, and so you have to look at the positives. There’s 3,500 students and 530 adults at HPS, so there’s over 4,000 people. We’re all humans, every one of us, we all make mistakes, but there’s way more good than there is bad.”

The people Schneider interacts with as a part of his job have made up some of the best memories he has from his time as superintendent. 

“The people (have been my favorite part of the job). This time of year kind of brings out the best in some people. I mean, we just had somebody donate money to pay some unpaid lunch balances at an elementary school, we had a donor donate some winter gear to some students throughout our district. I remember that the food pantry here at the high school, that the core start of that came from teachers who were volunteering. I mean, just great people who wanted to help others, they’re throughout the district, students and staff members. That would be some of the best memories I have, and to me, that’s what I’m gonna miss the most.”

Though Schneider has enjoyed his time as superintendent, he wants to branch out to try something new in the coming years.

“I turned 55 this next year, and I’ve been here 31 years, which has been awesome, but I’ve always wanted to give something else a try, just to see what it’s like. And so I just feel like it’s time, and I think the position I’m in, as I think is true with a lot of positions, it’s a healthy thing for somebody else with a different point of view to take a look at it,” Schneider said. “So I think it’s a good opportunity for somebody else and a good opportunity for me to experience something different.”

Though he will be retiring, Schneider hopes that the future superintendent will use him as a resource. 

“I really hope that whoever the next superintendent is will call me and use me as a resource. I’m going to be living in the community. I’m not going anywhere. I intend to have things ready for them to go when they start July 1. Obviously, I’ll stay out of their way, but I’m going to give them my cell number, and I hope they use it,” Schneider said. “And I hope that I can because I had that with Mr. Kautz when he retired. He was extremely helpful to me, so I hope to do that for the next person.”

One thing Schneider would recommend to the future superintendent is to meet with teachers each year to talk about things in the district. 

“I think you just have to be yourself, and you have to do what you think is best. And I think if I give any advice, I think one of the best things I have done has been that I’ve met with about 50 or 60 teachers or more every year to go through a short set of questions with them, kind of a survey to get their feedback,” Schneider said. “That has helped me, and it’s a great way to get to know people. I can’t meet with everybody at once in one year, but if you break it up like that, you can do that. So that might be something that I let them know is successful for me, as to whether they choose to do that or not, it’ll be up to them.”

“I don’t think any one person leaves a legacy on a district like this. I just feel thankful to be part of (it). Like I said, there’s so many more good things that go on than bad, and I’m thankful to have a small role in that…” Schneider said. “Something I am proud of, again, maybe I’m wrong, maybe this is just my perspective. I feel like overall, our teachers feel like we have a pretty good environment at the Hastings Public Schools, and so I’m thankful for that. That said, their jobs are difficult. It is not easy to do what they do, but I think they feel like, for the most part, they’re appreciated; I hope they do.”

Schneider is grateful for all the people who make Hastings Public Schools what it is and what it has been for him over the past 30-plus years.

“I’m incredibly thankful for our school board. They are incredibly supportive,” Schneider said. “Our community, we passed three bond issues and a levy override and have made huge improvements to our facilities in the last 15 years, so we’re very fortunate there. And then, (I’m) just really thankful to all the staff members that make things happen in the buildings every day.”