Michael Smith Obituary, Death – Prior to working together as school administrators, Dan Cox of Rochester claimed to have read Michael Smith’s well-known blog, “Principal’s Page.” Cox asserted that Smith’s ability to make people laugh and his sense of humor made him stand out. But he continually made decisions that were best for his children and his neighborhood. Smith left early on Saturday morning. Since the summer of 2021, he had served as the Beardstown schools’ superintendent. The district posted a notice of Smith’s passing on its Facebook page, but no cause of death was given.
All academic events on Monday have been postponed, including all games and practices. The start date was determined to be Tuesday. Smith and his wife Shannon, a Beardstown district employee, resided in Jacksonville. Smith, 55, took over as the district’s superintendent in Tuscola and Oakland in the summer of 2021, succeeding Ron Gilbert. He had been absent from the educational scene for more than two years. Oakland is in Coles County, whereas Tuscola is in Douglas County. Beardstown, a 6,000-person town in Cass County, is located 45 miles northwest of Springfield along the Illinois River.
About 40% of the people living in the community are Latino. Along with English, Spanish and French are widely spoken at the district’s schools. Smith, 55, took over as the district’s superintendent in Tuscola and Oakland in the summer of 2021, succeeding Ron Gilbert. He had been absent from the educational scene for more than two years. Oakland is in Coles County, whereas Tuscola is in Douglas County. Beardstown, a 6,000-person town in Cass County, is located 45 miles northwest of Springfield along the Illinois River. About 40% of the people living in the community are Latino.
Along with English, Spanish and French are widely spoken at the district’s schools. Tip Reedy, the principal of Williamsville-Sherman, asserts that Smith was a trailblazer in the use of social media to enhance education. He was a wonderful man, husband, and father, Reedy continued. He was an excellent leader who consistently gave the needs of the younger generation first priority. In our company, he will be sorely missed. Smith received a Ph.D. from McKendree University. He pursued undergraduate studies at Greenville University and graduate work at Eastern Illinois University.
Smith was the superintendent of Oakland from 2007 to 2011 and of Tuscola from 2011 to 2019. The group of school administrators was “tight-knit,” according to Cox. We are the only ones in our districts, according to Cox, who perform our tasks. As we make a variety of significant decisions, we must cooperate, communicate, and work with many different groups of people. We must talk and be able to understand the many points of view within our communities. If there are many diverse cultures and viewpoints in your community, it could be challenging.
We strive to rely on and support one another, whether it’s to make each other laugh or just to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves. On that, I work with other superintendents at least once every week. Mike was unquestionably adored and loved by the district. Another district superintendent in the area from Edinburg, Ben Theilen, resigned one month before Smith. Theilen, a former educator, and district executive for Pleasant Plains, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.