Jeffery Haase’s tenure as Otsego Public Schools superintendent will come to an end at the conclusion of the current school year.
Haase, who came to OPS in July 2014, recently announced his plan to retire. His final day on the job will be June 30, 2025.
“It has been an honor and privilege to spend the final 11 years of my educational career in Otsego,” Haase said. “Through collaboration with an incredible staff and the support of the community, I am proud of what we have accomplished and confident that the district is in an excellent position to plan for the future.”
In a release, the district praised Haase for guiding OPS through “incredible” accomplishments along with the challenges related to the COVID pandemic.
“(Haase’s) commitment to the Otsego community, its students, staff and families always prevailed through any struggle or celebration,” the release said. “The list of transformative programs and improvements is a long one under his leadership and his legacy will be felt for generations to come.”
The continued growth of the district was a top priority for Haase.
“It was always important to me to continue growing our district while keeping relationships at the core of everything we do,” Haase says. “This district was great when I came in, but our staff has a growth mindset and we’re always thinking about what we can do even better to serve our kids.
“I’ve been fortunate to lead a district with that dedication and we’ve been able to accomplish a lot in my time here and I’m very proud of that.”
Within his first two years at the district, Haase led efforts to implement the Early College Allegan County program (now in its 10th year), got the Bulldogs Bookin’ Bus on the road to increase literacy and reading excitement in the summer and rallied support for the 2016 Building and Site Sinking Fund to implement safety and security measures and facility improvements.
That was followed by a successful bond extensions request in 2017 and 2020. Funds from those bonds were used to implement 1-to-1 technology for the district’s students, construct a new Early Childhood Education Center, address facility needs across the district and build a new aquatic center to better serve our swim and dive programs, the community and the district’s families.
“Our district has remained a destination district because of the support of the community,” Haase said. “The pride is something you can feel here, and it’s resulted in incredible facilities and opportunities for all.”
Other advancements implemented during Haase’s tenure have included: the addition of solar panels to our campus for more energy efficiency; a new school-based student health center; prioritizing mental health and behavioral health services to the district; restoring a healthy fund balance; negotiating new contracts with teachers and staff; and focusing on connections with all stakeholders.
Haase meets monthly with community members at his coffee chats, middle and high school students with a Superintendent Student Advisory Council, teacher and support staff union staff and is a part of the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, and Christian Neighbors.
Curriculum efforts have also grown significantly in the last decade.
For instance, Haase implemented the district’s Delayed Start Wednesdays program in 2016 to give staff a consistent meeting time to address instructional practices, programs, improvements and interventions.
The school calendar was also adjusted to provide intersession weeks to help students get caught up before falling too far behind. That is now done through alternative programming during and after school.
In addition, Haase led efforts to recharge RtI (Response to Intervention) and PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities).
Capturing Kids’ Hearts, a national program to put relationships first, has also been a great focus for Haase. He reenergized the CKH emphasis among our staff and during his time all five schools have been declared National CKH Showcase Schools and OPS was one of only 40 districts nationwide to be selected as a National CKH District.
“The relationships our staff builds with students and the character education that comes with CKH is what sets Otsego apart,” Haase said. “I truly believe OPS is a special place that focuses on relationships, social-emotional wellbeing, building culture and student connectedness, which is the heart of CKH.”
Along with so many accomplishments, there was the challenge of educating students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time of uncharted territory, innovative thinking and making tough decisions.
“While this was the toughest time, it is also a time I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of this district,” Haase said. “We saw our staff come together in incredible ways to serve our students. At Otsego, students always come first, and that was very evident during the pandemic.”
In retirement, Haase is looking forward to spending more time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
While the announcement of his retirement has been made official, Haase said his work for and commitment to the district is far from finished.
“My hope is that our community will continue to support the district with our upcoming May 2025 Bond Extension as we plan for the future,” he said. “It was important for me to allow our board, staff and community time to effectively search for my replacement.”
When it comes to finding Haase’s replacement, the Otsego Public Schools Board of Education has secured a representative with the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to facilitate the search.
The timeline for community input and the superintendent search is as follows:
● January 13, 2025 – a community and district survey will be deployed to gather feedback on what our stakeholders would like to see in the next superintendent. That will be open for two weeks.
● January 20, 2025 – Initial Board of Education meeting on search, 6:30pm, Board Room
● January 21, 2025 – March 3, 2025 – Superintendent job posting window
● January 28, 2025 – MASB rep to meet with staff, students, community & Board of Education (will be time frames for each group)
● March 13, 2025 – Board of Education will choose candidates for first-round interviews
● March 22, 2025 – Board of Education will conduct first-round interviews
● March 25, 2025 – Board of Education will conduct second-round interviews and make a final selection.
