“I finally understood that effective district leadership isn’t about doing everything myself. It’s about focusing my attention on the right things and letting go of the rest. I realized I needed to set boundaries around my time and empower my team to enact our priorities, and that this would directly impact our student outcomes.”

CHALLENGE: How to Create Meaningful Change When You’re Up to Your Eyeballs

Dr. Matt Schmidt, Superintendent of Bangor Township Schools in Bangor, Michigan, faced significant challenges when he assumed the role in 2013. Having served as a middle school principal for five years prior, he struggled to balance his new superintendent workload with the need to maintain meaningful student, staff and community engagement. 

Although he typically logged 70-hour work weeks, Matt felt overwhelmed by the amount of “administrivia” running through his office and lacked sensible structures for effective time management and delegation of low-level tasks. Barraged by 10-15 unforeseen phone calls and/or drop-in appointments daily, his schedule was constantly upended and diverted from developing his site leaders’ instructional leadership skills.

In a system that demanded clearer communication and an articulation of priorities, Matt’s behavior was creating an environment of reaction versus pro-action and hindering the district’s progress. 

SOLUTION: Transform Your Mindset & Upgrade Your Operating System

Matt’s participation in The Breakthrough Coach’s school leadership training program in 2018 transformed his mindset. “I finally understood that effective leadership isn’t about doing everything myself. It’s about focusing my attention on the right things and letting go of the rest. I realized I needed to set boundaries around my time and empower my team to enact our priorities, and that this would directly impact our student outcomes.”

Following the training, Matt and his secretary, Shelby, returned to work and immediately revised his standard operating procedures to address Matt’s need for more focused time and attention:

• They began meeting every morning to quickly process incoming administrative work together, delegate “next steps” to Shelby and the cabinet team, and align communications from Matt’s desk.
• Shelby became Matt’s front office “gatekeeper” to ensure he engaged with the right people at the right time. 
• Shelby redesigned Matt’s schedule to include two full days out at school sites dedicated solely to observing and coaching his instructional leaders.
• Matt established a clear, district-wide, chain of command structure that allowed his site administrators to handle issues before they ever escalated to his office. 

Matt recalls, “During our Breakthrough Coach implementation process, I was able to see that although I was quite capable of handling anything that came my way, this didn’t mean I should. Instead, I began to teach my team how to manage high-level responsibilities, which then developed them for future promotion and freed me up to do the work that only I could do.” 

OUTCOMES:

The results of Matt’s reinvented leadership style have been astounding, both for the district and for Matt personally. 

Coaching Time 👍

Matt has gone from spending roughly zero hours each week observing and coaching his instructional leaders to 5-10 hours per month. He also spends about 10-15 hours each week coaching his administrative team members. 

Interruptions 👎

Matt’s 10-15 daily, pop-up phone calls and meetings have been reduced to approximately one every two weeks! His chain of command structure is being properly utilized and site leaders are handling issues independently.

Student Outcomes 👍

Since 2021, student math scores have increased by 18 percentage points, and literacy scores are up by 15 percentage points in the most at-risk building in his district.

Staff Growth and Retention 👍

Matt’s transformation has ushered in a new era of BTS staff actively seeking out their own growth opportunities and stepping up to school leadership roles. Within the last three years:

• 3 classroom teachers have been promoted to elementary principals.
• 2 elementary principals have been promoted to secondary leadership positions.
• And many more!

Work-Life Balance 👍

Matt has cut 15-20 hours off his work week, every week!  He enjoys greater work life balance, takes more vacation days, and earned his doctorate in 2024.  

The Ultimate Honor

Matt was named Michigan Superintendent of the Year in 2025! 👏👏👏 

CONCLUSION:

Matt’s experience serves as a compelling example for educational leaders seeking to implement meaningful and sustainable change. Reflecting on his journey, Matt emphasized that “leadership isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most.”