BUTLER CO., Ohio — Matt Miller is vacating his post as superintendent of the Lakota Local Schools.
In an email distributed to the district’s parents, Miller said he has a “new and very unique opportunity” that he is pursuing, and he will complete his time with Lakota at the end of January.
According to an agenda for Wednesday’s meeting of the Butler County Educational Service Center’s governing board, Miller has been hired as a coordinator of innovative education with an annual salary of $85,000. The meeting’s agenda states the position is a two-year agreement.
The innovation coordinator “provides a variety of services to partnering school districts, including leadership development, professional development and coaching of innovative practices,” according to a recent job description.
In 2019, Miller won the Communication Technology Award For Superintendents, beating out other school district leaders across America. He was the first in Ohio to win a national award for creatively using communication technology.
Miller’s email to Lakota parents on Wednesday went on to say:
I am incredibly proud of the work that our teachers, staff and administrators have accomplished since I arrived nearly six years ago. Every decision that WE have made has been with the best of intentions for our students. WE take our mission statement to heart: Everything WE do is designed to provide a future-ready, student-centered learning experience for every single child.
In every building, our teachers and staff put our students first, from preschool to twelfth grade. Every. Single. Student. WE understand that diversity means accepting that every person is different and celebrating our differences. WE understand that equity means ensuring that our students are on a level playing field; that each of our students have the tools they need to succeed. WE understand that inclusion means making sure that each and every one of our 17,500 students feels welcome in our classrooms. Is there work to be done? Absolutely. Will our Lakota family continue to strive for this goal? Absolutely.
Over the next few weeks, our board members will determine my replacement and will share that information with you. In the meantime, I will be here, along with our executive team, to support our administrators, teachers and staff through this transition.
It has been an honor to lead Lakota since 2017. While I may be leaving our district, I will never stop supporting our kids and our team.
In November 2022, Miller was determined to be “fit” for his Lakota superintendent job after a mental health review. He had previously been the focus of an investigation by the Butler County Sheriff’s office — based on unspecified allegations — but no cause for criminal charges were found, said officials in the county prosecutor’s office.
A report from a private investigation firm found the allegations against him were unfounded, echoing the findings of the sheriff’s office investigation.
Lakota Local Schools shared a statement on Miller's resignation:
Today, Matt Miller informed the Board of Education of his intent to tender his resignation from Lakota Local Schools.
Since 2017, Superintendent Miller has been the driving force behind such innovative programming as the Lakota Cyber Academy, INCubatoredu, one-to-one technology for students in grades 3-12, as well as the creation of the Lakota Office of Diversity and Inclusion (LODI).
“The Board thanks Mr. Miller for his six years of service and the innovation he’s brought to the district during his tenure,” said Lynda O’Connor, president of the Lakota Board of Education.
The Board of Education will meet in the near future to determine the next steps.
Since his hiring in 2017 to lead southwest Ohio’s largest suburban school system, Miller launched numerous digital outreach programs, started the district’s first Twitter account and mobile app and started a series of YouTube videos all designed to inform Lakota residents about the district.
He also led the historic roll out of a free laptop program for middle school students and followed it up with the same free learning tech program for high school students.
At the time, the district was the first in the region to attempt such a wide distribution of free laptops, which students could take home and do school work.
Miller was previously superintendent of Mentor Schools in northern Ohio before being hired by Lakota.
