CLERMONT – With a promise she would ensure the schools were well-positioned for the 2025-2026 academic year, Dennis Township Superintendent and Primary School Principal Susan Spiers announced her retirement in a Jan. 30 letter to the Board of Education, staff and community.

Spiers said her retirement would be effective July 1.

She praised the staff for its dedication to the students and expressed gratitude to the Board of Education. Spiers, who has had to deal with $4.3 million in state aid cuts since 2018, a loss of 75% of its state aid, remarked on the difficult task the district had as a result.

“Navigating budget constraints has not been without its challenges, but through it all, it has been clear that each board member’s priority is the well-being of our students and staff,” she wrote.

For the past two years, the district has sought additional funding from the taxpayers to offset the loss of state aid. Those efforts were rejected by the voters.

When asked by members of the public why the district didn’t take appropriate steps to deal with the reduced state aid, Spiers likened the situation to a storm you knew was coming, but still had to react to once it struck.

In December 2024 the district announced it was ending the band program and eliminating courtesy busing in favor of subscription busing.

Spiers started her career in Galloway Township, where she taught grades 1 through 4, and 6. She subsequently became the assistant principal for grades K-6. She then accepted positions in Linwood, first as principal of Seaview Elementary School, then as principal of Belhaven Middle School.

She was hired as the superintendent in Dennis in July 2019, a year after the cuts in state aid began. She said that, in an effort to save on administration spending, she assumed the role of primary school principal in October 2024 in addition to being superintendent.

In 2018, as principal of Belhaven School, her school won the Schools to Watch Award, the National Forum award for schools that are “academically excellent, developmentally responsive and organizationally high-performing.” While at the Seaview School, the school won federal, state and private awards for various accomplishments.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.