KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff announced Monday that he plans to retire at the end of the calendar year. Caniff has been in education for more than 36 years, and a news release said his career is capped off with "the challenge of opening schools this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic."
Caniff was appointed to be the Kent Intermediate School District Superintendent in July 2015. The district serves nearly 200 schools in Kent County.
“The privilege of serving as superintendent of Kent ISD has been a true honor and the highlight of my career,” Caniff said in his letter to the board. “The timing of my departure – the end of December – will allow us to get what will assuredly be a challenging start-up to the school year behind us and, hopefully, by the time I leave a sense of normal operations returns.”
During Caniff's tenure, Kent ISD passed a millage that brought additional resources to all 20 districts. The district also assumed all operations for the ISD-wide special education programs from Grand Rapids Public Schools and expanded adult education opportunities.
Kent ISD Board President Andrea Haidle said board members will need some time to figure out the process for hiring a search firm and getting input from stakeholders on what they're looking for in the next Kent ISD leader.
“Selecting a new superintendent is the most important decision this board will make during the next school year,” she said. “We plan to take our time and get this right. We will release details as we work though some of the procedural issues over the next couple of months.”
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