Superintendent Debbie Houser retires in August leaving Middletown City Schools in a good place for her successor.

Superintendents have long been tasked with the educational, financial, and administrative stewardship of school systems while being accountable to teachers, administrators, parents, and other stakeholders. The job has become increasingly more complicated. In an episode of Harvard EdCast, a podcast devoted to educational administration, Lindsay Whorton, CEO of a Texas-based nonprofit that supports school superintendents, said, “I do think there is a shift in the velocity of what’s happening. With the media landscape that we’re in, there [are] more opportunities for people in communities to raise issues. The speed at which a small issue might become large … feels different to a lot of people.”

These challenges are especially formidable in a school system such as Middletown’s, which serves nearly 6,000 students. According to U.S. Census data, 17.1% of Middletonians live below the federal poverty line which is defined in 2025 as household income below $32,150 for a family of four. This is a considerably higher percentage than the 12.7% national average and Greater Cincinnati’s composite rate of 11.8%. 24% of Middletown’s children live below the poverty line.

These data points reveal considerable obstacles. Like any challenge, counteracting these difficulties requires collaboration and consensus-building to find successful outcomes for all invested parties. And they need the right leader to build the necessary bridges toward cooperation.

Debbie Houser, the superintendent of Middletown City Schools will be retiring from her post effective later this summer. Houser is concluding a 40-year career in education that began with her childhood experiences.

“Teaching has always felt like a calling for me,” she said. “As the oldest of five children growing up, helping guide my younger siblings made thinking of children’s needs second nature for me. Once a teacher, always a teacher; wanting to make a difference in kids’ lives becomes part of who you are.”

She started her career teaching elementary school in Kenton County before moving on to Oakwood Schools in Dayton, and later to teaching in inner-city Cleveland, which became a professional inflection point.

“Teaching in Cleveland made me fall in love with urban education,” Houser said. “In these types of environments, you really must consider the whole child and make sure students’ basic needs are met. This was where I really learned the power of love as an educator. The challenges are substantial, but so are the rewards.”

She first joined Middletown City Schools 18 years ago, assuming the role of testing and assessment coordinator, where she supervised the district’s transition from bubble sheets filled in with pencils to online instruments. Next, she became the district’s human resources director, where she enjoyed recruiting teachers who were “the right fit” for a district such as Middletown’s.

In 2021, as the district attempted to regain normalcy after COVID-19, she was appointed the Middletown Schools’ assistant superintendent, serving under Marlon Styles. This was a critical juncture when increased federal allocations for education juiced school districts’ budget. Houser was part of the district’s decision to lean into strengthening fundamentals.

“Student achievement has always been a priority in our system, but at a time when students’ education had been so profoundly disrupted by COVID, we chose to use these funds to prioritize students’ reading and math proficiency.”

In early 2023, when Styles resigned from his post to become a partner at the educational non-profit, Learner-Centered Collaborative, Houser was ready to step in. She noted that her ascension to superintendent had been a well-established succession plan, and the district seamlessly maintained its focus.

“Every step along the way prepared me to serve as Middletown’s superintendent,” Houser said. “In every role, I learned who the district’s point people were that made things happen. It’s not just about who has the title, it’s about who has the answers.”

One of Houser’s most successful initiatives to expose students to wider opportunities has been Middletown Schools’ Passport to Tomorrow program, which brings business leaders to district classrooms to introduce students to their professions and educational routes they could take to enter these fields. She noted the pendulum has swung from striving to prepare every student for college to better matching career paths to students’ aptitudes, which often veered to a job for which vocational or technical school would better prepare a student for the workforce.

“Healthcare is a field that is in demand and accessible, whether someone wants to go to medical school and become a doctor or receive vocational training to become a phlebotomist,” Houser said.

She said that becoming an effective superintendent requires several traits, such as being able to think from a visionary perspective that prioritizes what will benefit students long-term, being an effective communicator to be able to articulate the vision for the school system, and gaining buy-in from various stakeholders. But, just as importantly, she said it entails the flexibility to follow what Houser calls “line 27” in the job description: fulfilling any duty as needed.

“It’s important to be prepared to serve your students in any capacity, from curriculum to making sure students delayed or stranded by a bus find their way home,” she said.

She added that an engaged superintendent needs to help system employees remember why they’re there.

“Our society has gotten so loud with outside distractions that sometimes the superintendent is compelled to remind staff what their role is and cut through outside distractions,” Houser said. “The students always have to be the top priority in our decisions, even if they’re unpopular.”

She pointed to students’ achievements during her tenure, such as a 55% increase in the number of students achieving proficiency in math based on student testing, as well as a 48% increase in reading-proficiency scores. Additionally, chronic absenteeism has fallen by 10%.

After retirement, Houser intends to remain involved with students. She’s not sure in what capacity, but she said it might be in a volunteer role working directly with children, such as a guest reader in classrooms. But she’s still focused on the task at hand.

“I want to finish strong in my role as superintendent,” she said. “We’re still working on quite a few initiatives, and I want to make sure we’re in a good place for my successor.”

Respect from district colleague’s

Several colleagues lauded Houser’s effective, student-first guidance and relationship-forming ability that is the lifeblood of effective, empathetic administrations. A Middletown City Schools teacher, principal, and a school board member affirmed her dedication to broad constituencies of students and stakeholders.

Michael Valenti, the principal of Middletown Middle School, has worked as a middle-school educator for his entire 37-year career. He began working there as a history and physical education teacher, working his way up through his career. He’s served as principal for the past 21 years. During his time at Middletown Middle, he’s experienced first-hand educators’ involvement in students’ lives expanding from beyond “bell to bell” to a more holistic relationship to provide mental-health support and even guidance in helping student families pay rent.

As education has become increasingly complex, Valenti noted the importance of building trust between team members at all levels, and he praised Houser for being an exemplar of transparency and honesty.

“She’s empowered me to lead my school and try new things, but when we’ve faced challenges, she’s been eager to help when needed,” Valenti said.

The district-wide commitment to enlisting outside partnerships includes exposing pre-secondary students with opportunities, which Valenti noted has provided his students with visit to universities such as Miami and Central State, and Middletown-area businesses to learn about educational and career possibilities. Valenti said that higher education, joining the military, or entering the workforce are all viable options, and the earlier students are exposed to their options, the better. He credits Houser with helping foster this ethos.

“Building trust and forming relationships is vital in any educators’ role, but it’s especially important for a superintendent, and Deb has done tremendous work in getting administrators, teachers, parents, students, and everyone with a stake in improving education, excited about the district’s vision,” he said.

Kim Amburgey has taught at Middletown’s Central Academy for 28 years, and is currently educating sixth-grade students. As technology has become more ubiquitous during her tenure, she’s noted myriad challenges such as increased behavioral issues and greater dependence on instant gratification, compounded by economic and social challenges.

Amburgey praised Houser for understanding the often-overwhelming needs Middie City’s students faced and resourcefulness in creating a supportive environment that facilitated learning and wellbeing.

“She’s always been an easy person to talk to, and she was an advocate for everyone in her role as HR director. She brought the same attitude to the role of superintendent.” Amburgey said. “I can’t think of a time that she hasn’t responded to a need or concern. That role requires someone who can bridge gaps to meet diverse needs while encouraging and providing resources. She is terrific at thinking creatively and providing solutions while meeting our financial constraints, like our Passport to Tomorrow and Career Readiness programs.”

Todd Moore has served on the Middletown City School’s board for 10 years. As a Middletown native and resident, he acknowledged that Middletown is going through an economic and social transition that has impacted the quality of education.

“The bedrock of my work has been striving to help keep Middletown’s schools and families strong,” he said. “For me, education was transformational. I grew up a poor kid, education was a way to a better life, and I want to help open doors for kids who grew up in challenging circumstances. Where you are now isn’t where you have to stay.”

Moore’s day job entails serving as director of education for Trinity Debt Management plus he works as an adjunct professor at UC and Miami. Through work with Trinity over 17 years, he’s become well-acquainted with the challenges that emerge for households facing a chronic lack of resources.

“My work at Trinity has shown me the importance of bringing in outside partners, and this is especially important with public education, where resources are limited,” he said. “I work a lot in Cincinnati, and working in a bigger city has provided a broad range of experience that has helped with finding solutions in a smaller city like Middletown.”

Moore lauded Houser for being a strong leader through initiatives such as establishing the goal of enlisting 100 Middletown businesses to get involved with the Passport to Tomorrow program and for collaboration with Middletown’s Community Building Institute (CBI) for enhancing educational and recreational programs.

“I’ve known Debbie for 15 years, and I got to see her work ethic firsthand when she was overseeing the district’s curriculum. She was open to ideas and provided data that helped writing the grant that helped CBI establish these programs,” he said.

Moore also lauded Houser’s leadership in guiding the school system through a redistricting plan that began with the current school year. The plan, completed in cooperation with Woolpert, an educational planning and design firm, will modernize the district’s K-6 education, according to the school district website, improving resource use by balancing enrollment between schools and facilitating students’ ability to attend neighborhood schools. He also praised Houser for emphasizing student achievement and long-term district financial stability in the district’s allocation of additional COVID-19 school funding.

The school district is planning to hire Houser’s replacement by late May or early June. Three intradistrict candidates have been interviewed, and the search has opened to outside candidates. A March 19 public meeting was held to allow Middletown residents to voice their views on the next superintendent.

“It’s important that the next superintendent is a great communicator and consensus builder who puts student achievement and wellbeing first,” he said.

This Partner City Middletown series is made possible with support provided by: Cincinnati Commercial Contracting, the city of Middletown, the Middletown Community Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton. You can read other stories from the series here.