DES MOINES, Iowa — At a time where most people may view the Des Moines Public School District Superintendent role as not appealing, the interim doesn’t view it that way.

Interim Superintendent Matt Smith’s two-year contract was approved by the Des Moines School Board on Thursday morning. Smith will keep the title until the end of the 2026-27 school year.

The district is facing scrutiny, both locally and nationally, for the previous hire of Ian Roberts. Smith served as the interim the year before the district offered Roberts the role. But even with Roberts’ arrest and federal firearm charge, an investigation into DMPS by the U.S. Department of Justice and criticism from state officials and lawmakers, Smith’s rationale for not cutting ties with the district is simple.

“Easy answer,” said Smith. “Because I love this district and I love this community. And so, for me, it’s about purpose and fulfillment. And this district and this community gives me purpose and it fulfills my life. So, both personally and professionally, you know, I’ve got four kids that have graduated through our school system. One is going to graduate, and I’ve also got a fourth grader. So, I’m not just invested as an interim superintendent, I’m invested as a parent and a neighbor.”

Smith is confident in his experience gained in the 2022-23 school year as interim. He served as the associate superintendent since Roberts was hired.

Outside of the criticism of the district, there is a vote for Des Moines taxpayers on November 4 to decide on a $265 million bond referendum. The district built the proposal through local feedback and developed it in an 80-plus person committee, one that Smith was apart of. The district says for a homeowner with a property worth $210,000, it would be a property tax increase annually by nearly $200, or just over $16 a month. Smith answered to how the district could communicate the need for it, to avoid having the bond vote be a referendum on the district for hiring Roberts.

“The district is not about one person. We’ve got 4,700 employees and we all serve 30,000 students together and we’re all representatives of this community,” said Smith. “This plan was also built by our community … the other thing I would emphasize with our community is that, yes, students are always going to be first and foremost in our minds and investing in student’s futures. It’s also going to spur economic development in our community. It’s going to improve home values for our community.”

Smith never officially applied for the superintendent opening in 2023 after serving as the interim. But he said that over the next two years he will be open minded to the prospect.

“I am more open minded about it. Yeah, for sure. It’s certainly something that’s beginning to sort of enter into my thought process, you know. But mostly right now I’m just I’m thinking about the the kids that we’re serving the day and our staff and the opportunity to serve them in this role, even as an interim for two years. That in and of itself is a blessing right? So if the two years ends up being two years, I will have loved life for those two years…if this turns out to be a more permanent position, I would consider that to be an honor and a blessing as well,” said Smith.