Susan Johnson leads last school board meeting as Hannibal School District superintendent

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Susan Johnson led her final Board of Education meeting as superintendent of the Hannibal School District Wednesday night, capping a 34-year educational career in the district and over a decade as its superintendent.

Following the meeting, Johnson described feeling a mix of emotions towards her retirement: fear, for a changing norm; excitement, for having more free time; and sadness, for the people she’s already begun to miss.

“This has been my family,” she said with a crack in her voice. “I’ll always be their biggest cheerleader and supporter, whether I’m in this role or no role.”

A joint statement from the Hannibal Board of Education characterized Johnson as a leader with “unwavering integrity, compassion and a deep commitment” to the district’s students, and that every decision she’s made throughout her career has been made with them in mind.

“Her ability to bring people together, form genuine relationships and build trust has shaped a strong, positive climate and culture among our staff,” the statement read. “She truly cares about every person in this district — their work, their well-being, their purpose. That care has not gone unnoticed.”

Johnson said she’s noticed a shift in recent years in the dialogue around education and expressed concern for staff morale, noting that school districts and their staff members in general have not felt respected or appreciated. 

“Moving forward, I hope that people are kind,” she said. “The kids are always watching us. We need to be the role model for them.”

Johnson and her husband will soon be relocating to Columbia, Missouri, but she plans to visit Hannibal often. She expressed confidence in her replacement, Ritchie Kracht, to lead the district forward. He will officially take over as superintendent July 1.

Johnson attempted to retire last year, but former Quincy Superintendent of Schools Roy Webb backed out of accepting the job two months after a news conference was held introducing him. Webb cited the “climate” of the school board and a claim of “inaccurate” school district finances.

During the meeting, the board voted to approve a one percent salary increase for contracted employees — a more modest number than the board hoped to give, Johnson said. 

The coupling of the recent passage of Missouri HB 567, which mandates that support staff in public school districts be paid the state minimum wage instead of the lower federal minimum wage, with Governor Mike Kehoe’s inaction in regard to approving the state budget have resulted in financial uncertainty for many districts in the state for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Additionally, changes in the way funds are dispersed at the state and federal levels are also up in the air, leading the board to make conservative revenue estimates in regard to their 2025-2026 budget.

Board member Dr. Jeff Evans expressed concern for the state of the district’s reserves and the impact of a salary increase, but ultimately voted with members Tysa Coleman, Stacey Graves, Ronald Greenwell and Ann Lear in favor of the increase. Vice president Blane Mundle and president J’Nelle Lee abstained from the vote.

According to the most recent data from the National Education Association, Missouri ranks 49th in the nation for average teacher pay.

A 10-cent increase for lunch prices across the district was also approved by the board. Lunch for high school and middle school students will rise from $2.85 to $2.95, and from $2.35 to $2.45 for elementary schoolers. Breakfast prices — $1.85 for high school and middle school students and $1.35 for elementary students — remain unchanged.

Additionally, the board:

• Recognized more than 80 students and staff members for having perfect attendance for the 2024-2025 school year;
• Voted to award food service contracts to Kohl Wholesale for prime food and paper products, Prairie Farms for milk and Unipak Corp for trash liners;
• Voted to approve bus routes for the upcoming school year;
• And voted to approve the budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which will be on the district’s website by the end of the week.

The board’s next meeting is set to take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 13 in the Hannibal Middle School auditorium, located at 4700 McMasters Avenue in Hannibal.

A copy of the board’s entire informational packet for the June 2025 meeting can be found here.