Michael Hester considers himself a servant leader and strongly believes in putting students first.
After years of building up experience in Oklahoma and Kansas, Hester recently returned home to Arkansas and settled into the community of Batesville.
“Batesville is a quality community and school district that is focused on student achievement, very supportive of its public schools and has an incredible community and family culture,” Hester said. “Batesville is such a beautiful place to live and a such a safe place to raise your family, but a major factor for us was that we fell in love with the people and community during the interview process and knew this was where the Lord was leading our lives.”
Hester began serving as superintendent of the Batesville School District on July 1 after serving as assistant superintendent of secondary education at the Topeka Public Schools in Kansas.
“I served 15,000 students, supervised five high schools, six middle schools, the district technology and all secondary activities,” he said. “I assisted with elementary education for the transitions and instructional technology.”
In 2014, Hester said, he helped establish the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers.
Other responsibilities included his managing facility-improvement projects and leading the district’s technology plan, he said.
Hester said his personal goal as superintendent is to network with students, staff, parents and the community of Batesville as a whole.
“I believe Batesville can be in the top 15 percent of school districts in Arkansas, and I believe the impact of our goals and strategic planning will allow us to not only obtain this status, but maintain that status with longevity. I’m looking forward to the impact of our efforts toward student achievement and the care of our staff,” he said.
The people of Batesville take pride in their schools, Hester said, and stay focused on student and staff achievement.
“That pride makes the impact of everyone’s efforts so much greater and faster than larger school systems,” he said.
Hester was born in Morrilton, graduated from Perryville High School, then earned a bachelor’s degree at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, where he met his wife, Peggy.
He went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, and his Doctor of Education degree from Wichita State University in Kansas.
Hester started his career as a football coach at Mid-America Nazarene University in 1979 and said one experience from his first year of coaching stands out in his mind.
“The first year I taught, one of the first kids I ever met at the school played ball for me as a freshman,” Hester said. “He had cancer in his shoulder. Long story short, he died within a year and a half after I met him.
“He was a big strong kid, and his attitude was unbelievable. He overcame so many obstacles.”
Hester said the student’s grandmother had medical problems as well, but encouraged her grandson in her unique way.
“She power-packed that kid to know how to handle the last year and a half of his life with cancer,” Hester said. “That was very life-changing for me.”
Hester said he and his wife also let a teenager live with them while he was principal of Hays High School in Kansas after the boy’s uncle abandoned him.
“We took him in for two years. He was from Oakland, California. He was raised on the street. His father was on drugs, and his mother was a prostitute. We helped him through his junior and senior years; then we helped him get to junior college. That was a wonderful experience,” Hester said.
The couple also allowed a teacher who worked at Great Bend High School in Kansas to stay with them while Hester was principal of the school, he said.
“She was being abused by her husband. We took her in and helped her raise her kid for a year,” Hester said. “You do those things along the way. You help people, and they change you while you do it.”
Hester said his grandfather, Corbert Hudspeth, is his personal hero.
Hudspeth had a second-grade education but overcame many obstacles to become a successful businessman and father, Hester said.
“Right now, my greatest joy is Hutch, our 16-month-old grandson. What a thrill it is being a grandparent,” he said.
Hester and his wife have three adult children: Kimberly Hester, Tiffany Hester and Michael Hester II.
In his free time, the elder Michael Hester said, he enjoys following high school extracurricular activities, boating, hiking, skiing and being outdoors.
Yellowstone National Park is his favorite place to visit, he said, because there is no other place in the world like it.
“The nature there is just amazing: bison, wolves, elk,” he said. “There’s a lot to explore.”
Hester said he also enjoys visiting Chicago, New York and Malibu, California.
“In Malibu, we like to hit the beach and watch Hollywood stars,” he said.
Traveling to Germany in 1995 was his favorite trip of all time, he said, and he had the opportunity to make lifelong friends while there.
Hester said he was active at a community church in Hays but hasn’t yet chosen a church in Batesville.
Tammy Austin, recently retired assistant superintendent for the Topeka Public Schools, said Hester doesn’t know a stranger.
Austin said she worked with Hester for four years at the Topeka Public Schools.
He is a hands-on administrator, she said, and has a passion for education.
“He’s especially interested in children leaving school being equipped with the use of technology, and that they are all college- and career-ready. It’s important to him that every graduate has a career plan in place before they leave school,” she said.
Hester has also personally mentored many students, she said, and cares deeply about reaching positive outcomes.
Austin said Hester won’t ask someone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself.
“He is a humble leader who collaborates with others to do what is right for kids. There is no job beneath him. He will roll up his sleeves and work beside any school employee to get the job done,” she said.
Hester shows a lot of enthusiasm, she said, and genuinely believes the power of education can transform lives.
Austin said she believes he will dedicate himself to the Batesville School District and all of the students and families he serves.
“I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is a family effort because Mrs. Hester will be very much involved, attending numerous school and district events. This was the norm while both of them were in Topeka,” Austin said.
“Nothing is more fulfilling than being a part of helping babies change into young people, then adults, then helping them raise their own children with the goal of having a better future than their parents,” Hester said.
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.