School choice champion Br. Bob Smith resigns for health reasons

Br. Bob Smith, OFM Cap

Brother Bob Smith, known as the architect of the rise and success of Messmer Catholic Schools and an icon of the school choice movement in Wisconsin and across the nation, announced his resignation Thursday as Messmer's president and CEO.

In a letter to students and their families, faculty, staff and alumni, Smith, 55, said he has had health complications since undergoing neck and spine surgery three years ago and indicated he now faces further surgery.

"This was a decision that did not come easily," said Smith, leader of the head of the three-campus school.

Smith, a member of the Franciscan Order of Capuchins, was appointed principal of Messmer High School in 1987 and CEO of Messmer Catholic Schools in 1995.

A transition team is being assembled that will include an expanded board of directors, board chairman Shawnee M. Daniels-Sykes said.

Smith was a tireless champion and a positive change agent for Messmer students, families and the community, said attorney and board member Peter Salza.

A nationally outspoken proponent of parental school choice, Smith has been praised by many, including former President George W. Bush, for his success in educating minority students.

He has seen choice's expansion as vital in the struggle to pull children and families out of poverty.

"This is one of the few times in life in which people with little money can go into a store full of school options and pick what is best for their child," he once wrote. "This provides the poor with the same educational choices as the rich."

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You may remember Br. Bob Smith getting shouted down by a bunch of liberals(you know, the great supporters of racial minorities) during the Walker recall. Just take a look at this photo and tell me who the racists are.