Michigan’s state superintendent has announced plans to step down, and the state Board of Education wants public input during the search to replace him.
The eight-member board will choose Michael Rice’s successor. Board President Pamela Pugh said Rice has made concrete progress toward some of the goals in Michigan’s Top Ten Strategic Education Plan.
“The State Superintendent of Public Instruction helps to shape the direction [of Michigan public education] through mapping out what the goals are,” Pugh said. “Continuously monitoring the status of those goals. Constantly adjusting the strategy for us to achieve those goals, and then being the advocate for how we reach and attain the goals.
“That person has to be child-focused. The child has to be the center of all decisions. And I know that we need a person who is a good communicator.”
As for Rice’s replacement, Pugh said that she wants to make sure that “we have someone who is a visionary, who can move with urgency, who can quickly assess the goals that we have, the accomplishments that have been made, and the areas where we need improvement.”
Data gathered through the public survey will be a key part of the search and vetting process, Pugh said, especially input from “educators, parents, those who are most touched by our education system.”
The survey is now live on the Michigan Department of Education website until July 3 at noon. Pugh said the board hopes to have Rice’s successor in place by early October.
