Meet Michigan schools’ new superintendent taking a ‘students first’ stance

By Jennifer Pignolet, jpignolet@detroitnews.com

In 1995, when Glenn Maleyko was a brand new substitute trainer in closely Center Japanese-populated Dearborn Public Faculties, a coworker took him on a subject journey for a cultural lesson at an area mosque.

The mosque’s imam welcomed him, explaining elements of Muslim tradition, together with fasting throughout Ramadan and consuming Halal meals. From there, Maleyko began visiting college students’ properties on his lunch break, bringing a translator and spending hours within the properties of principally immigrant households, some residing in vital poverty however valuing the prospect for his or her kids to have higher lives.

“They’re good folks, they usually simply wished success for his or her kids,” Maleyko mentioned.

These early years of educating had been informative visits for the White, Canadian-American hockey participant who bucked his household’s development of changing into attorneys and went into educating. He developed a ardour for supporting English language learners, but additionally fashioned connections with these completely different from himself.

“It was the perfect factor that occurred to me,” Maleyko mentioned.

After 30 years in Dearborn, together with 11 because the district’s superintendent, Maleyko is now Michigan’s superintendent of public instruction. His official duties began Dec. 8, though Maleyko had been working for weeks on the transition.

It was an excellent factor he did, as a result of his first State Board of Schooling assembly, which the state superintendent chairs, was Dec. 9. On the assembly, the board’s two conservative members raised doubt about vaccine security to the state’s chief medical govt, prompting Maleyko to interject a number of instances to defend state authorities staff.

In an interview a number of days later, Maleyko remained undaunted, unafraid of politics and decided to work with everybody, even board members who voted in opposition to his appointment.

It could be the hockey participant in him — he as soon as misplaced a tooth in a recreation, put it proper again in and stored going.

However Maleyko mentioned it’s his dedication to “college students first” — a mantra so sturdy he carries round a collapsible banner with the phrase on it — that retains his give attention to what issues. He even whipped out the signal throughout his interviews with the state board.

“I’m going to be the one who I’m,” Maleyko mentioned. “Throughout the interviews, I informed them, ‘Look, in case you rent me, you’re going to get somebody collaborative that places college students first. And I informed them: ‘Look, at any time when I come for a choice, I’m going to remind you that regardless of the politics or no matter we’re coping with, I’m going to carry you again to that — college students first.’”

It’s with college students in thoughts, he mentioned, he introduced his first coverage initiative — to require coaching for lecturers within the science of studying, a approach of educating studying that aligns with how the mind learns to learn, one letter at a time.

“That shall be a push that we wish to make,” he mentioned.

‘150% with every thing I do’

Maleyko, 52, was born in Canada to his American mom and Canadian father, giving him twin citizenship. His dad was a hockey goalie, and Maleyko thought he wished to be one, too, till he, as a younger child, noticed his dad get his arm damaged. He determined one other place could be higher.

He nonetheless suffered his share of accidents enjoying hockey, he mentioned, apart from the excised tooth — “the dentist was in a position to repair it” — together with his personal damaged wrist.

However Maleyko continued to play, serving as a captain and studying the management expertise of teamwork and collaboration which might be foundational to his profession as we speak.

“I wouldn’t be right here as we speak if it weren’t for sports activities and management,” the brand new superintendent mentioned, including he’s additionally “very aggressive.”

Maleyko stepped away from enjoying hockey for a time, focusing extra on teaching and mentoring college students and gamers, however received again on the ice at his spouse JoAnne’s encouragement. He taught his two youngsters, now in faculty, the way to skate beginning after they had been 3. He nonetheless performs in a males’s league and mentioned he takes it simply as critically as he did enjoying in championship video games as a child. The opposite gamers have observed, he mentioned.

“They know I’m forechecking” — the time period for attempting to power a turnover within the different crew’s zone — “I’m proper on them, I’m not going to let the puck escape,” Maleyko mentioned. “I’m 150% with every thing I do. So once I was finding out to interview for the job, it’s like — I’m all in.”

‘You must handle the politics’

Maleyko mentioned he hadn’t deliberate to turn into superintendent in Dearborn. He was employed full-time at Salina Elementary in 1997, educating third after which fifth grade, after which turned the assistant principal. He later turned the principal at Salina Intermediate after which DuVall Elementary.

His mentor, Brian Whiston, turned the Dearborn superintendent in 2008 and finally introduced Maleyko into the central workplace to run human assets. Maleyko mentioned he served as Whiston’s “right-hand man” till Whiston left in 2015 to turn into the state superintendent, and the Dearborn board named Maleyko its subsequent superintendent.

As a principal and superintendent, Maleyko introduced his lecturers to the identical mosque he visited instead trainer in ’95, but additionally the native Catholic church, the Presbyterian church and different neighborhood entities.

“It’s vital, no matter tradition it’s the place college students are from, it’s vital that lecturers have an understanding of the cultures,” he mentioned.

As superintendent, he developed an interfaith council that he may flip to on any subject. Maleyko mentioned he turned to the council throughout one of many hardest instances the district confronted in his time there.

In 2022, Dearborn turned the nationwide face of a debate on faculty library books. A board assembly needed to be suspended due to the tons of of people that attended. When the assembly resumed, 1,300 folks had been there, he mentioned. Lots of them, he mentioned, weren’t from Dearborn.

“We had those who had been campaigning for elections who we’d by no means seen earlier than, that had been utilizing our conferences as a pawn for his or her political motives,” Maleyko mentioned.

The district eliminated a small variety of books from the varsity’s library and designated others to be obtainable just for highschool college students. Maleyko mentioned the district didn’t “ban” books however developed a system for overview that was later adopted by a number of different districts.

Maleyko mentioned he delivered a message at that board assembly to these in attendance that had come from college students on his scholar advisory council.

“‘We don’t actually wish to come to the board conferences, are you able to inform the adults the best way they’re behaving, they’re not superb function fashions for us?’” Maleyko remembered the scholars telling him.

Different moments of pressure

It wasn’t Maleyko’s solely political battle as superintendent.

Within the COVID-19 pandemic, Maleyko mentioned half of his inbox can be crammed with emails saying faculty ought to reopen — the opposite half insisted it shouldn’t.

In 2019, Maleyko heard from college students that they wish to see the varsity supply extra meals that match with their cultural restrictions. The district contracted with Southwest Foodservice Excellence to supply Halal and different ethnic meals choices.

Maleyko mentioned he obtained blowback for the choice, once more, principally from exterior Dearborn.

“We’re simply accommodating the scholars…, however we took some negativity out of state for these issues, as we had been doing it,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless it didn’t matter as a result of it’s the correct factor to do for college kids.”

Maleyko mentioned he takes a “glass half-full” strategy to the political fights.

“You’re stronger for having gone by way of conditions,” he mentioned. “As a superintendent, it’s important to handle the politics, it’s important to work by way of it. It doesn’t scare me as a result of I do know I want to do this. And why am I doing that? I’m doing that to make sure that I get to what I’m actually right here for, which is making a distinction and ensuring college students obtain at a excessive stage.”

Maleyko: ‘I’m able to roll’

Maleyko mentioned there wasn’t one other job he would have utilized for besides the state superintendency. He was content material to retire from Dearborn.

“However that is one which excited me to make a distinction on a broader stage to work collectively,” he mentioned.

Maleyko had lengthy established himself as a determine in each Lansing and Washington, D.C., typically advocating for the wants of immigrant college students. He served because the president of the Michigan Affiliation of Superintendents and Directors and was named the group’s Superintendent of the 12 months in 2019.

When former state Superintendent Michael Rice introduced he would retire from the job, Maleyko mentioned he jumped on the likelihood to use.

“I used to be very excited to use and put myself on the market and say, ‘Hey, that is what I stand for, and if you need, let’s work collectively in collaboration to make a distinction for college kids,” he mentioned.

For his interviews, he leaned on his favourite pre-hockey pump-up technique, blasting AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” within the automobile on the best way there. “I walked up right here, I had no nerves,” Maleyko mentioned. “I’m able to roll.”

Not everybody was charmed. Republican board members Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder mentioned repeatedly they weren’t proud of any of the three finalists. They each voted in opposition to Maleyko’s appointment, as did Mitchell Robinson, an Okemos Democrat.

Snyder mentioned she nonetheless isn’t satisfied Maleyko is the correct individual for the job.

“My biggest concern relating to Mr. Maleyko is whether or not he’ll have the ability to encourage the all-hands-on-deck literacy adjustments desperately wanted in Michigan,” Snyder mentioned in an e mail. “Dad and mom and college students want a transformational chief able to do what it takes, not testify in opposition to literacy reforms after which tour the state with a smile. As forty fourth within the nation in 4th-grade studying, we don’t want a PR marketing campaign for our faculties; we’d like speedy motion with outcomes.”

However board President Pamela Pugh, D-Saginaw, mentioned she appreciates Maleyko’s college students first and collaborative strategy.

“I recognize his dedication to listening to educators, households, and board members, and to constructing even better urgency round Michigan’s ongoing work to strengthen literacy, enhance scholar outcomes, particularly because it pertains to particular training, and help public training throughout the state,” Pugh mentioned. “I stay up for persevering with to work collectively within the service of Michigan’s kids.”

Maleyko mentioned the votes in opposition to him didn’t hassle him, and he’s within the course of of getting particular person conferences with each board member.

“I’ve no subject in any respect,” he mentioned. “No matter in case you voted for me or not, we’ve started working collectively, proper, that’s what it’s about and that’s what I plan to do. And I don’t maintain negativity due to it personally.”

Maleyko mentioned it was arduous to go away Dearborn, the place they threw him a going-away social gathering. He mentioned he lastly broke down on the final day.

“I like Dearborn,” he mentioned. “It’s who I’m, it’s been greater than — I spent greater than half my life there.”

David Mustonen, Dearborn’s communication director, mentioned Maleyko is “the right individual for the function he’s in proper now.”

“I feel he’s going to do a wonderful job up there,” Mustonen mentioned.

He predicted Maleyko’s first act can be to make a brand new “College students First” signal, this one for the Michigan Division of Schooling. That’s precisely what Maleyko did.

Pushing again on federal selections

One factor Maleyko did take personally: The U.S. Division of Schooling this 12 months ended the Blue Ribbon Faculties program. This system acknowledged the highest faculties within the nation, together with no less than one Dearborn faculty six instances throughout Maleyko’s superintendency.

He was disillusioned, he mentioned, as a result of it was “a optimistic factor” and didn’t price a lot. College leaders who had been honored in Washington paid their very own method to get there. The price to the federal authorities, he mentioned, was principally “one banquet.”

This fall, the Michigan Division of Schooling took on the responsibility of honoring the Michigan faculties that may have been acknowledged as Blue Ribbon Faculties. Maleyko mentioned he was glad to see it.

It gained’t be the one place the state has to step in for roles that was crammed by the U.S. Division of Schooling, he mentioned.

The Trump administration is working to dismantle the division, which traditionally has served a job to guard college students’ civil rights and fill in funding gaps for low-income college students and college students with disabilities. Throughout a September look in Detroit, Secretary of Schooling Linda McMahon preached turning training “again to the states.”

Maleyko mentioned he’s apprehensive about what meaning, notably on funding for marginalized scholar teams. When the federal authorities earlier this 12 months paused what is called Title funding, he went to Washington to inform lawmakers the hurt it could do.

“Hey, that is going to harm,” Maleyko mentioned. “It wasn’t about crimson or blue districts. If we don’t get the funding, it’s going to harm all college students.”

Maleyko has thus far only one acknowledged coverage initiative, to require a studying coaching program for all Okay-5 lecturers known as LETRS. This system has been lauded for the background information it offers lecturers on the science of studying, or how the mind learns to learn. However it’s also intense and time-consuming, with two elements that every take 60 hours to finish.

Maleyko acknowledged that requiring the coaching, which the state simply strongly encourages, would take laws to require it and funding to help it. It will additionally imply offering help for the native superintendents, who must work out the way to work such a hefty coaching requirement right into a trainer’s workday.

“It might not occur in a single day, however I wish to proceed to maneuver and advocate in that space,” he mentioned.

Michigan’s new literacy and dyslexia legal guidelines don’t have a broad requirement to make use of a particular curriculum, as another states have accomplished to spur progress in studying scores. Michigan at the moment ranks forty fourth in fourth grade studying, based mostly on the Nationwide Evaluation of Schooling Progress, and a drop in third grade reading state test results had critics throughout the state pushing for reforms.

Requiring the coaching would take Michigan’s legal guidelines one step additional. Maleyko mentioned basically he’s in favor of “extra of a carrot method to go versus the stick,” however he believes the coaching must be mandated. He mentioned Dearborn was simply within the strategy of shifting to LETRS coaching for its lecturers when he left.

“You must have native management, however yeah, if we wish to enhance achievement and check scores, sooner or later, you’ve received to decide,” he mentioned.

Maleyko mentioned his different high precedence for his early days on the job shall be a listening tour throughout the state, particularly to the areas he’s much less conversant in after 30 years in a single faculty district.

Identical to he did instead trainer, Maleyko is searching for to attach with those that have had experiences completely different than his personal.

Maleyko nonetheless remembers an area newspaper story from 1997 about Salina lecturers visiting the mosque.

“My dad minimize out the article,” Maleyko mentioned. “He was proud — ‘You’re making a distinction right here.’”