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Sue Carnell, the chief deputy superintendent at the Michigan Department of Education, will take over as interim state superintendent in October and serve until the man who was selected to permanently take the job can step into the role.
The board last month voted to offer the state superintendent job to Glenn Maleyko, who currently is the superintendent for Dearborn Public Schools. On Tuesday, the board approved allowing Pamela Pugh, the president of the board, to negotiate with Maleyko and his attorney on its behalf.
It’s unclear when Maleyko will begin. The board’s timeline for the superintendent search process had set Oct. 4 as the start date for the new leader.
Tom McMillin, a board member from Oakland Township, asked about the start date during Tuesday’s monthly meeting, saying “I’m just wondering if January or April,” or another date. McMillin said there had been some suggestion that Maleyko might need to remain in his Dearborn role through December.
“All I can say is that we are negotiating,” Pugh said.
Carnell will begin as interim superintendent Oct. 3, the last day for current State Superintendent Michael Rice, who is retiring.
She will be the first Black woman to serve as state superintendent in Michigan’s history, according to the MDE.
Carnell has had a 40-year career in education government, according to an MDE news release. She was superintendent in Westwood Community Schools, deputy superintendent in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, and an administrator in the Southgate Community Schools. She has also served as education policy advisor for former Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Pugh said in the news release that Carnell “is just the right person to lead MDE as we transition to a new state superintendent.” Carnell said she looks forward “to supporting the staff at MDE as we work with our education partners, the governor’s office, legislators, and families to continue the momentum of improving outcomes for children,” according to the release.
In his final remarks as state superintendent at a board meeting, Rice doubled down on criticism he has made recently about the Michigan legislature’s failure to adopt a budget for the current fiscal year. Lawmakers are required by state law to adopt a budget by July 1, but that deadline has come and gone, and there could be a state shutdown if a budget isn’t approved by Oct. 1.
“This is unacceptable,” Rice said. “The failure to pass a budget timely has led to districts being more cautious in their spending decisions, including their staffing decisions this summer into the beginning of the school year.”
He said some districts are now informing parents that some programs could be eliminated or will be eliminated because of the budget stalemate.
The Democrat-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House are far apart on how they would fund schools.
During the public comment period of the meeting, the board heard from a number of education leaders who praised Rice for his role in education leadership, including from a tearful Flint Superintendent Kevelin Jones, who said Rice mentored him during his tenure as the district leader. Rice thanked the leaders for their words.
“And I also want to thank the two people who said good riddance to me. Amen to that,” Rice said.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.
