Focus on Children, Strategic Plan Goals Will Continue During Superintendent Transition

Michael F. Rice Retiring This Week; Sue C. Carnell to Serve as Interim School Chief Before Glenn Maleyko Takes Over

Pictured, from left, are outgoing State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice, soon-to-be Interim
Superintendent Dr. Sue C. Carnell, and incoming State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko.

LANSING – The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) will continue focusing on supporting children and building on progress made toward goals in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan as a transition in the state superintendency begins this week.

Dr. Michael F. Rice’s last day as the superintendent of public instruction is today. Dr. Sue C. Carnell, currently MDE chief deputy superintendent, will serve as interim superintendent beginning tomorrow until Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko assumes the post on Dec. 8.

“Dr. Carnell and Dr. Maleyko both bring decades of experience in public education and success in providing leadership that has led to improved student achievement,” said State Board of Education President Dr. Pamela Pugh. “I am confident that during the transition we will not miss a beat in continuing to advance Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan and making further improvements to public education. We will build upon the great progress that’s been made thanks to the efforts of Dr. Rice in working with MDE staff, the board, local schools, the governor, and state legislators.”

The State Board of Education in 2019 selected Dr. Rice to serve as Michigan’s 44^th state superintendent, as well as chairman of the State Board of Education. In 2020, he led the revamping, with the state board, MDE, and input from more than 10,000 people and groups across the state, of the strategic plan, with defined goals and associated metrics. During his tenure:

• Michigan reached its highest four-year graduation rate in history, 82.8%, in 2024. (Goal 5 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan) That is the highest level since the state adopted the federal formula for calculating the rate in 2008.
• Michigan increased student participation in five rigorous secondary school programs beyond pre-pandemic levels, in some cases to historic levels: career and technical education (CTE), Advanced Placement (AP), dual enrollment, early middle college, and International Baccalaureate. (Goal 4 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• Michigan reached historic highs in CTE program completers (55,431); dual enrollment participation (35,145); Early Middle College participation (15,905); and number of students taking one or more AP tests (65,906), number of AP tests taken (118,219), number of students with AP tests with scores of 3, 4, or 5, which often generate college credit (49,708), and number of AP tests with scores of 3, 4, or 5 (87,695). (Goal 4 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• The state began the Michigan School Meals Program—universal free breakfast and lunch for all public school children—and increased the number of daily breakfasts by 26% and the number of daily lunches by 20%. (Part of Goal 3 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• With support from the state board and department, Michigan increased its children’s mental health and school safety budget from $31 million to more than $250 million and increased the number of helping professionals—counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists—by 1,700. (Part of Goal 3 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• The state increased teacher preparation program enrollment every year since 2016-17, a total increase of 87% during this period, from 9,512 in 2016-17 to 17,780 in 2023-24. To support MDE recommendations to the governor and legislature to address the teacher shortage, the legislature has appropriated $1.1 billion over three fiscal years for fellowships/scholarships and student teacher stipends for aspiring teachers, Grow Your Own programs for support staff and students to become teachers, teacher student loan repayments, mentoring and induction grants, and a rural credentialing hub, among other efforts in this area. (Goal 7 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• The department fought for generational literacy/dyslexia legislation, passed into law in the fall of 2024, to strengthen early literacy materials, professional development, and coaching and to require dyslexia screening and intervention. It led the push to provide Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) science of literacy professional development for educators, with nearly 5,200 teachers having completed the training and more than 6,800 having begun the training, in addition to the department’s extensive efforts to expand diverse literature and comprehensive history instruction in classrooms. (Goal 2 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• The state board and department fought, alongside many in the education community, for more adequate and equitable school funding for students, including but not limited to economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, English learners, and rural students, as well as general education transportation reimbursement. (Goal 8 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan).
• Michigan’s preschool program, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP), consistently ranked tied for first nationally in quality over the last several years, as the state works to implement Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s call for universally accessible preschool. In winter 2025, the governor announced that GSRP enrollment had reached a record high in Michigan. (Goal 1 of the state’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• Michigan’s percentage of adults ages 25-64 with a postsecondary credential rose to 51.8 percent, a record high for the state, on the way to the governor’s Sixty by 30 goal: 60 percent of all 25-64 year-olds with a postsecondary credential. (Goal 6 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan)
• Michigan raised its state test results in 14 of 20 categories in spring 2025, 13 of 20 categories in spring 2024, and 15 of 20 categories in spring 2023.
• The state board and department worked to lift up and demonstrate the value of student voice, through five years of a diverse MDE Student Advisory Council, board presentations that have included students, and a student-produced guidance document on the importance of safe spaces.
• The state board and department additionally worked to lift up and support all students, including those who are marginalized or stigmatized.

“The state must continue to work toward serving children and meeting the goals in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan. I am proud of the progress that local educators, state policymakers, and MDE staff have made in support of children, but to paraphrase Frost, we have miles to go before we sleep,” Dr. Rice said. “Dr. Carnell has been a key contributor to progress toward the eight goals in the plan and will lead well in the interim. Dr. Maleyko’s work in Dearborn to advance Top 10 goals at the local level will serve him in good stead in his new role.”

Dr. Rice announced on April 4 that he was retiring from the state superintendency, effective October 3. He plans to spend more time with family and school children, to mentor, and to write. His six-plus years of service in the position make him among the 10 longest, consecutively serving, current state school chiefs in the country. Dr. Rice came to MDE after serving 17 years as a local district superintendent: 12 years as superintendent in Kalamazoo and five as superintendent in Clifton, N.J. Dr. Rice began his career in public education four decades ago in the Washington, D.C., Public Schools, where he taught high school French, and founded and coached an award-winning speech and debate program.

The State Board of Education on Aug. 26 selected Dr. Maleyko following a national search.

Dr. Maleyko has 30 years of experience in Dearborn Public Schools—the state’s third largest school district by enrollment—as a central office administrator, building principal, and teacher. He has been Dearborn superintendent since 2015.

Dr. Carnell will continue to serve as chief deputy superintendent while she is interim state superintendent. She has 40 years of experience in education and government. Since 2021 she has served in the No. 2 post at MDE.

“I am looking forward to a smooth transition,” Dr. Carnell said. “My goal is to keep the positive momentum going during the next two months so that Dr. Maleyko is in a good position to continue our work in supporting all learners in Michigan.”

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