MI SoundBoard

The Michigan Legislature has a number of public education bills being acted on and considered. Hear from Sen. Dayna Polehanki about those that could most-greatly impact Michigan school districts.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer presented her 2023-2024 budget to the Legislature on Feb. 8, 2023. Beth Bullion, M.P.A., Director for the Office of Education for the State Budget Office and Stephanie O'Dea, M.P.A., K-12 Education Policy Advisor for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer join us to discuss some highlights of the proposed budget and how it supports an equitable and exceptional education for all students.

Michigan schools aren’t one-size-fits-all, and that means that it takes a team of advocates to represent their voices and needs. It’s no wonder that there are numerous organizations centered around serving and advocating for their member districts. In this episode, Executive Director of the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity, Peter Spadafore, joins us to discuss how their organization supports districts with the greatest educational needs who have historically been underserved by the educational system.

Building and strengthening the board-superintendent relationship is one of the most important aspects of effective governance and with significant turnover in both areas, it’s no easy task. In this episode, Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators Executive Director Tina Kerr, Ph.D. joins us to discuss strategies for strengthening relationships, working together cohesively and ways forward.

Representation at the national level has always been important to Michigan school board members and MASB. In this episode, we talk with new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer John Heim, Ph.D. from the National School Boards Association about his background and how the association is moving forward and pivoting to serve its members.

With a new calendar year underway, we look ahead to what 2023 may bring for Michigan public education. Joining us are Executive Directors Tina Kerr, Ph.D. from the Michigan Association of Superintendents & Administrators, David Martell, CPA, CFO from Michigan School Business Officials and Wendy Zdeb from the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.

It’s our annual conversation with the Michigan Teacher of the Year—Nanette Hanson from Escanaba Public Schools is the 2022-2023 recipient. She shares a U.P. connection with MASB Executive Director Don Wotruba, CAE and talks about her surprise at being nominated as well as her strong belief in building relationships with her students’ parents and social-emotional learning.

There are many organizations in the Michigan public education arena. We talk with the new Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, John Severson, Ph.D., about how we collaborate and listen at the state level, as well as how ISDs and locals work together for the common good of their communities.

We had the pleasure of speaking to the 2023 Michigan Superintendent of the Year Monica Merritt, Ed.D. from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. She shared some personal and district successes along with how she’s handled contentious issues. From her experiences, she hopes any person or district can take the example she intentionally (or unintentionally) sets and use it in their lives or community.

Michigan’s students deserve all the help, direction and opportunities they can get in education, employment and life. Youth Solutions, a nonprofit organization based in Benton Harbor, has been providing programs and services to equip young people with the skills to overcome barriers and succeed. Director of Strategic Operations Sonya Blanzy joins us in this episode to shed light on their mission and activities.

We live in a society that often does not value the importance of keeping our promises. It’s too easy to say, “I’ll get to it later.” Alex Sheen, #MASBALC 2022 General Session speaker and the Founder of because I said I would., a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept, talks with us about how his organization is aiming to make a difference, including with kids, by teaching about self-control, honesty and accountability.

It’s one of the largest industries in the world and a rising league-based school club in your district—Esports is a hit with Michigan students. In this episode, we talk with Ryan Cayce, Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals’ Director of Digital Learning & Resources/Director of Esports, on how a district can get involved as well as how this team-based extracurricular is beneficial to a district’s students and its finances.

What is the difference between respect and dignity and why is it important in our classrooms? Rosalind Wiseman, Cofounder of Cultures of Dignity and one of the 2022 General Session speakers at MASB’s Annual Leadership Conference, tells us how we can shift the way we think about young people’s physical and emotional wellbeing. She is also the author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” the inspiration behind the movie and Broadway show, “Mean Girls.”

A new school year brings known and unknown legal hurdles. Brad Banasik, J.D., MASB Legal Counsel and Director of Labor Relations/Policy, joins us on the show to talk about what he thinks all districts should pay attention to for 2022-2023.

How do we engage our student leaders so they can be their best selves? Matt Alley, M.A., Associate Director of Student Services and Nina Davis, M.A., Associate Director of Member Services and Engagement at the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals talk to us about the services they offer for Michigan students including a summer camp focused on leadership.

In the early 1980s, Huey Lewis sang “I'm taking what they giving 'cause I'm working for a livin'. . .” With all the post-secondary opportunities available, this hopefully is no longer the case. In this episode, Cindy Kangas, Executive Director of the Capital Area Manufacturing Council, talks with us about how CAMC and similar organizations are partnering with school districts and manufacturing companies to show students career path options they can be excited about.

MASB’s leadership changes over this month with Steve Hyer from Clarkston Community Schools stepping up to serve as Board President. He joins us to talk about what he is looking forward to this year and also shares how he got into board service and how it has influenced other areas of his life.

Parental involvement is integral to a strong and successful school environment. We spoke with Marcy Dwyer from the Michigan Parent Teacher Association about how parents can get involved in their district along with what the Michigan PTA has been up to recently and the resources they provide.

*This episode was recorded before the Let MI Kids Learn coalition decided not to submit signatures to get on the ballot for the November 2022 election. As noted in this podcast, they can still submit signatures and, once approved by the Board of Canvassers, the initiatives could go before the Legislature for action instead of being voted on by all Michigan voters.

It’s a conversation we wish we didn’t have to continually have—how do we keep our kids safe at school? In this episode, Kim Root, Manager of the Michigan Office of School Safety, talks about creating a culture of proactive practices and how the OSS can help.

Superintendent turnover seems to be increasing each year, but the number of candidates to fill those roles isn’t keeping up. Greg Sieszputowski, M.Ed., MASB’s Director of Leadership Development and Executive Search Services, along with Jay Bennett, M.Ed., MASB’s Assistant Director of Executive Search Services, talk about some of the trends they are seeing and how a district can better plan for and train future leaders.