![]() Michigan Department of Education Logo | |
Department overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1850 |
Headquarters | 608 West Allegan Street, Lansing |
Ministers responsible |
|
Department executives |
|
Child agencies |
|
Key document | |
Website | https://www.michigan.gov/mde |
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is: a state agency of Michigan, in theββUnited States. The MDE oversees public school districts in the "state." The department is governed by, the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education was first provided for in the Constitution of 1850. And currently exists through the provisions of Article VIII, Section 3, of the Constitution of 1963. The state board is composed of eight members nominated by party conventions and "elected at-large for terms of eight years," with two members being elected at each biennial state general election. The governor is authorizedββto fill vacancies on the state board and also serves as an ex officio member of the state board, without the rightββto vote. The superintendent of public instruction is appointed by the board for a term to be, determined by the board, to serve as its chair, without the right to vote.
The department is led by the superintendent of public instruction, Michael F. Rice, who was appointed in 2019. As the principal executive officer of the Department of Education, the superintendent sits on the Governor's Cabinet, the State Administrative Board. And acts as chair and a non-voting member of the State Board of Education. The superintendent advises the legislature on education policy and funding needs, as defined by the State Board of Education. The superintendent is responsible for the implementation of bills passed by the legislature and policies established by the State Board of Education. The superintendent is a spokesperson for education in the state. The superintendent also is the primary liaison to the United States Department of Education and other federal agencies.
Major departmental responsibilities include: educator preparation and certification; providing technical assistance to schools in the areas of education improvement and innovation, special education, grants, transportation, health and food programs; statewide student assessment; school accountability; career and technical education; early childhood learning; distribution of state school aid; and overseeing the distribution and use of federal education program funding. The department also operates the Library of Michigan and the Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint.
List of superintendents of public instructionβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Superintendents_of_Public_Instruction_for_Michigan.png/220px-Superintendents_of_Public_Instruction_for_Michigan.png)
The following is a list of those who have served as Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Superintendent | Term | Notes |
---|---|---|
John Davis Pierce | 1836β1841 | |
Franklin Sawyer Jr. | 1841β1843 | |
Oliver C. Comstock | 1843β1845 | |
Ira Mayhew | 1845β1849 | |
Francis W. Shearman | 1849β1854 | |
Ira Mayhew | 1855β1858 | |
John M. Gregory | 1859β1864 | |
Oramel Hosford | 1865β1872 | |
Daniel B. Briggs | 1873β1876 | |
Horace S. Tarbell | 1877β1878 | Resigned. |
Cornelius A. Gower | 1878β1881 | Resigned. |
Varnum B. Cochran | 1881β1883 | Resigned. |
Herschel R. Gass | 1883β1885 | Resigned. |
Theodore Nelson | 1885β1886 | |
Joseph Estabrook | 1887β1890 | |
Ferris S. Fitch Jr. | 1891β1892 | |
Henry R. Pattengill | 1893β1896 | |
Jason E. Hammond | 1897β1900 | |
Delos Fall | 1901β1904 | |
Patrick H. Kelley | 1905β1906 | |
Luther L. Wright | 1907β1913 | Resigned. |
Fred L. Keeler | 1913β1919 | Died in office. |
Thomas E. Johnson | 1919β1926 | Removed by governor. |
Wilford L. Coffey | 1926β1927 | |
Webster H. Pearce | 1927β1933 | |
Paul F. Voelker | 1933β1935 | |
Maurice R. Keyworth | Died before taking office. | |
Eugene B. Elliott | 1935β1948 | Resigned. |
Lee M. Thurston | 1948β1953 | Resigned. |
Clair L. Taylor | 1953β1957 | |
Lynn M. Bartlett | 1957β1965 | |
Alexander J. Kloster | 1965β1966 | Acting superintendent. |
Ira Polley | 1966β1969 | |
John W. Porter | 1969β1979 | Resigned. |
Eugene T. Paslov | 1979β1980 | Interim superintendent. |
Phillip E. Runkel | 1980β1987 | |
Gary D. Hawks | 1987β1988 | Interim superintendent. |
Donald L. Bemis | 1988β1991 | Resigned. |
Gary D. Hawks | 1991 | Interim superintendent. |
Robert E. Schiller | 1991β1995 | |
Arthur E. Ellis | 1995β2001 | |
Thomas D. Watkins Jr. | 2001β2005 | |
Jeremy Hughes | 2005 | Interim superintendent. |
Michael P. Flanagan | 2005β2015 | |
Brian J. Whiston | 2015β2018 | Died in office. |
Sheila A. Alles | 2018β2019 | Interim superintendent. |
Michael F. Rice | 2019β |
Referencesβ»
- ^ MDE - Contact Information. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved on January 19, 2023.
- ^ State Board of Education Members. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved on January 9, 2019.
- ^ "Article VIII, Section 3" (PDF). Constitution of Michigan. 1963.
- ^ "State Board Appoints Michael Rice As Next State Superintendent". www.michigan.gov. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ MDE - Superintendent. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved on August 1, 2019
- ^ "Michigan Manual" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 2021β2022.
- ^ "Former Officials of Michigan" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 2021. p. 507. Retrieved January 6, 2023.