Michigan Department of Education

Department of Education
Michigan Department of Education Logo
Department overview
Formed1850
Headquarters608 West Allegan Street, Lansing[1]
Ministers responsible
  • Dr. Pamela Pugh, Board President
  • Ms. Ellen Lipton, Board Co-Vice President
  • Ms. Tiffany Tilley, Board Co-Vice President
  • Dr. Judith Pritchett, Board Secretary
  • Mr. Marshall Bullock, II, Board Treasurer
  • Dr. Mitchell Robinson, NASBE Delegate
Department executives
  • Glenn Maleyko, Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Sue C Carnell, Chief Deputy
  • Delsa Chapman, Deputy Superintendent, Assessment, School Improvement, and Systems Support
  • Michele A. Harmala, Deputy Superintendent, Educator Excellence, Career and Technical Education, Special Education, and Administrative Law
  • Diane Golzynski, Deputy Superintendent, Business, Health, and Library Services
Child agencies
  • Library of Michigan
  • Michigan School for the Deaf
Key document
Websitehttps://www.michigan.gov/mde

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is a state agency of Michigan, in the United 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 [2] 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 authorized to fill vacancies on the state board and also serves as an ex officio member of the state board, without the right to 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.[3]

The department is led by Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenn Maleyko, who assumed the role on December 8, 2025.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6]

Elected Boards

State Board of Education

Members of the Michigan State Board of Education[7]
Name Start Next Election Party
Marshall Bullock, treasurer December 22, 2022 (appointed) 2028 Democratic
Ellen Lipton, co-vice president January 1, 2021 2028 Democratic
Tom McMillin January 1, 2017 2032 Republican
Judith Pritchett, secretary January 1, 2019 2026 Democratic
Pamela Pugh, president January 1, 2015 2030 Democratic
Mitchell Robinson, NASBE delegate January 1, 2023 2030 Democratic
Nikki Snyder January 1, 2017 2032 Republican
Tiffany Tilley, co-vice president January 1, 2019 2026 Democratic
Gretchen Whitmer, governor (ex officio) January 1, 2019 2026 Democratic
Glenn Maleyko, superintendent (ex officio) September 15, 2025 N/A N/A

Michigan State University Board of Trustees

Name Start Next Election Party
Rebecca Bahar-Cook January 1, 2025 2032 Democratic
Mike Balow January 1, 2025 2032 Republican
Kelly Tebay January 1, 2019 2026 Democratic
Dennis Denno January 1, 2023 2030 Democratic
Renee Knake Jefferson, vice chair December 4, 2019 (appointed) 2030 Democratic
Sandy Pierce December 27, 2022 (appointed) 2028 Democratic
Brianna Scott, chair January 1, 2019 2026 Democratic
Rema Vassar January 1, 2021 2028 Democratic
Kevin Guskiewicz, president (ex officio) March 4, 2024

University of Michigan Board of Regents

Name Residence Start Next Election Party
Jordan Acker Huntington Woods January 1, 2019 2026 (primaried) Democratic
Michael Behm, vice chair Grand Blanc January 1, 2015 2030 Democratic
Mark Bernstein, chair Ann Arbor January 1, 2013 2028 Democratic
Paul Brown Ann Arbor January 1, 2019 2026 Democratic
Sarah Hubbard Lansing January 1, 2021 2028 Republican
Denise Ilitch Bingham Farms January 1, 2009 2032 Democratic
Carl Meyers Dearborn January 1, 2025 2032 Republican
Katherine White Ann Arbor January 1, 1999 2030 Democratic
Domenico Grasso, acting president (ex officio)[8] May 8, 2025

Wayne State University Board of Governors

Name Start Next Election Party
Danielle Atkinson January 1, 2023 2030 Democratic
Bryan Barnhill, chair January 1, 2019 2026 (retiring) Democratic
Michael Busuito January 1, 2017 2032 Republican
Marilyn Kelly January 1, 2015 2030 Democratic
Anil Kumar January 1, 2019 2026 (retiring) Democratic
Terri Lynn Land January 1, 2021 2028 Republican
Sunny Reddy January 1, 2025 2032 Republican
Shirley Stancato December 12, 2019 (appointed) 2028 Democratic
Richard Bierschbach, president (ex officio) September 17, 2025

List of superintendents of public instruction

A group photo of men who have served as Michigan superintendent of public instruction in the late 19th and early 20th-century.

The following is a list of those who have served as Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction.[9]

Superintendent Term Notes
John Davis Pierce 1836–1841
Franklin Sawyer Jr. 1841–1843
Oliver C. Comstock 1843–1845
Ira Mayhew 1845–1849
Francis W. Shearman 1849–1854
Ira Mayhew 1855–1858
John Milton Gregory 1859–1864
Oramel Hosford 1865–1872
Daniel B. Briggs 1873–1876
Horace S. Tarbell 1877–1878 Resigned.
Cornelius A. Gower 1878–1881 Resigned.
Varnum B. Cochran 1881–1883 Resigned.
Herschel R. Gass 1883–1885 Resigned.
Theodore Nelson 1885–1886
Joseph Estabrook 1887–1890
Ferris S. Fitch Jr. 1891–1892
Henry R. Pattengill 1893–1896
Jason E. Hammond 1897–1900
Delos Fall 1901–1904
Patrick H. Kelley 1905–1906
Luther L. Wright 1907–1913 Resigned.
Fred L. Keeler 1913–1919 Died in office.
Thomas E. Johnson 1919–1926 Removed by governor.
Wilford L. Coffey 1926–1927
Webster H. Pearce 1927–1933
Paul F. Voelker 1933–1935
Maurice R. Keyworth Died before taking office.
Eugene B. Elliott 1935–1948 Resigned.
Lee M. Thurston 1948–1953 Resigned.
Clair L. Taylor 1953–1957
Lynn M. Bartlett 1957–1965
Alexander J. Kloster 1965–1966 Acting superintendent.
Ira Polley 1966–1969
John W. Porter 1969–1979 Resigned.
Eugene T. Paslov 1979–1980 Interim superintendent.
Phillip E. Runkel 1980–1987
Gary D. Hawks 1987–1988 Interim superintendent.
Donald L. Bemis 1988–1991 Resigned.
Gary D. Hawks 1991 Interim superintendent.
Robert E. Schiller 1991–1995
Arthur E. Ellis 1995–2001
Thomas D. Watkins Jr. 2001–2005
Jeremy Hughes 2005 Interim superintendent.
Michael P. Flanagan 2005–2015
Brian J. Whiston 2015–2018 Died in office.
Sheila A. Alles 2018–2019 Interim superintendent.
Michael F. Rice 2019–2025 [10]
Sue C. Carnell 2025 Interim superintendent.[10]
Glenn Maleyko 2025–present [4]

References

  1. ^ MDE - Contact Information. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved on January 19, 2023.
  2. ^ State Board of Education Members. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved on January 9, 2019.
  3. ^ Article VIII, Section 3 (PDF), Constitution of Michigan, 1963
  4. ^ a b "Dr. Glenn Maleyko". Michigan. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  5. ^ MDE - Superintendent. Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved on August 1, 2019
  6. ^ "Michigan Manual" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 2021–2022.
  7. ^ "About the State Board". Michigan Department of Education. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  8. ^ "MCL - Article VIII § 5 - Michigan Legislature". www.legislature.mi.gov. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
  9. ^ "Former Officials of Michigan" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 2021. p. 507. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Reinhart, Max (October 3, 2025). "Rice's tenure as state superintendent ends as transition period begins". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
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