State Board Extends Contract of State Superintendent Another Three Years

Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Communications 517-241-4395

Agency: Education

March 13, 2012

LANSING - The State Board of Education today gave state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan a positive evaluation and extended his contract one additional year, to May 1, 2015.

"Happily, we universally as a Board laud and note Mike's leadership, his effective and incredible management here, keeping morale up, and keeping so much effective work going, given a tight budget," said State Board of Education President John C. Austin.

"His engagement of leadership in the broad education family, the stakeholders, and attentiveness to their issues, their needs and shaping daily the agenda for education in Michigan is much noted and appreciated. The board is heralding Mike's leadership in those dimensions," Austin added.

Austin said the Board will continue to spend time on things it can do better together progressively on as a board with Flanagan, including advancing their policy leadership, and advancing strategic priorities the Board identifies each year to "move the needle in important topics and help each other do that."

Flanagan said that he is very appreciative of the Board and its confidence in the Michigan Department of Education as a team.

"I think we work hard at this and we'll have an opportunity to continue working together and align more appropriately," Flanagan said. "Thanks to the team, I can't tell you how many times during the evaluation today there was praise for the Department and the team. I kind of get the benefit of hearing that, so, great job!"

In other action: The State Board voted to support a legislative proposal to change the starting birth date for children entering Kindergarten from December 1 to September 1, but qualified its support that such a change would provide resources for a quality early childhood education experience for those children affected by the change, and that the birth date change be phased in over three years.

The Board also voted to oppose a state House Joint Resolution to amend the state Constitution that would change State Board of Education seats being elected statewide to being elected from single-member geographic districts; and voted to oppose state legislation that would require a member of a public body must be physically present in order to cast a vote.