New state superintendent needs to move from Canada to Michigan

Michigan’s new school superintendent lives in Canada. He’ll have to move.

Glenn Maleyko — the Dearborn Public Schools superintendent who was selected this week to become the state’s next chief education leader — has dual citizenship in the US and Canada and currently resides in Canada, state officials say. Previously published reports indicate that he lives in LaSalle, a city about 10 miles west of Windsor, Ontario.

Maleyko’s residency was discussed publicly during his final interview this week when State Board of Education members asked about his plans to live in Michigan.

“If I get the job, I’m very dedicated. I’m passionate. The only way I could be effective is to be here and to be present,” Maleyko said, adding that he would take residence in the Lansing area if offered the position. “I’m definitely committed to that. And I even put that in my cover letter that I submitted to you in my application.”

Maleyko said in a statement Friday he has “dedicated 30 years to serving Dearborn and Michigan’s students.”

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“Throughout the interview process, I was fully transparent about my residency status,” Maleyko said in the statement. “I am a dual U.S./Canadian citizen with deep family roots in Michigan and across the United States. I am committed to this state, and I will be moving to the Greater Lansing area so I can be fully present in leading this important work for all Michigan students.”

The board selected him as the preferred candidate on Tuesday, after he and two other candidates participated in a daylong, final set of interviews to become the executive officer of the Michigan Department of Education, which serves 1.4 million public school students. He is expected to be formally appointed by the board on Sept. 9, following a contract negotiation for the position that will pay up to $272,000 annually. Maleyko will succeed Michael Rice, who has been the state superintendent since 2019 and plans to retire in October.

He has served in Dearborn schools for 30 years, starting out as a substitute teacher then serving as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and director before becoming the superintendent in 2015 of the third-largest school district in Michigan, with nearly 20,000 students.

Michigan Department of Education spokesperson Bob Wheaton confirmed that Maleyko lives in Canada.

“He was transparent when he applied and in his application, and he committed to establishing a residence in the Lansing area if selected,” Wheaton said. “The board also made it clear to Dr. Maleyko that he must establish a residence in Michigan to be state superintendent.”

State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh defended Maleyko’s career in Michigan and said Maleyko will work in the state.

“In doing our due diligence, we know that a person who’s working here in the state of Michigan will also have residency here in the state of Michigan,” said Pugh. “And work their full work week here in the state of Michigan on US soil.”

It’s not clear if Maleyko is a native of Canada or Michigan.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Windsor. A master’s degree in curriculum and instructional, along with an educational specialist degree in educational leadership from the University of Detroit Mercy. He also earned a doctoral degree in philosophy in educational leadership from Wayne State University.

Maleyko has been a volunteer coach for the Windsor Minor Hockey Association since 1995, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also has served as president of the Dearborn Rotary Club and as an active member of the Dearborn Exchange Club and Amicus Club, according to his biography on the Dearborn schools website. He is married and has two children.

The board whittled down a pool of more than 30 candidates to seven semifinalists then to three finalists. Of those candidates, five were current or former Michigan district superintendents, one was a consultant and one was the former state superintendent of Virginia.