• Outgoing Dearborn Public Schools chief Glenn Maleyko becomes Michigan’s state superintendent on Dec. 8
  • Colleagues describe Maleyko a team player. He says collaboration is high on his to-do list for state role
  • He wants to wait before talking about policy details, but says he plans to continue his ‘students first’ mission  

Whenever he ventures around Dearborn, Superintendent Glenn Maleyko is known to bring along a sign proclaiming, in the district’s signature green and white colors, “students first.” 

Now that he’s preparing to take the helm of the Michigan Department of Education as the next state superintendent — and meeting with state leaders including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about the future of education in Michigan — he’s got a different-colored sign, but with the same message.  

“I’m going to bring to the state my student-first mission,” Maleyko told Bridge Michigan recently.

Maleyko spoke with Bridge shortly before his Dearborn Public Schools colleagues  threw him a goodbye party Nov. 12. There were speeches and a photo area where people could pose with a Maleyko cardboard cutout and of course, the students first sign.

Maleyko will start at the Michigan Department of Education Dec. 8. He said he wants to wait to weigh in on policy until after he officially starts. Still, there are early signs of what Maleyko’s lead may look like. 

Improving reading, touring the state

He said literacy is an obvious area needed for focus. Michigan ranks 44th for fourth grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2024, often referred to as the nation’s report card.  On state assessments in spring 2025, third grade reading scores hit a new low.

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School districts will be required to screen students for characteristics of dyslexia and teach students literacy in “evidence-based” ways, thanks to bipartisan legislation passed in 2024. But the laws don’t fully take effect until the 2027-2028 school year.

Some districts are making changes already, and there’s state funding for curricula, training and students supports. The state also pays for teachers to take LETRS, a time-intensive training course on how people learn to read, but it’s optional.

Maleyko praised the state’s efforts to provide multitiered systems of support and teacher training on student literacy but declined to say whether he believes teachers should be required to take the LETRS course. 

He said he plans to work collaboratively with others involved in education policy. In Dearborn, he visited schools 400 times a year on average and plans to do a state tour in the spring.

“I’m a big hockey guy too, so my saying is like ‘let’s not body check our own team. Meaning, there’s a lot of people that want to take down public education. So the people, entities that are here, we need to do our best to work together.” 

Maleyko has previous experience in state and national school advocacy groups too. 

Lamis Srour, the incoming Dearborn interim superintendent, said Maleyko is “leaving the district in good hands because he’s never worked in isolation.” 

cardboard cutout of a man against a black curtain
Across Maleyko’s social media, there are photos of him with his ‘students first’ sign. He’s got a portable one in his suit jacket pocket. It’s become so synonymous that his goodbye party featured a cardboard cutout of Maleyko holding the sign. (Isabel Lohman/Bridge Michigan)

What’s ahead

On the policy side, Maleyko will lead the state department as it works with local districts to improve literacy scores. Maleyko recently met with Whitmer, her education policy adviser and new senior literacy adviser.

Experts and advocates are also calling for funding reforms on special education and state special education complaints have also risen. MDE does not control how much money the state provides local school districts but is responsible for administering state grants to local districts. 

On the politics side, he’ll work with the State Board of Education, a partisan public body where the six Democrats and two Republicans routinely disagree. Maleyko said he wants to work with all members, even the ones who didn’t vote for him. 

He likely will also be tasked with defending the department to lawmakers. Earlier this year, the House Oversight Committee questioned then-State Superintendent Michael Rice on low reading scores. Last month, interim state superintendent Sue Carnell testified in front of the same committee over controversial proposed sex education guidelines. 


Plus, Maleyko’s time at the state coincides with a gubernatorial race where candidates say the state’s education results need to improve.

Maleyko is coming from Dearborn, where he’s worked for the last three decades.

The district is one of the largest in the state. Third grade reading scores and college-going rates are higher than the state’s. Dearborn’s chronic absenteeism is slightly lower than the state’s rate too.

“I wasn’t looking to go to any other districts. So this was the right opportunity, I think, and just the right time,” Maleyko said.

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