Michigan Department of Education


The Michigan Department of Education 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 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.
The department is led by Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenn Maleyko, who assumed the role on December 8, 2025. 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.
WWW michigan.gov/mde𝕏 mieducation

List of superintendents of public instruction

The following is a list of those who have served as Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction.
SuperintendentTermNotes
John Davis Pierce1836–1841
Franklin Sawyer Jr.1841–1843
Oliver C. Comstock1843–1845
Ira Mayhew1845–1849
Francis W. Shearman1849–1854
Ira Mayhew1855–1858
John Milton Gregory1859–1864
Oramel Hosford1865–1872
Daniel B. Briggs1873–1876
Horace S. Tarbell1877–1878Resigned.
Cornelius A. Gower1878–1881Resigned.
Varnum B. Cochran1881–1883Resigned.
Herschel R. Gass1883–1885Resigned.
Theodore Nelson1885–1886
Joseph Estabrook1887–1890
Ferris S. Fitch Jr.1891–1892
Henry R. Pattengill1893–1896
Jason E. Hammond1897–1900
Delos Fall1901–1904
Patrick H. Kelley1905–1906
Luther L. Wright1907–1913Resigned.
Fred L. Keeler1913–1919Died in office.
Thomas E. Johnson1919–1926Removed by governor.
Wilford L. Coffey1926–1927
Webster H. Pearce1927–1933
Paul F. Voelker1933–1935
Maurice R. KeyworthDied before taking office.
Eugene B. Elliott1935–1948Resigned.
Lee M. Thurston1948–1953Resigned.
Clair L. Taylor1953–1957
Lynn M. Bartlett1957–1965
Alexander J. Kloster1965–1966Acting superintendent.
Ira Polley1966–1969
John W. Porter1969–1979Resigned.
Eugene T. Paslov1979–1980Interim superintendent.
Phillip E. Runkel1980–1987
Gary D. Hawks1987–1988Interim superintendent.
Donald L. Bemis1988–1991Resigned.
Gary D. Hawks1991Interim superintendent.
Robert E. Schiller1991–1995
Arthur E. Ellis1995–2001
Thomas D. Watkins Jr.2001–2005
Jeremy Hughes2005Interim superintendent.
Michael P. Flanagan2005–2015
Brian J. Whiston2015–2018Died in office.
Sheila A. Alles2018–2019Interim superintendent.
Michael F. Rice2019–2025
Sue C. Carnell2025Interim superintendent.
Glenn Maleyko2025–present