| Agency Name: | Department of Education |
| Type: | department |
| Formed: | 1850 |
| Headquarters: | 608 West Allegan Street, Lansing[1] |
| Minister1 Name: | Dr. Pamela Pugh |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Board President |
| Minister2 Name: | Ms. Ellen Lipton |
| Minister2 Pfo: | Board Vice President |
| Minister3 Name: | Dr. Judith Pritchett |
| Minister3 Pfo: | Board Secretary |
| Minister4 Name: | Mr. Marshall Bullock, II |
| Minister4 Pfo: | Board Treasurer |
| Minister5 Name: | Dr. Mitchell Robinson |
| Minister5 Pfo: | NASBE Delegate |
| Chief1 Name: | Michael F Rice |
| Chief1 Position: | Superintendent of Public Instruction |
| Chief2 Name: | Sue C Carnell |
| Chief2 Position: | Chief Deputy |
| Chief3 Name: | Delsa Chapman |
| Chief3 Position: | Deputy Superintendent, Educator, Student, and School Supports |
| Chief4 Name: | Scott Koenigsknecht |
| Chief4 Position: | Deputy Superintendent, P-20 System and Student Transitions |
| Chief5 Name: | Vacant |
| Chief5 Position: | Deputy Superintendent, Finance Operations |
| Child1 Agency: | Library of Michigan |
| Child2 Agency: | Michigan School for the Deaf |
| Keydocument1: | CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1963 § 3 State board of education; duties. |
| Website: | https://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 the superintendent of public instruction, Michael F. Rice, who was appointed in 2019.[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]
The following is a list of those who have served as Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction.[7]
| 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 M. 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– |