By Jennifer Pignolet
jpignolet@detroitnews.com
Glenn Maleyko’s first day as the superintendent of public instruction for Michigan was Dec. 8. Three days later, the former Dearborn Public Schools superintendent sat down with The Detroit News for a wide-ranging interview.
Maleyko talked about his first announced policy initiative, which would require all K-5 teachers to go through an intense literacy training called LETRS, which the Michigan Department of Education strongly recommends but doesn’t require under state law.
He also discussed his life as an educator, his obsession with hockey and his lack of fear of politics — even though the State Board of Education’s decision to name him superintendent was a close 5-3 vote.
This has been edited for clarity and length.
Question: Why did you want this job?
Maleyko: It’s something that’s always appealed to me. Thirty years in Dearborn Public Schools, I started as a student-substitute teacher in 1995, signed up, and I’ve gone through different positions there. I’ve always been passionate about students and education. In fact, I got into education because of hockey. Initially, I was thinking of law school because my father, my grandfather are lawyers, and I liked working with students. So at the time, I never knew I was even going to be a principal, let alone a superintendent in Dearborn to, you know, state superintendent. But what I would say is, my time, 10-plus years as superintendent, I worked very hard with relationships across the state, working with legislators and others, and it really appealed to me.
Q: What’s been the significance of hockey in your life?
A: I’m a big sports person. I use the hockey analogies. I’m a die-hard Red Wing fan, die-hard Detroit all-sports fan. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for sports and leadership. I just think it’s important you develop teamwork, collaboration, working together. I’m very competitive, too. I still play in the men’s league, and they know I’m forechecking. I’m right on them. I’m not gonna let the puck escape. I’m 150% with everything I do. So when I was studying to interview for the job, it’s like, I’m all in. It’s a part of who I am. I’ve coached hockey at multiple levels prior to having kids. I’ve coached girls hockey, I’ve coached boys hockey, I’ve coached, played at a high level. My brother actually was drafted in the NHL (The Ottawa Senators drafted Jason Maleyko in the sixth round of the 2000 draft). He played pros and got a scholarship. So my whole family, we’re all about the hockey. We’re die-hard Wings (fans). And, you know, working with sports, I think it’s the personality of who I am. For some students, it’s connecting with the arts or other things. For me, it was sports, you know, and I enjoy it, and I think it builds character.
Q: You’ve talked about visiting a mosque in your early days as a teacher at Salina Elementary in Dearborn. Can you talk about how that came to be?
A: There was a school in a different part of the city that I almost got hired in, then I got called the next day to Salina, which had the highest immigrant (population) in the district, had the highest free/reduced lunch (rate) at 97%. And it was the best thing that happened to me, because then, you know, I got to really learn a different culture. I had teachers that would help me. I went and did home visits, like on lunch, and I would have a teacher that would translate for me, so they would help me. We went to the mosque, and it was to learn about the students that we serve. It wasn’t promoting, it was just to learn the culture. So as a principal and superintendent, I’ve brought my teams to the mosque, the Presbyterian Church, the different areas.
Q: Talk about your decision to bring more ethnic school lunch options into Dearborn schools.
A: When I became superintendent, I had my student advisory council. This is my favorite thing to do, meet with them regularly. They said to me they wanted to see more different ethnic options and more Halal food choices. So I ended up changing and brought in (Southwest Foodservice Excellence) as our food vendor, and they did a great job, and we really enhanced that. I’ll say too, like, you know, as I was doing that, unfortunately, it was from out of state, but there were some negative people, like, why are you bringing in (Halal)? Well, we’re just accommodating the students that we serve with Halal foods and different ethnic foods, but we took some negativity from out of state on those things as we’re doing it. But it didn’t matter, because it’s the right thing to do for students.
Q: Do politics scare you?
A: No, no, not at all. I came into the superintendent, I came into my job when I became principal, as an educational leader. So that’s my roots. I came in to make a difference for students. What I’ve learned through my different positions, whether it was principal to then HR, and seeing Brian Whiston in action at the board table and then myself for 10-plus years, especially during those pandemic years where it wasn’t just the pandemic, it was the politics of what you were dealing with. Half of my emails would say, “Shut down the district.” The other side: “You better not shut down the district.” So there was diversity of opinions, and there was politics. I mean, Dearborn Public Schools was kind of the poster child — we had 1,300 people show up to our board meeting for library books.
Q: The vote to hire you was split, with the state board’s two conservative members voting against you. I’m just wondering how you kind of absorb that and move forward anyway.
A: I have no issue with that. I mean, we’re here to help students. I was appointed. We’re here. Let’s move on. Let’s meet together. I’m meeting with all of them one-on-one…. regardless of, you voted for me or not, we’ve got to work together, right? That’s what it’s about, and that’s what I plan to do, and I hold no negativity because of it, personally.
Q: You announced at your first board meeting that you believe LETRS training should be mandatory for K-5 teachers in Michigan. Why do you believe that’s the necessary next step for the state’s literacy laws, how would you get that done, and how you would support it?
A: I thought about it for quite a while, and I know the department has been pushing that prior to me. I thought about it, too, because a lot of times, you know, a mandate, how are you going to implement it, there’s local control. And I consulted with some of my colleagues as well from the superintendent ranks. And then there are certain things you have to have local control. But if we want to improve achievement in test scores, at some point, you’ve got to make decisions. Now, having said that, and I mentioned it at the meeting, I would like to see more the carrot way to go, versus the stick. So I, when I say mandatory, like, it’s like, OK, yeah, I would like to see it mandatory, but we also have to provide the funding and the support. So as a local superintendent, there’s logistical issues that you got to, you know, you got to work with your unions. Are you going to do it (using) substitutes and pull (teachers out of classrooms for training)? Are you gonna do stipends for LETRS? Is really intense. So you have to come with those things.
