Superintendent Newsletter

Dear Lansing School District Community,

It is a pleasure to write to you all. As we begin our second full month of school, I am reminded of how far we have come over these last few years together and how far we have to go. Even nature is currently at a juxtaposition, with the turning of the leaves and the start of Fall, yet producing 80-degree weather this week.

As a district, we have taken a step-by-step approach to enhance student achievement across the city. We have focused on improving attendance rates, facilitating easier access to schools, creating new programs, constructing new schools and classrooms, and refurbishing older spaces. We have hired numerous staff members in various new and existing roles. We have overhauled our budget office, human resources office, and facilities office. We have reorganized the curriculum and instructional aspects of our district. Additional staff members have been added to many of our schools. We have invested millions of dollars in supporting school-based initiatives. It was essential to establish our systems and structures to elevate the education of our scholars.

Now it is time to also focus on one of the most important pieces of the puzzle: our families. Many of our schools have sparse or nonexistent Parent Teacher Associations. There are infrequent places for parents and guardians to express their ideas and concerns. Though I receive hundreds of emails a month from parents, these are individual correspondences that hopefully alleviate an individual concern but don't make systemic changes in our district.

To that end, over the next few weeks, we will be creating a "Family Advisory Board" to the Superintendent. We haven't worked out all the details, but we are going to invite parents and guardians from throughout the district to apply. We will try to balance the group, looking for folks from different schools, grade levels, and neighborhoods. We are asking that you commit to a monthly evening meeting. By the end of October, we will send out an email asking people to apply. And I hope that we can have our first meeting before Thanksgiving.

I have always wanted to have a strong parent voice in the district. Hopefully, by creating this Advisory Board, we will help to strengthen that voice. Please be on the lookout for an email from us asking to apply. Thank you so much for your willingness to help guide the leadership of the district. I really look forward to building this Advisory Board together.

Thank you so much for all of your incredible support of our district. Together, we will do great things for the children of Lansing.

Benjamin Shuldiner, Superintendent

Lansing School District

The Lansing School District Board of Education voted to select Dr. Deyanira Nevárez Martínez to fill an open board seat. She was one of 12 people who interviewed for the seat which was vacated by Kurt Richardson, who left the board for employment reasons. “The Lansing School District welcomes Professor Nevárez Martínez to the Board of Education,” said Board of Education President Rachel Willis. “Her unique knowledge and background will be a great asset to the board and our school district in the future.”

Dr. Nevárez Martínez worked for U.S. Congressman Raul M. Grijalva before moving to spearhead an education campaign to fight Arizona’s ban on Mexican-American Studies in the K-12 system. She completed her Ph.D. in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy at the University of California, Irvine, because she is passionate about equity and social justice in public policy and sees planning as a way to effect change in local communities.

She is currently a faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Planning, Design and Construction, and Core Faculty in the Chicano/Latino Studies Department at Michigan State University. She has also served as a State Coordinator for the Mi Familia Vota Education Fund.

In her letter of application to the Board of Education, Professor Nevárez Martínez wrote, “My experiences as a dedicated mother (to two boys ages 7 and 12), educator, woman of color, and scholar with a Ph.D. in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy along with my deep commitment to educational equity make me a highly qualified and passionate candidate for this vital role. I believe I bring a unique blend of personal and professional experiences that would be an asset to the board and the Lansing community.”

Welcome to the family Dr. Nevárez Martínez — we're happy to have you!

Kieran Arnett has been a valuable performer in Viking Theater Guild productions over the past few years, even staring as Charlie Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown! His impressive ability to embody his characters even netted him an individual acting award at the regional Michigan Interscholastic Forensics Association (MIFA) theater competition for his execution of multiple roles in the Spoon River Anthology.

While his accomplishments on the stage have been impressive, he has also shown an incredible talent for scriptwriting. Last school year, he entered the Riverwalk Theatre's scriptwriting competition for students and won! While talking home a cool $ 1,000 prize was pretty awesome, he says one of the coolest prizes was having his play read by a cast from Riverwalk.

The Viking Theater Guild is thrilled to have him as a member of our team and look forward to performing one of his original scripts soon!

Eileen was recently honored with the Excellence In Education award! The award was established by the Michigan Lottery in 2014 to recognize outstanding educators across the state and carries with it a $2,000 cash prize and some serious bragging rights. It also comes with a chance at the Lottery’s Educator of the Year award (and $10,ooo)!

After earning her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, her master’s degree from Ball State University, and an administrator certificate from Eastern Michigan University she began her adventure as an educator. She has been an educator for 21 years, the last five of which she has been with the Lansing School District!

With Eileen at the helm of the Special Education Department, the district went from a 48% Special Education Compliance Rate to 100% by the end of the 2021-22 school year. This kind of support was unheard of before she became the Director of Special Education. She has compassion that is unparalleled. To her, it’s a privilege. “I truly enjoy working with students and watching them learn and grow. I feel strongly that every student can learn,” said Prihoda. “Finding a method that works for students who may not learn in a traditional format is very rewarding.”

She took a second during her interview to commend the incredible work being done by teachers in classrooms every day. She also wished that more people knew about the work they are doing and the number of moving pieces needed to bring each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) to life. “Not only are there teachers, but the special education department also includes school psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, and speech and language pathologists,” said Prihoda, noting appreciation for the comprehensive teams that come together to meet the needs of each student.

According to the Michigan Lottery website, nominees for the Excellence in Education are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
  
• Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
  
• Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
  
• Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
  
• Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.

Suffice it to say that Prihoda checks each box for the Lansing School District and we are thankful to have her on our team!