Milan Area Schools board authorizes personnel committee to negotiate with assistant superintendent Ryan McMahon for superintendent role

At its March 12, 2025 regular meeting, the Milan Area Schools Board of Education authorized the personnel and leadership committee to enter negotiations with Assistant Superintendent Ryan McMahon to become the district's next superintendent, subject to a contract approved by the full board.

The vote followed a presentation by McMahon and a question-and-answer session with board members and community representatives. The motion, made by board member Ryan Farrell, was stated on the record as: "to authorize the personnel and leadership committee to enter into negotiations with Ryan McMahon to become the next superintendent of Milan Area Schools, subject to an employment contract approved by the Board of Education." The motion passed 7-0.

McMahon, who has served nine years as the district's assistant superintendent and 15 years in Milan schools overall, outlined his priorities and leadership philosophy during the discussion. He said his work would put "students first," and stressed relationship-driven leadership and clear communication. "Simplify, clarify, and communicate," he told the board. He also said "details matter," describing a focus on operational follow-through and districtwide alignment.

In prepared remarks and follow-up answers, McMahon described initiatives he would pursue if hired: boosting student voice via a superintendent-level student leadership council and building direct principal-student engagement; expanding social media and marketing tied to student involvement; convening an AI task force to pilot classroom tools; pursuing "birth-to-school" outreach to connect families with young children to district resources; and work on a K–12 disciplinary-literacy instructional framework. He also described ongoing work to formalize the district's multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), maintain programs such as Be Nice and the DESA social-emotional screener, and continue leveraging grants and sinking fund planning.

Board members asked about budget pressures and near-term changes for schools. In response to a question about likely changes coming to the district, McMahon pointed to potential cuts to federal funding and the need to be prepared to respond. "Cutting funding, specifically federal funding, impacts the kids that need it the most," he said, noting district efforts to use at-risk funds for direct student services.

Board members who spoke during discussion praised McMahon's presentation and local ties. Several members referenced community input gathered through the personnel committee's outreach, Big Red Board Chats and a community survey; board member Gutierrez said community feedback matched the candidate's priorities. After the vote to authorize negotiations, multiple board members offered public support and thanked McMahon and staff for the process.

The personnel and leadership committee will conduct contract negotiations and return any recommended employment agreement to the full board for approval. No contract terms were reported at the meeting.

Votes at the meeting on this item were recorded as: Pryor — yes; Syslo — yes; Burdett — yes; Farrow — yes; Gutierrez — yes; Haika (student board rep) — yes; Marais — yes. Motion carried 7-0.

The board also discussed next steps in the superintendent search timeline and reiterated that no final selection had been made prior to the authorization to negotiate.