Dearborn Superintendent Glenn Malayko outlines literacy, equity and school‑safety priorities in State Board interview

Lansing — Dearborn Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Glenn Malayko told the Michigan State Board of Education on Aug. 26 that his entry plan as state superintendent would center on "listening, learning, relationship building" and an aggressive push on literacy, equity in school funding and student safety.

Malayko, one of three finalists for state superintendent, opened his 10‑minute presentation by saying he would meet MDE staff, local superintendents and community stakeholders to refine the department's top priorities. "I'm gonna start with listening, learning, relationship building as a theme in the beginning," he said, adding that he makes "well over 400 school visits a year." He later summarized his professional priorities as "humility, urgency, partnership, listening ... grounded in decisions and data."

Why it matters: Board members framed the interview around statewide problems — Michigan's low NAEP reading scores, an ongoing debate over adequacy versus equity in school funding, school‑safety concerns and uneven special‑education capacity across districts. The board repeatedly pressed Malayko on how his Dearborn experience would translate to oversight of more than 1.4 million students across 800‑plus local systems.

On literacy,…