Community Input Key to New L'Anse Creuse Superintendent's Summer Plans

With day one behind her, Jackie Johnston is looking ahead to the meetings, celebrations and planning sessions she will face in her first 90 days as L’Anse Creuse Public Schools’ new superintendent.

, May 1 was Johnston’s first official day as the district's sixth superintendent.

Although the former Huron Valley administrator admitted May is a “tricky time” to start in a school district, she said she is pleased she’ll be able to attend the year-end celebrations as well as have the summer months to familiarize herself with the district and its “stakeholders.”

“I’ll be spending time in May, and to the extent possible over the summer, doing some stakeholder outreach,” Johnston said. That includes meeting with parent associations, staff, instructional committees and community groups to “get a sense of how people are feeling” to better address the district’s strengths and challenges.

Part of her 90-day plan also includes taking a fresh look at L'Anse Creuse's strategic plan–the set of goals that drive district decision-making–and determining whether updates can be made or an entirely new plan is needed.

“The world is moving too quickly,” Johnston, 52, said. “The economy is changing. The environment around us is changing. We’re part of a global economy. The idea of a five-year, static strategic plan doesn’t make sense anymore.”

More student assessment and emphasis on AAA–arts, academics, athletics

A former accountant who has spent the last 20 years in education, Johnston described herself as “a person who likes both quantitative and qualitative data,” and said she plans to spend equal time talking with students and staff as she does crunching MEAP scores and graduation rates.

“My passion is to make sure that all students graduate our schools with high-level skills–that’s what our responsibility is,” she said. “That means taking them from where they are and getting them to where they need to be.”

For Johnston, this goal can be achieved by making assessments at every grade level, not just sporadically throughout a student’s career.

“We need to make assessments in enough time to intervene and help kids who are struggling. We’ll use assessments to help inform instruction and it will look different for different students.” 

And to ensure that students remain engaged throughout their education, Johnston said she would keep AAA programs (arts, academics and athletics), such as , and athletic events, a priority.

“Maybe we can’t have it look exactly like it’s always looked (due to financial constraints), but we fight for it and we figure out a way to deliver it.”

Pay-to-participate and schools of choice

While she supports as well as schools of choice, Johnston said she finds it "frustrating" that the district's current financial situation demands use of both.

"I think it’s regrettable that public school districts have to have those kind of conversations," she said of play-to-participate. "It is frustrating that we have those financial difficulties that we do ... Ultimately, we do not want to deny a students’ opportunity, but (pay-to-participate) allows us to keep dollars in classroom by doing this."

Similarly, schools of choice is "a way to generate additional dollars and potentially eliminate or slowdown the need for building closures."

But above all, Johnston said she wants to "hear what people are thinking" on these and other issues facing the district.

The new superintendent begins her career in the district with a base salary of $185,000.

The mother of two and grandmother of one holds a bachelor's of accountancy from Walsh College in Troy, and a master's in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate in education.

The community is invited to meet Johnston on May 9 from 6-7 p.m. in the F. V. Pankow Center Commons, 24600 F. V. Pankow Blvd., Clinton Township.