Superintendent's Office

 
Matthew Cortez
Superintendent of Schools 

1458 5th Street
Muskegon, MI 49441
231-720-2004

As we enter into a new school year, which is my seventh year as Muskegon superintendent, I would like to reflect upon the challenges, triumphs and future goals yet to be accomplished. As a community, we stood tall together and faced COVID unified. We were unified in the hope and belief that the pandemic would conclude, and we needed to be prepared coming out of COVID to bridge the gaps in education and address the needs that so many people were experiencing. We passed two bonds in May 2020, which set the stage for the first phase of transformation of our facilities and resources for education. We were the first district in the state to hold an in-person graduation at our historic Hackley Stadium. We were the first district to utilize transportation partners to deliver weekly food boxes to the front porches of our registered families. We led the county and state in the protection and environmental remodeling of our facilities to modernize the atmosphere and the conditions for student education. All of this was possible due to the community support, belief, and direct interaction with our district. We came together to face an unprecedented situation, but we were able to make it through and realize the value of our mutual support and service to everyone. 

We have worked to maintain and grow these types of relationships in the years following COVID, with a main focus on our students and their education. The district joined the Future Leaders Council of Michigan and discovered a unique model of education, which was through Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL), a philanthropic service of Ford Motors. For the last two years we have visited, explored, and partnered with Ford NGL to create a career-based educational model from PreK-12th grade. From this partnership, we created a new master plan for the district and submitted it to Ford NGL in January 2025. We were approved and designated as a Ford NGL district. We are the fourth district in all of Michigan and the first on the lakeshore. This process has given rise to the Innovation Academies of Muskegon (I AM). I AM has three academies in the high school to guide students into their future beyond high school: The Freshmen Academy, Industry Technology and Design Academy (ITD), and the Health and Human Services Academy (HHS). Students will select an academy to join at the end of their ninth-grade year and identify one of four career pathways within the academy.

We have partnered with over 70 local businesses and non-profits to purposefully design a master plan centered around student voice and choice in education. Our future is extremely bright at MPS and will be guided not by a few employees but by an intentionally assembled community committee to provide our students the right experiences, internships, externships, and career possibilities. We have centered ourselves around some basic standards: 

• All means ALL (Every Student Every Day) - I AM is for all students of all ages and envisions that every student will find their passion and gain experience in their interests through personal exposure, project-based learning, and hand-on real-time experiences. 

• Graduate with a diploma in one hand and something else in the other -  The other item is based upon the students’ choice of career pathway and future plans.

• I AM is an education system driven by the community and implemented through a partnership between Muskegon Public Schools, local businesses (employers), non-profit entities, other governmental entities, and our students and their families. - This speaks to the core foundation of the work as a community and not at the whim of a single leader or person.

I AM proud to be a Big Red and to be the district leading education reform aimed at ensuring that all students are educated and live into their individual potential. Entering my 29th year as an educator, I am re-energized and invigorated by the success I know our children and staff will experience through their dedication and hard work. Six years ago, I chose to join MPS because I felt and saw the potential that the district presented to serve all children and lead the county into the future. We continue to live more into that vision, but it is the responsibility of all community members to support, love, and guide our children and staff to endeavor forward in a model of continuous improvement. Our children deserve the absolute best education and opportunities in their lives, and MPS is determined to continuously deliver that to ALL students!  

Educationally Yours, 

Matthew T. Cortez
Superintendent