Superintendent's Office
Matthew Cortez
Superintendent of Schools
1458 5th Street
Muskegon, MI 49441
231-720-2004
The celebration of our personal beliefs through the holidays and the ringing in of a New Year always give me a minute to pause. I love to reflect on where we have been, what we have done, and then embrace a brighter future for the upcoming year. 2025 is turning out to be a tremendously historic and eventful year for BIG REDS. We have a number of new initiatives and a huge celebration of our heritage during this year. We are graduating the Class of 2025, our 150th Graduating Class from Muskegon Public Schools.
Early in January we are going to be applying to become a Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL) accredited district. We will be the fourth district in the state of Michigan to become a Ford NGL accredited system. However, what does this mean for all of our community? Well, as with most things, there is a long version and a short version to summarize what we can expect and what we will achieve, so bear with me for a few quick items to envision the future of what we are doing.
We know that in-person and project-based learning or hands-on learning are the best ways for all of our students to find success. We embrace the knowledge that relationships between students and staff, district and community, and business and schools are what drive the true success of a BIG RED. We know that grit is something real and tangible for all of our community. When we look at all of this, we begin to create an outline for the success of EVERY student in MPS from Pre-K through grade 12.Ford NGL has a world-wide and renowned model of creating a structure that is specialized in working for the district and the community through its uniqueness.
The Ford NGL structure will create career pathways and academies of study as a Pre-K through grade 12 grade structure for preparing all of our students for life after high school. We are building a system that is not dependent upon one person or job title rather the work of our entire community. We will have guaranteed experiences based upon the needs of our community, student voice, and student choice. We are beginning to build a 6-10th grade career exploration center from a federal grant. We will have three academies of study at the high-school level and will ensure that every student has a college campus visit, a job conference, a job shadowing visit, and an internship or other equivalent experience. We are partnering with over 70 local employers/businesses to reimagine our education and professional community partnerships. We are dedicating ourselves to make sure that ALL students graduate with a diploma in their right hand and another credential in their left hand. This credential will be guided by students’ choice and desire for their next stage in life after high school. We envision that EVERY BIG RED Graduate will know exactly what they are doing the Monday after graduation.
We call this system The Innovative Academies of Muskegon Public Schools (I AM). Our students will be given the ability to find their own future based upon their passion in life and supported not just by the district but by our entire community. After all, we do live and breathe our vision of Strong Schools, Stronger Communities!
Matthew T. Cortez
Superintendent