Mary Marshall
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Last week, Mary Marshall took the helm as interim superintendent of Ludington Area School District. Marshall brings with her a diverse experience in education and a philosophy that all who work for a district are educators with the responsibility of teaching a community’s children.
“This school district can be a beacon in the state,” she said. “The way we raise and educate our kids here could be a model for other districts. In my short time I have already experienced the way the children in this district act is a reflection of the community. They are polite and engaged.
“Additionally, we have great educators here who teach in great facilities.”
Marshall was hired by the LASD board of education following the abrupt resignation of Dr. Kyle Corlett on Dec. 7. See related story here.
Marshall brings with her over 30 years of experience that includes teaching in both elementary and secondary levels and administration.
She began her teaching career when she was 32 years old, teaching grades five and six. After three years in that position, she was permanently laid off due to budget issues.
“Through that experience I learned a lot of the importance of the administration working with teachers and the need to have proper business practices in place.”
Following Ypsilanti, Marshall taught high school speech, drama and physical education at Dexter Community Schools. She then became a high school assistant principal at Dexter. After a year, she resigned due to health reasons. She later returned as a sixth grade teacher at the district for three years. Then, she became the fifth and sixth grade principal, a role she served in for nine years before becoming assistant superintendent for three years then superintendent.
“I enjoyed being superintendent but I reached a phase in my life where I began to feel disconnected from the kids. Sometimes I would drive home after work and think to myself, ‘what does this have to do with kids?’
Marshall and her husband had spent time in Pentwater. She noticed that Pentwater Public Schools was hiring a principal/superintendent position.
“That was so appealing to me,” she said. “I would have an opportunity to serve as a superintendent but also to work with kids as a principal.”
Marshall served as Pentwater superintendent from 2013 until she retired in 2016.
Retirement didn’t suit her very well.
“All I could think about was school,” she said. “I even still got the trade magazines.”
Then, she found out about a Department of Defense job working as a professional practice improvement specialist on a U.S. Air Force base in the United Kingdom.
“My husband is British, but up until Pentwater, I had never lived more than 20 miles from where I was raised. But, we decided to make the move.”
Marshall worked with teachers and administrators who worked in the base elementary and secondary schools, teaching children of U.S. Air Force personnel, from 2018 to 2021.
“One of our primary missions became getting children back in school following the COVID pandemic,” she said. “This was an F-15 fighter wing base and the U.S. military personnel needed to be back to work and their kids needed to be back in school.”
Marshall eventually became interim superintendent of the base school system.
“The U.S. government can move really slow, so the base commander needed someone to fill in until a permanent replacement was found.”
Under Marshall’s leadership, the base received a presidential award for U.S. Air Force installation of the year.
She returned back to Pentwater in 2021, this time retired. But, again, retirement didn’t suit her too well. Marshall is now the elected Pentwater village president.
When she was contacted by the Ludington Board of Education to serve as LASD interim superintendent, she was ready for the challenge. Marshall has spent the last week getting familiar with the faculty, staff, other administrators and, most importantly, the students.
When she meets with personnel she carries a notebook and asks everyone two questions:
“What is your greatest hope in the district over the next six months? And, “What advice do you have for me in facilitating that hope?”
One sign of hope, though Marshall said she can’t take credit for it, was the ratification of the contract between the district and the Ludington Education Association Monday.
“That was completely something that the union and the board of education can take credit for,” she said. “I was there more as an observer. It’s a sign of a lot of healing, though.”
Marshall said she believes the school district belongs to the people.
“This is not the superintendent’s school district, it’s not the school board’s district. It’s our district,” she said, admitting that she is adjusting to becoming an Oriole herself.
Marshall said she will not be directly involved in finding the next superintendent. The board of education has hired a search firm. She will, instead, focus on the duties of superintendent.
“I will spend time reviewing the district’s practices and offer adjustments as needed. Much of that will be based on my conversations with teachers and other administrators. There is so much potential at this district. So far, I am very impressed.”
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