Tuka returns to his roots as MCC superintendent

Jeff Tuka. Photo by Rob Alway.

Spartan News is a presentation of Mason County Central School District in partnership with Mason County Press. 

By Kate Krieger-Watkins, MCP Contributing Writer

SCOTTVILLE — In his 24th year as an educator, Mason County Central Superintendent Jeff Tuka said some of the biggest reasons he pursued a career in education were the excitement he felt when he entered high school and the relationships he has built in the Scottville community since then.

“When I was in middle school, we did career exploration and I wanted to be in business,” he said. “I thought that was just who I was. But once I was a freshman at MCC High School, I fell in love with it in the first week. Then, my first spirit week and homecoming happened in the fall of that year, and it was so much fun that I told myself, ‘Yeah, I’m not leaving here.’ I decided right then and there that I was going to be a social studies teacher and a basketball coach.”

Tuka said many other MCC graduates also decided to return to the Scottville area, something he believes is tied to the education and relationships they experienced at MCC.

“Each teacher that I had at MCC had their own unique ways and we all still have stories about them,” he said. “It wasn’t just limited to the teachers. We still reminisce about our relationships with the principals, food service people, bus drivers, and maintenance and custodial folks from back then. It’s one of the reasons that we have a lot of alumni back here working in the present day. Our experience here was great, and it was the relationships. That has carried on for decades.”

Tuka, a 1996 MCC graduate, has held several roles during his career in education. At the beginning of this school year, he took on his newest role as superintendent. He made history as the first alumnus in the school’s 149 year history to be appointed superintendent.

Tuka previously served for several years as MCC High School principal. Before that, he worked in a variety of positions throughout the district.

“I have been very fortunate to have many positions at MCC,” Tuka said. “I have been a teacher, basketball coach, recreation director, student success specialist, testing coordinator, principal and superintendent. All of those experiences have given me a good perspective as a superintendent.”

Along with the highlights of his career, Tuka said there have also been difficult periods.

“In a 23-year career, there have been a lot of societal changes that I’ve struggled with,” he said. “During the recession, I was laid off as a teacher because of budget cuts, and I was low on the seniority list. We were expecting our first child, and that was a really hard time for my wife, Jackie, and me.”

Tuka said MCC found another position for him, though it came with entry-level pay, allowing him to remain with the district and continue coaching basketball.

“That went on for three years, and there was not an opportunity to get back into a classroom,” he said. “I finished my master’s degree with a loan from my mother and was hired at Mona Shores Schools in Norton Shores as an assistant principal and athletic director.”

Tuka said the Mona Shores position was a good opportunity for his family, but leaving Mason County was difficult.

“It was a great opportunity for me and my family, as Mona Shores has a wonderful reputation in academics and athletics, but it was heartbreaking because we were leaving a place that we loved so much,” he said. “Jackie and I were both going to be leaving our families who lived here in Mason County.”

Their house had not yet sold, and Tuka was commuting from Scottville to Muskegon for administrative leadership days when an opportunity arose back at MCC.

“On the second day, I was driving home and Superintendent Jeff Mount called and said the MCC Middle School principal job opened up,” Tuka said. “I took it right away. That really was a whirlwind experience for my wife, me and our families.”

Tuka said the economic challenges surrounding the Great Recession also changed public education in ways that are still being felt.

“I feel that after the economic recession that started in 2008, teaching became less lucrative for people,” Tuka said. “With state budget cuts, retirement pensions went away for young teachers. I would love for the state to go back to the way things were before the economic recession in 2008.”

He said attracting people to education requires adequate funding and incentives.

“I understand budgets, but if you want people to want to work for schools, you have to fund it and have incentives,” he said. “No favors were done for school systems with respect to that, and it has never gone back to the way it was before then. It really saddens me.

“Teaching is an amazing profession. No one goes into this profession to get rich. You are there to make a difference. You affect lives and futures every day as a teacher. You are molding our kids for their futures, but their future is our future. Teaching is hard, but it is extremely rewarding.”

Tuka said many teachers and staff members influenced him, but one teacher in particular stands out.

“I do have to point out Mr. Gerry Genter, who was a social studies teacher at MCC High School,” Tuka said. “I was a history fanatic, and Mr. Genter helped grow that in me even more. He is so smart and taught his classes at a college level before dual enrollment and advanced placement classes were available.

“He had high academic expectations, and the classes were tough, but he treated you like a human, and you rose to those expectations. He is a fantastic person, and I enjoy talking with him when we run into each other.”

Outside of work, Tuka and his wife, Jackie, have two daughters, Joslyn, a freshman at MCC High School, and Carleigh, a sixth grader at MCC Middle School. Tuka said time at home with his family provides a welcome break from work, though the family is also involved in many activities.

“I love family time just around the house,” he said. “We love watching our daughters play sports. Golf is my hobby. I’m not very good at it. It is a sport that will drive you mad, but I love the competition, nice weather and being with friends out on the course.”

As students settled into the first weeks of the school year, Tuka said he was excited about his new role and the opportunity to become more involved throughout the district.

“I am very excited for a new challenge,” he said. “I have visited the elementary buildings and the middle school already this first week on multiple occasions, which is something that I did not get to do much as the high school principal. Getting to every part of the school district to see students and staff is very energizing.”

When asked whether there was one moment from his career that stood out above the others, Tuka said there were too many to choose just one.

“I will say that what I enjoy most is seeing people have joy,” he said. “Whether it’s just kids having fun on a playground or a blue and gold day for school spirit or a teacher getting to that ‘aha’ moment with a student. Seeing joy and hearing joy is exhilarating to me.”

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