Former LASD Superintendent Kyle Corlett
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Former Ludington Area School District superintendent Kyle Corlett, who resigned earlier this month, will be paid a severance of $425,327.08. He will be paid in two installments, the first during the first regular payroll in January 2026 and the second during the first regular payroll in January 2027.
Corlett resigned effective Dec. 7 — months after a $2.2 million accounting error was discovered by an auditor. For months, Corlett had claimed the district did not have enough funds to meet the terms of the Ludington Education Association’s requests for pay increases during union contract negotiations. LEA representatives argued that the math didn’t add up, and Corlett reportedly rebuffed those claims. The issue came to head through public meetings in November where dozens of members of the public demanded Corlett’s resignation following the discovery of the accounting error.
The district’s business manager, Laura Jacobs, also resigned, claiming she was retiring due to health concerns.
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Corlett’s tenure began in January 2022 following the resignation of Jason Kennedy, who was hired by Fruitport Public School District. A native of Kankakee, Ill., LASD was Corlett’s first superintendent job.
“In partnership with the LASD Board of Education, I have agreed to resign from my position as superintendent of Ludington Area School District, effective Dec. 7, 2025, as part of a mutually agreed-upon separation agreement,” Corlett wrote in a letter to district staff in early December. “It has been an honor to serve this community, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead a district filled with talented staff, dedicated families and exceptional students.”
The mutually agreed-upon separation agreement will cost the taxpayers of the Ludington Area School District nearly a quarter of the cost of the accounting error.
Corlett’s annual salary was $170,547 plus a tax-deferred annuity or cash in lieu of the annuity of 12 percent of his gross salary, $20,465.64, for a total annual income of $191,012.64 for the 2025-2026 school year.
He also received 25 days of paid vacation, 10 paid holidays and was allowed to be paid for up to five unused vacation days plus a life insurance policy equal to the base amount of his salary.
The board of education is currently in the process of seeking candidates to replace Corlett. Mary Marshall, former superintendent of Pentwater Public Schools, is currently serving as interim superintendent.
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