(MDPS) intrepid superhero is
none other than Superintendent
Randy Speck, and he has cast a
new vision for his schools.
In 2012, when the family
man and father of two left his
veteran post as superintendent
of suburban Oakland Christian
Schools for the distraught
district in Madison Heights, he
knew he had his work cut out
for him. “Eight superintendents
in seven years, 28 years of a
running deficit, a mandatory
cut in teachers’ pay, and
a student walk out. That
was week one,” says MDPS
schoolboard president, Al
Morrison. “I knew somehow
things would work out, because
I was inspired by Randy’s
demeanor. Never wavering
in his conviction for his job,
but most importantly in his
conviction for bettering our
district and our community
as a whole. He truly believes
in serving one student and
one family at a time while
48 | Eydis Magazine
balancing the daily duties of an
unprecedented work load.”
Randy says building trust was
one of his biggest hurdles.
Yet in just a few short years
at the helm, Randy has
accomplished far more than
building back trust in a broken
district. He swept in and
transformed it; turning the
once struggling district in the
throes of economic despair
and hopelessness into a model
of innovation, community
collaboration, and evolution.
With his creative approaches
to generating solutions and
his remarkable communication
skills, Randy has established a
culture of vision, opportunity,
and transparency. He leads
by listening and by building
and maintaining relationships
with his community through
effective leveraging of both
traditional and social media. He
has bridged the communication
gap and established a rapport
with students and their families.
He has resurrected the trust
and respect of a distressed
community while embodying
the very same character the
district hopes to build in the
children it serves.
Wilkinson Middle School
principal, Angel Abdulahad,
couldn’t agree more. “Under