Letter from the LPS Board of Education

Superintendent Search Information & Timeline

Good Afternoon LPS Families, Staff and Community,

On behalf of the Board of Education, we are happy to share the following information and timeline regarding the district's superintendent search. 

As you know, Superintendent Andrea Oquist has announced her retirement effective December 31, 2026. Her performance and commitment in this role over the past 11 years have been nothing short of exemplary. She is endeared by LPS students, staff, the Board of Education, and the community as a whole. Her years of outstanding experience, robust skill set, and deep care for all those in Livonia Public Schools will be greatly missed.

The Board of Education is responsible for hiring the new Superintendent. We fully understand that this task is likely the most important that we are charged with conducting during our Board service, and we take it very seriously.

We would like input from you on the qualities that you would like to see in our next Superintendent. There will be times throughout the process that you and other stakeholders will have an opportunity to share your thoughts, and we encourage you to do so. Ultimately, it will be up to the seven members of the Board to conduct this process and make the selection. 

The Board of Education has hired Michigan Leadership Institute (MLI) to assist in the hiring process of the new superintendent. MLI specializes in training potential superintendents and assisting districts with superintendent searches. They have worked extensively with school districts in Michigan, and Livonia Public Schools has used them successfully in the past. They will be guiding the Board of Education through this process.

At this time, the Board of Education has determined that this will be an INTERNAL search. We believe that we have a strong team of leaders in Livonia Public Schools who understand our culture and many facets of our large district, and who live out our vision and mission. If, for some reason, an internal candidate is not selected by the Board, we will expand our search to consider external candidates.

The Board has established the following timeline:

May 26 - June 5 - Stakeholder surveys are available to staff, students, parents, and community members to gather input for the creation of the candidate profile. MLI has worked with Stacy Jenkins, our Administrator of Communications, to complete this important task. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO COMPLETE THIS BRIEF SURVEY. 

Tuesday, June 2 - A series of in-person meetings will be held at the School Board office to engage various stakeholders and obtain their feedback on the search process. Our representatives from MLI will be conducting the meetings. School Board members will intentionally be absent to ensure everyone feels comfortable speaking freely but will receive detailed feedback from MLI. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A LIST OF STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, CLICK ON THIS LINK.

Monday, June 22, 5:30 p.m.- The Board of Education will meet with MLI to finalize the job description for the position of superintendent. 

June 24 - July 8 - The Superintendent position will be posted internally. Applications will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. Superintendent Position Posting now available here.

Monday, July 13, 6:00 p.m. - Presentation of applicants to the Board, and determination of which candidates will be interviewed. Preparation for first round interviews, including selection of interview questions. 

Monday, July 20 5:00 p.m. - The first round of interviews will be conducted by the Board of Education in the Board office. Interviews will be open to the public, in accordance with the law.

Wednesday, July 22, 6:00 p.m. (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) - The Board of Education will meet to select finalists for the position.

Monday, July 27, 6:00 p.m. - The second round of interviews will be conducted by the Board of Education in the Board office. Interviews will be open to the public, in accordance with the law.

Thursday, July 30, 6:00 p.m. - The Board of Education will select the incoming Superintendent.

August 31, 6:30 p.m. - The Board of Education votes to approve new superintendent's contract, effective January 1, 2027.

November 1 - December 31 - The incoming Superintendent will shadow Superintendent Andrea Oquist in order to provide a thoughtful and thorough transition in district leadership.

January 1, 2027 - The incoming Superintendent will take over as Superintendent of Livonia Public Schools. 

Throughout her illustrious career in Livonia Public Schools, Andrea Oquist has served every role that she’s held with deep dedication, distinction, and aplomb. As saddened as we are to see her retire, we are equally excited that she’s heading into this exciting new chapter with many happy years ahead.

We also want to thank Andrea for developing such a deep bench of talented, strong leaders at LPS. We are confident that on January 1, we will be welcoming the next very capable individual into the role of Superintendent of Livonia Public Schools.

Respectfully,

Colleen Burton, Dave MacFarland, Crystal Frank, Madeline Acosta, Mark Johnson, Karen Bradford, and Liz Jarvis

Livonia Public Schools Board of Education