Meet Novi's New Superintendent: Dr. Steve Matthews

There's a new leader of .

Dr. Steve Matthews took over as superintendent July 1, succeeding Dr. Peter Dion, who has retired after serving as superintendent for six years.

“I'm just very excited to be here,” Matthews said. “I think it's a great community, great school district, and I'm just looking forward to being here and working with everybody.”

Matthews, 54, comes from Grand Ledge Public Schools, a 5,200-student district just west of Lansing, where he served as superintendent for three years. 

Novi Board of Education President Bruce Bagdady said the board chose Matthews for many reasons, including his experience, leadership qualities and communication skills.

“His personality seems to be a great fit for what we have and where we need to go with Novi,” Bagdady said. “He truly is a genuinely good person who you can tell, when all is said and done, he just wants to do what's best for the education of the kids. He truly seems like a tremendous fit for Novi schools.”

Areas of Focus

Matthews has two areas of concern on which he will focus as superintendent.

The first is the school budget, which — like most school districts in Michigan — faces serious challenges due to the economy.

“It continues to perplex us,” Matthews said. “We took at hit of $470 a kid this year, so that's going to impact us as we move forward.

"Our hope is that revenue begins to grow, and we can at least get some revenue that will offset some of our increased costs in areas of health care or retirement — those kinds of things,” he said.

The second area of focus is to examine whether the district is meeting the needs of all students at all points of the spectrum — and if not, seeing how to meet those needs.

“Those students that are really bright, are we challenging them? Are we giving them opportunities to expand and to grow and to learn?” Matthews asked. “And the kids at the lower end, are we providing them with some support so they can get up to grade level and be successful? And also the kids in the middle – are we providing them with the appropriate level of challenge? Are we engaging them?

"Are we doing things that will keep them interested in school so that they'll come to school excited every day and learn what we need to teach them?” he said.

Matthews will work throughout the summer with the central office administrative team, which has several other new members.

“We're going to spend some time talking about the goals and direction of the district, trying to make sure we're all in agreement as to what needs to get done,” Matthews said.

The new superintendent plans to be active in the district, visiting the buildings and attending school functions, concerts and athletic events.

He anticipates writing a newsletter, and he has a Twitter and personal blog to highlight district happenings and discuss education-related issues. He also encourages anybody to call him at 248-449-1204 or email him if they want to talk.

Top Candidate

Matthews was chosen as Dion's replacement after an exhaustive process.

The school district began its search in September and conducted focus groups and online surveys of staff, parents and community groups to create a profile of the attributes desired in the new superintendent. Bagdady said the board had a great pool of qualified candidates, but Matthews seemed to fit all the points the district was looking for.

Matthews beat 44 other candidates to get the job. He officially became superintendent July 1, but he started in Novi on May 9 to help make the transition between superintendents smoother.

Before working in Grand Ledge, he was the director of curriculum and assessment for 10 years at . He also has been an assistant professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn and has taught at Wayne State University.

Matthews earned his doctorate in teacher education from Wayne State University, his master's in education from Texas Tech University and his bachelor's from the University of Washington.

Originally from New Mexico, Matthews moved to Michigan in 1987. He and his wife of 34 years, Jan, are happy to be moving to Novi, which will be closer to their three sons: Tyler, 28; Zach, 24; and Jake, 21.

When he's not working, Matthews will be looking for a house in Novi with his wife and enjoying his favorite pastimes: reading and walking his Siberian husky.