Two Ottawa County residents to help shape state’s reading plan
Two Ottawa County leaders will help shape the state’s long-term reading agenda following their appointment Thursday to Michigan’s newly created Every Child Reads Champions Council.
OTTAWA COUNTY — Two Ottawa County leaders will help shape the state’s long-term reading agenda following their appointment Thursday to Michigan’s newly created Every Child Reads Champions Council.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this month tapped Kevin Polston, a Grand Haven resident and current superintendent of Kentwood Public Schools, to serve as chair of the 16-member advisory body.
Susan Jandernoa, a retired educator and Grand Valley State University trustee residing in West Olive, was also appointed to the panel, according to a press release.
The appointments put local administrators and civic figures at the center of a statewide strategy aimed at boosting reading proficiency across Michigan public schools.
Created through Executive Order 2026-12, the council will advise the administration on literacy policy and help oversee the rollout of $502 million in state education funding approved for the 2027 fiscal year.
Polston, who worked for 15 years as a teacher, principal, and administrator in Grand Haven Area Public Schools before taking leadership roles in Kent County, will serve a term expiring Sept. 2, 2030.
“Literacy is the foundation for lifelong learning,” Polston said in a statement. “Michigan has gained important momentum, and now is the time to step on the gas and accelerate the progress our educators are working tirelessly to achieve.”
Jandernoa, nominated for her seat by Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, spent 30 years as a classroom teacher at East Grand Rapids Public Schools. She currently serves on the board of trustees at Grand Valley State University and the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation. Her term on the council will run through Sept. 2, 2028.
Housed within the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), the advisory body was established to tie together investments in early childhood education, teacher training, and academic intervention, the press release states. The panel includes representatives from the business, philanthropic, tribal, and public education sectors across the state.
State officials pointed to early data under the state's literacy push, noting expanded enrollment in PreK programs and higher participation in teacher training focused on evidence-based reading instruction. More than 13,200 Michigan educators have enrolled in or completed Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training.
The FY27 budget allocations tied to the strategy include $129.1 million for early childhood programs, $146.1 million for classroom instruction tools, and $195.6 million for targeted interventions like tutoring.
— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
