Navigation Team Meeting Recap: Telling the Story of K-12 Education in Midland County
At the August 14, 2026 Max Loves Midland Navigation Team meeting, community leaders, educators, and partners came together to explore the story of K-12 Education in Midland County. The conversation highlighted the work happening across local school districts, the collaborative systems supporting students, and the many ways community members can help strengthen education in Midland County.
The Navigation Team brings community members together to learn, share perspectives, and help connect local efforts to the broader community vision: Midland County: an inclusive community. Together. Forward. Bold. An exceptional place where everyone thrives.
Representatives from Bullock Creek School District, Meridian Public Schools, and Midland Public Schools shared what makes their districts unique, the work underway to improve student outcomes, and the role schools play beyond the classroom.
While each district has its own identity and priorities, several common themes emerged:
Creating safe, supportive, high-quality learning environments
Continuing to improve and innovate
Building strong relationships with families and the community
Stewarding public resources responsibly
Collaborating across districts and with community partners
For Bullock Creek, the district's unique geography and strong sense of community shape the way it connects with families. Meridian is using the Marzano High Reliability Schools framework to support continuous improvement and standards-based learning. Midland Public Schools emphasized the role schools play as a community engine, contributing to the economic, social, and civic life of Midland.
The group also discussed the importance of helping residents understand the realities facing local schools while creating more opportunities for two-way communication.
Community members can support local schools by volunteering, sharing school news, partnering on initiatives, staying informed, asking questions, and assuming positive intentions.
Grant Murschel of the Midland County ESA shared an overview of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and its role as a county-wide community-building effort.
CTE is sometimes still referred to simply as “the trades,” but today's programs extend across a wide range of career pathways, from health science and manufacturing to information technology, business, agriculture, education, transportation, and more.
Midland County currently offers 12 different CTE programs, hosted across local high schools. Students can access programs regardless of which district they attend, creating opportunities for students to travel to another school to pursue an area of interest and connect with other students who share that passion.
The system also extends beyond the classroom. Local employers play an important role through job shadows, career exploration, summer camps, Reality Stores, Ready Set Interview, the CTE Showcase, and other work-based learning opportunities.
One upcoming opportunity is the Life x Design Summit, where Midland County 10th graders will explore careers and what it means to build a life in Midland County. More than 80 employers are expected to participate.
The ESA is also working to improve student transportation to CTE programs and increase awareness so more students know what opportunities are available to them.
Navigation Team members were encouraged to help spread the word about CTE programs and volunteer at career exploration events.
Greg Crider provided an overview of the Midland County Educational Services Agency (ESA) and the specialized services it provides to local districts.
Michigan's educational service agencies operate between the state and local school districts, pooling resources and providing specialized programs and support. Importantly, decisions are made locally, so each agency looks different depending on the needs of its community.
In Midland County, 2,472 students have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and the ESA provides direct services to approximately 600 students. These services include speech therapy, occupational therapy, mental health support, and other specialized services. The ESA also provides professional development, compliance monitoring, and ancillary services to districts that may not have those resources in-house.
The ESA currently operates 34 classrooms across 16 locations. As districts work to create additional space within their buildings for specialized programs, the ESA is also right-sizing its Sugnet building to better support its programming, including postsecondary programs.
The conversation highlighted another important area for community involvement: community-based learning and job training. Students need opportunities to learn and work in real-world environments, and local businesses and organizations can help by providing job sites and experiences.
Community members interested in supporting students through job training or community-based initiatives can connect with the ESA to explore opportunities.
Kevin LaDuke closed out the meeting with an update on how Max Loves Midland can help organizations communicate and connect across Midland County.
More than 8,000 events have now been shared through the Max Loves Midland community calendar, giving residents a central place to discover what's happening throughout the county.
Organizations can also:
Share events for free on the community calendar
Add Max Loves Midland to their press release lists
Share stories and community news
Connect through the Max Communicators Group
Add their organization to the Connect Directory
Help newcomers find opportunities for connection through the Welcome 2 Midland program
The goal is to make sure every piece of content has a job, whether that's helping people find something to do, connect with an organization, understand a community initiative, or learn more about the people and places that make Midland County special.
Max Loves Midland is a community communications tool, and the more organizations use it, the better it can serve the community.
Throughout the meeting, the same message continued to surface: strong communities are built through collaboration.
Whether it's supporting a school, helping a student discover a career pathway, providing a job-training opportunity, sharing information with your network, or simply learning more about how local systems work, there is a role for everyone.
The Navigation Team's work is about creating connections between these efforts and helping move the community in the same direction.
The next Max Loves Midland Navigation Team meeting will be Friday, November 13, 2026, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the Griswold Communications Center at Northwood University, with coffee and networking beginning at 8:45 a.m.
The November meeting will focus on “Know Your Neighbors: Assets Across the Lifespan Initiative Results and Action.”
The 2027 Navigation Team meetings are scheduled for February 12, May 14, August 13, and November 12.
Whether you're a community leader, educator, nonprofit professional, business owner, volunteer, or simply someone who cares about the future of Midland County, we invite you to be part of the conversation.
Do you have a Midland County story you would like to tell that aligns with our vision?