- Lansing School District Superintendent Ben Shuldiner has been chosen to lead Seattle Public Schools.
- During his nearly five years in Lansing, the district’s four-year graduation rate increased by 26 percentage points.
- Shuldiner is negotiating a contract with the Seattle district and expects his last day in Lansing to be in early 2026.
- He helped the district navigate a budget shortfall and increase attendance rates, though an enrollment goal was not met.
LANSING — Ben Shuldiner believes he accomplished a lot at the Lansing School District between two monumentally personal events – open heart surgery because of an aortic aneurism shortly after he was hired nearly five years ago, and, just last month, marrying the woman who was part of the reason he moved to Michigan from New York.
Shuldiner, who was the sole finalist to lead Seattle Public Schools, married Veronika Scott, founder of the Detroit-based Empowerment Plan, on Oct. 25, around the same time he was interviewing for a new job on the West Coast.
“You want to talk about crazy, …The first round I interview, I go straight to my bachelor party (in Las Vegas),” he said. “The second round I interview, I go straight to my wedding (in New York). That’s how crazy it was.”
The board of Seattle Public Schools on Nov. 5 voted unanimously to choose Shuldiner in its search for a new superintendent. Seattle Public Schools is significantly larger than the Lansing School District, with more than 49,000 students. Lansing’s enrollment is about 10,000 students
Shuldiner is negotiating a contract with Washington state’s largest school district. Compensation and an agreed up on start date will be part of any agreement.
Shuldiner is earning a $250,000 salary from the Lansing School District, according to a contract published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. The salary range posted by Seattle schools was $330,000 to $385,000.
“I will certainly let the community know as the process proceeds,” Shuldiner wrote in the Nov. 9 Lansing School District newsletter. “As I have said publicly in my interviews in Seattle, I want to give the district and the community enough time to ensure a seamless transition.
“Thus, I expect that my last official day with Lansing will be sometime at the end of January or the beginning of February, but the exact date is yet to be determined.”
Shuldiner was hired by the Lansing School District following an 18-month superintendent search.
In his time as superintendent, Shuldiner helped lead the district to a four-year graduation rate of 88% in 2024, up 26 percentage points from the 62% rate the district had when he started in 2021, according to information from MI School Data.
The goal, beyond graduation rates according to the district website, was to have an enrollment of 11,500 students and 90% attendance by 2025. Enrollment is more than 10,000, short of the goal.
Ultimately, the district reached two of three goals.
The district’s attendance rate grew from 71% during the 2021-22 school year to 86% in the 2024-25 school year, according to MI School Data.
Shuldiner said he had an unexpected open heart surgery because of an aneurism soon after Lansing’s school board chose him as superintendent in March 2021. He had been lifting heavy weights when he felt a rip and fell to his knees.
When he reported for work in the summer, his big challenges included an approximately $20 million budget shortfall and at least 100 teacher vacancies.
“We just had to right size the district,” he said. “We had to put more money into schools, less into administration, all that kind of stuff and we did. I’m really, really proud of these five years. The data is very clear. We’re on a super upward trajectory. There’s a positive vibe about the district. We, as a district, are really moving in the right direction.”
Shuldiner noted in the district newsletter the average stay for a superintendent is three years, and he stayed for nearly five in Lansing.
During an interview with the State Journal, he said he has enjoyed living in “the best apartment in all of Lansing,” the Outfield Ball Park Lofts, “the top floor, dead center field, 25-foot glass walls so I can watch the games” at Jackson Field.
Some regrets include not having the time to reestablish 18 mills as the district’s operating millage, or being able to repeat another $130 million bond proposal for more new schools and improvements. Lansing is losing about $1 million a year in tax revenue because of Michigan’s Headlee Amendment.
The $130 million tax proposal approved by voters in 2022 meant four rebuilt schools, including Mt. Hope, which opened this school year. Willow Elementary School is scheduled to be finished next year. Lewton and Sheridan Road schools are expected to be done in 2028.
“The need for the district in terms of capital is still there,” Shuldiner said. “I think getting another bond on the ballot is going to be great. Those are the two big ones. The kids deserve it. The deferred maintenance in the district is almost $1 billion.”
Shuldiner said his approach in Seattle will be similar to the strategies he took in Lansing.
“Seattle has, just like Lansing, really great people, really talented people, but their systems and structures need to be adjusted,” he said, noting that the Lansing School District’s senior leaders have spent decades in the district. “I always believe that talent is in the room. It’s just about getting them in the right seat and with the right systems.”
Shuldiner has twice in the last year been among a small group of finalists to lead districts in other states. Those have included Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, the state’s largest school district with more than 90,000 students, and the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has more than 300,000 students.
On July 1, the Lansing Board of Education made Jessica Benavides, a district veteran of more than 25 years, first deputy superintendent of schools. The district said plans for after Shuldiner leaves will be announced in the coming weeks.
“The Board of Education remains deeply committed to continuing the positive momentum established under Superintendent Shuldiner’s leadership,” board President Robin Moore said in a statement. “His dedication to student success, instructional innovation, and community partnership has strengthened our district and laid a strong foundation for the future.
“As we move forward, the Board and district leadership team will ensure that our strategic priorities remain focused on academic excellence, equity, and the well-being of every student. We are confident that the systems, values, and vision developed during this administration will guide us as we build upon our progress and pursue even greater success for our schools and community.”
Shuldiner’s career began in 1999 in the United Kingdom, working as a Stowe-Harvard fellow, before he moved to New York and worked in K-12 education. He then became a college lecturer and professor.
In 2003, he co-founded and served as principal of the High School for Public Service in Brooklyn, New York, which was funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Within the first four years, the graduation rate increased from 23% to 98%, Shuldiner previously said.
He said he is looking forward to moving to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, which he said he and Scott love and where friends and one of Shuldiner’s only two first cousins live nearby.
The Seattle school district reminds him of Lansing’s public school system – diverse, urban, with a large English as a second language population, with great programs and a good school board and “I can say the word ‘equity’ and not look over my shoulder more than a couple of times.”
“My plan for Seattle is really to make that as much of a permanent home as I can, but the board that hires you isn’t the board that fires you,” he said. “The job is a difficult job. I plan on staying in Seattle as long as they’ll have me. Then we’ll see.”
He and Scott will have their two cats when they make the transition.
While Shuldiner will remain in the area for at least another month, he wants to officially thank the Lansing community.
“They embraced me with open arms and great support,” Shuldiner said. “I was not from here. I’m a New Yorker. I’ve loved my five years here. It’s really been tremendous. I’m really thankful for all the great work, all the great people, the families, the kids. The outpouring of support that I’ve been getting about the job … It’s been a wonderful, wonderful ride and I’m happy to leave on a high note.”
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
