Despite challenges, Bezeau sees the bright side when telling Manchester’s story
Dr. Brad Bezeau successfully defended his dissertation in June to receive his PhD from Eastern Michigan University, where he also received his Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling, and Educational Specialist in Leadership. (Courtesy photo)
Starting his 25th year in public education this fall, Dr. Brad Bezeau is jumping head first into a new job under very tough circumstances. But he’s “a pretty positive person,” he says, and that’s exactly how he is approaching the position of Superintendent of Schools at Manchester Community Schools … in the middle of a pandemic … with positivity.
Bezeau’s attitude shines through whether he’s doing a Facebook Live event for the community, talking individually with a parent or community member, or working with staff.
A native of Monroe, Bezeau started out as a Biology and Chemistry teacher in the Bedford school district for five years, then became a guidance counselor. In 2001, he moved to the Saline schools and continued as a guidance counselor at the high school before becoming the assistant principal. He also served as principal at Pleasant Ridge school in Saline (a K-3 building), and then was principal at Saline Middle School for five years. “That was my last stop in Saline after 19 years,” he says. “I really enjoyed my time at Pleasant Ridge–it is a neighborhood school, like Riverside–and I really felt a connection there, like I am feeling here already.”
He and his wife Anne, a Health and Physical Education teacher at Ann Arbor Skyline High School, continue to live in Saline. He calls teaching their “family business,” since Anne’s mother and two of Brad’s uncles were teachers as well.
The time was right when the job posting for a Superintendent in Manchester came to his attention. “I’ve been on this progression through my life,” he explains. “This was what was next for me in terms of leading. I wanted to take on the challenge of leading a school district. I’ve got the background pieces–teaching, counseling, and educational leadership. Manchester welcomed me as I visited and toured and met people; it felt like the right place for me. And as soon as I saw Maroon & Gold, it connected me back to CMU (where he received his undergrad degree). I believe I have something to offer. I have good experiences, I know about systems and structures, and how ‘small’ works.”
Bezeau believes that “students in Manchester deserve the very best. That’s reaffirmed for me when I am at a Cross Country meet, a soccer match, a volleyball match … there’s a lot going on here, this is a neat place and I think I can add to that. It just felt right, and I didn’t have to move to make this career change.”
“I picked a heck of a time to lead, of course!” he says with a smile. “But I believe if I can help us get through the rain on this, what’s next is the celebration–good times are certainly ahead. This community has come together for their kids. I’ve seen sacrifices on the part of parents and community. Even when we’re not always agreeing, we can put that aside so the kids can get back to school. And there are choices here–we have virtual and remote students doing well, as well as our in-person kids. We were sorely missing it all.”
He appreciates the people of Manchester giving him a chance, and says, “It’s up to me what I do with that chance. We are off and running–there are things to fix, and that’s why I’m here–to try and do things better.”
When telling the story of Manchester schools, he admits, “I’ll always accentuate the good things. It’s not all peaches and cream, certainly. We have lots of challenges; it’s day by day with the pandemic and the status of that, certainly there’s feelings on different mitigating factors. I do think our community is happy we are doing in-person, and I believe we can do better with our virtual instruction. We made a commitment to those families to continue to refine that. This is still pretty new … but once we get this down, there won’t be anything better than Manchester. And I’ll continue to tell that story.”
Among the challenges outside the pandemic is the topic of declining enrollment. “We have had several school of choice students join us this year,” he said. “Now, it’s up to us to keep them here, to show them this is the place to be. We have also lost some students, too. I don’t have exact percentages. Some to school of choice, some to home-school. If families had the capability and resources to do that, we hope we can convince them to return to Manchester when we come through this. We need to stem that tide, and help families see that Manchester schools can be their answer.”
Every student the district loses has a significant impact on school finances. The thing about being small, Bezeau says, is that having a few kids come into the district can make a big impact. Of course, the opposite is also true … so, “we’re always cognizant of making sure once people are here, they want to stay.”
He also recognizes the importance of working interactively throughout the community to help improve student opportunities throughout the school district. “I’ve been attending village and township meetings, getting to know supervisors, and and working on improving internet connectivity,” he says. “That’s on the forefront of my mind. Equity in school starts with equity of access. That has to be a focus area for us. We’ve updated our hotspots–that’s a much better answer than sitting in the high school parking lot, but we recognize we’re not all the way there, either. We quite simply need more infrastructure and that’s a challenge as well.”
Bezeau looks forward to working and learning with the incumbent and incoming school board members following the Nov. 3 election. He said all five candidates (vying for four positions on the board) have been invited to the Oct. 19 school board meeting, where they will be featured and introduced. “They’ve all been great at reaching out so far,” he adds. “Once they’re all on board, we will work through the Michigan Association of School Boards and other resources we have for team building, so they can understand their role.
“Since I’m new at it too, we’ll all learn together. We’ll get some outside guidance so we can all learn to work together effectively.”
Next week’s school board meeting begins at 6 pm and will be held in the board room at Riverside Intermediate School. The meeting will allow for a limited number of attendees and seating will be on a first come, first serve basis. The board will accommodate any overflow attendees by steaming this live meeting in the Riverside Gymnasium. Per the latest Executive Order 183 from The State of Michigan, in-person board meetings have specific limitations. For information, visit the district website.
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