Lansing School board will hold its first meeting Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6pm since Jessica Benavides officially started in her role as interim superintendent.
All meetings are held in person or can be watched online.
Benavides will serve in the position for one year, from February to February, following the departure of Superintendent Ben Childers. The Board of Education appointed her to lead the district while it considers next steps.
“So it would really be, it’s really the same position as superintendent, meaning I have all the same responsibilities, but I’m not named as the permanent one by the board,” Benavides said.
A Lansing native, Benavides has spent 28 years in the district, beginning as a teacher before serving as a principal, central office administrator and deputy superintendent.
“This is my hometown,” she said. “So I was born and raised in Lansing.”
Benavides said her initial focus will be on continuity during the leadership transition.
“For the first 90 days, it’s going to be me making sure that things are running smoothly, that there’s no interruption to the operations and the way that the school district is running,” she said.
District leaders point to improving outcomes, including graduation rates above 85%, declining chronic absenteeism and increased enrollment.
“The biggest thing for me is just making sure that we do have a focus on literacy,” Benavides said.
She also expressed gratitude for the support she has received.
“People have been exceptionally supportive of me taking on this role,” she said. “I couldn’t do any of this without them.”
