The Lansing Board of Education appointed Interim Superintendent Jessica Benavides as the district's permanent superintendent during a special meeting Tuesday.
The district did not conduct a national search before selecting her.
Board spokesperson Ryan Gilding said the board felt no need to consider other candidates thanks to Benavides extensive background with Lansing schools.
“I think there's an overwhelming sense that Jessica knows our district,” Gilding said. “She's from here. She's worked with our families for many, many years, and she really has a keen sense of the pulse of not only the Lansing School District but of this community.”
Benavides has served as interim superintendent since February after former Superintendent Ben Shuldiner left the district for Seattle.
Before that, she was a teacher and deputy superintendent in the school district.
“In the time that she's been interim superintendent, they've seen a lot of good things happen,” Gilding said. “It made any discussions for a national search kind of moot. It was off the table. I mean, really, it was just a formality. It's just to see, you know, the interactions.”
She takes the helm on a permanent basis as teachers and students are preparing to return to school in August.
“I will say that we are looking at the start of school in less than a month,” Gilding said. “So this was an absolutely right decision.”
