LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Dr. Shawn K. Wightman was nominated by his colleague, Andrea Glynn.

During Dr. Wightman's tenure as superintendent, Marysville has attained the highest SAT test scores (1042), four-year graduation rate (97.42%), and average daily attendance rate (95.46%) in St. Clair County, MI—all well above county, state, and national averages. As a result, the district’s high school has been prominently recognized in the top 40 percent of all high schools by the U.S. News 2019 Best High Schools national, charter, STEM or magnet rankings. Additionally, under Dr. Wightman’s leadership, the district has met or exceeded established goals for the reduction of identified achievement gaps for sub-groups of students on Michigan’s Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) and SAT assessments (e.g., students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, gender, etc.). All 2019 M-STEP ELA, math, and social studies assessments were above county and state averages again.

"In my opinion, all of the above wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Wightman’s exemplary leadership, vision, and dedication to our students, staff, and community in Marysville, MI," said Glynn.

As a financial steward, Dr. Wightman boosted the district’s general fund equity balance to 12.13% ($3.1 million) and secured over $21.7 million of additional revenue through an inter-district “Schools of Choice” marketing plan (e.g., billboards, newspaper/radio advertisements, postcards, brochures, TV time slots, internet, etc.). Moreover, he saved community taxpayers over $19.1 million by refinancing the 2007 School Building & Site Bonds’ principal of $60.3 million, as well as the School Bond Loan Fund (SBLF) loan of $15.6 million.

Dr. Wightman successfully passed a ten-year building and site sinking fund levy, generating over $2.5 million for the purposes of purchasing real estate sites, construction/repairs to school buildings, and other purposes permitted by law. He also formalized an Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) program to attain energy cost savings in the district without upfront capital expenses and attained over $2 million in Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECBs) to finance energy reducing capital improvement projects.

Since 2016, Dr. Wightman has obtained over $146,000 in Section 35a grant funds for additional instructional time for students in grades K-3 who have been identified as needing additional supports and interventions. He has also obtained $45,000 from the Title II, Part A Improving Teacher Quality Competitive Grants Program. He captured over $60,000 in Section 104d Acceptable Assessment Tools for Early Literacy Educators grant funds and acquired a $3.3 million non-homestead tax renewal in 2016 to ensure that the district receives the state’s full revenue per pupil foundation guarantee under Proposal A. On top of all that, Dr. Wightman negotiates all collective bargaining agreements utilizing Interest-Based Bargaining (IBB) to find “win-win” solutions for each party.

In Marysville, Dr. Wightman formulated a 1:1 technology initiative (PreK-12) using a wide variety of devices (i.e., iPads, Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, wireless access points, application servers, flash memory devices, projectors, SMART Boards, etc.). Similarly, he introduced innovative science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) programs at all levels (i.e., Project Lead the Way, Science Olympiad, computer science/coding, FIRST Robotics Competition, etc.). Dr. Wightman coordinated a #GoOpen campaign and heartened staff members to use openly-licensed resources in teaching, learning, and assessing students (e.g., Michigan Open Book Project, EngageNY, EL Education, etc.). He also devised a district-wide formative/summative assessment system (K-11) to accurately measure students’ academic progress in reading and math via NWEA.

Under Dr. Wightman’s direction, a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework has been developed and initiated in Marysville to meet the achievement and behavioral health needs of all learners (PreK-12). During this process, he implemented a new viable Tier 1 reading curriculum (SRA/Open Court Reading), to ensure that Marysville students are reading at grade level by the end of third-grade. In addition, Dr. Wightman established a Reading Recovery program as a short-term intervention for first-graders having extreme difficulty with early reading and writing. He spearheaded numerous personalized learning programs (e.g., Lexia Reading Core5, Lexia PowerUp Literacy, Imagine Math, Corrective Reading, etc.) to differentiate instruction, increase student engagement, and address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, and cultural backgrounds of all students. Dr. Wightman also instituted a “Begindergarten” preschool program to offer students, who are not of age for kindergarten, a year to grow physically, emotionally, academically, and socially. He cultivated an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program for young children, ages 3 through 5, who qualify under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA, Part B, Section 619) to ensure a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to all eligible children at no cost to their families, and in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

Finally, Dr. Wightman expanded Advanced Placement (AP) courses at the high school level to thirteen course offerings (i.e., environmental science, literature, composition, U.S. History, world history, government, psychology, statistics, calculus, biology, physics, art, and chemistry). He launched a credit recovery program that offers video instruction, activities, simulations and assessments for high school students needing to make up lost credits in required courses. Additionally, Dr. Wightman vertically and horizontally aligned Marysville’s K-8 math curriculum (Eureka Math) to Common Core State Standards and devised an administrative classroom walkthrough protocol using a hybrid of instruments via Google Forms to authentically assess the capacity of district teachers, leading to better practice—resulting in greater learning for all students. Dr. Wightman implemented the Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning (5D+) teacher evaluation system. He was also the driving force in arranging/scheduling Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), in order to ensure that educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Dr. Wightman also had all instructional staff members in McREL’s Classroom Instruction That Works (CITW) program to help teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and other support staff members develop the skills/strategies needed to challenge students, develop positive relationships, and consistently deliver high-quality instruction for all learners.

"Dr. Wightman has made a tremendous impact on Marysville Public Schools," said Glynn. "His exemplary leadership has resulted in meaningful, measurable outcomes for all our schools, students and community."