Who is Marc Eickholt?
I’m the father of three Grand Haven students (Olivia - 7th grade, Gabby - 7th grade, & Ryker - 2nd grade) and husband to Nichole who I first started dating in high school about the time that “the new high school” in Grand Haven opened its doors. I grew up outside a small rural town between Flint and Saginaw where my dad was a skilled-tradesman for General Motors and my mother spent most of her life as a respiratory therapist after going back to college while I was in elementary school. I remember working on my own homework as she studied for her classes. It was in this small town that I first ever attended school board meetings defending the funding of our small band program. It was also during these years that I first learned the matters of governance by sitting on regional leadership groups associated with the Boy Scouts of America while I earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
When my wife and I decided on settling in Grand Haven, we did so for not just the community and lakeshore but, being strong supporters of public education, for the schools as well. Through our search, it was clear that GHAPS had a variety of excellent programs that were supported by the community as a whole. So in 2011 we built our home in Grand Haven and couldn’t dream of being anywhere else. Here at GHAPS we have loved seeing our children flourish where they excel while supported where they are challenged.
What experiences do I bring to the Board? I’ll save you the full LinkedIn profile, but I’ll highlight the professional experience that pushed me to serve. For nearly five years (7/2016 - 3/2021) I led an award winning team of software developers at the Ottawa Area ISD. In this group we created systems that were not otherwise available to the OAISD or our customer districts. These systems were comprised of applications for the business and central office, classroom use, social work and early childhood programs, special education, and even an online assessment application used in multiple states. Working closely with the stakeholders of these system, I gained valuable insight on the challenges faced in all facets of education. Not to mention, as a manager, I was able to learn what it was like to work within and plan for the annual school budget. My position also led to me to be involved in the Ottawa Area Secure Schools Network where area districts and first responders worked collaboratively to increase safety in our school communities. This involvement led me to further investigate school safety participating in drills with the Sheriff’s tactical team, attending conference seminars on the issue, and research into numerous resources. In fact, it was this work that led me to make the recently unanimously passed motion to direct the district to create and hire for the position of Directory of Safety & Security.
The efforts of my team would lead us to be part of the Michigan Collaboration Hub where we partnered with other ISDs and literacy focused groups throughout the state to create the MiRead Early Literacy Portal. This system was created to aid districts on a statewide scale to manage individualized literacy support plans as required by what is commonly referred to as the “Read By Grade 3 Law” of 2016. Traveling throughout the state to work with literacy experts and schools facing challenges, I was able to see the vast differences and similarities between districts of all sizes and locations. This system caught the eye of the Michigan Department of Education who was in the process of revamping the school and district improvement planning process and was looking for someone to develop the online system that would be the interface of this process. Rather than contract some out of state development company, MDE would contract us to create the Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process (MICIP) Platform. In short, this enables districts to use the data that they are already collecting to create their improvement plans. Further, these plans are now agile continuous improvement plans based on root causes and not just annual exercises in state compliance. This system is essentially required to be used by all districts throughout the state (including GHAPS). This project allowed me to interface with even more diverse districts and spend enough time at MDE that they actually issued me a State of Michigan contractor badge. All of these projects from systems used in individual classrooms to throughout the State have given me a unique viewpoint on the challenges and needs of public education. I believe that these experiences in education coupled with my engineering professional background have been a great strength in my current Board service.
When I left the OAISD in the spring of 2021, I realized that I still wanted to serve in some way to the world of education. I was considering running for the Board of Education in 2022, but when a seat was vacated in the fall of 2021, I felt called to submit my application. So with the support of my wife, I did just that. When I received word that I was selected for an interview, I had to be thankful that they could fit me in between getting my girls to and from soccer practice and a previously scheduled evening work call. In fact, I was getting bitten up by mosquitos on Harbor Island waiting for practice to end when I received word that I was selected. Since that night in September 2021, I continue to be humbled that I get to serve the students of GHAPS. I believe that public education is a centerpiece of a community and that the benefits to the community go well beyond academics.
Finally, as my late father told me in one of our last conversations, “it wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it.” My time on this Board thus far hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been worth it to serve the students of this community. I hope for your support in November to allow me to continue to do so as we work together to build an even stronger GHAPS.
Thank you.
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Marc Eickholt
GHAPS Board of Education Trustee