Michigan's Third-Largest School District Enters the Year Under Its First Arab American Superintendent

Dearborn Public Schools, the third-largest school district in Michigan, is now well into its first full school year under new leadership: Mike Esseily, who became the district's first Arab American and first Muslim superintendent when he officially took over on July 1. Esseily's rise is a homegrown story. He is a graduate of Dearborn's own Fordson High School and spent nearly two decades working his way up through the district he now leads — starting as a special education teacher in 2007 at Stout Middle School and Edsel Ford High School, later becoming an assistant principal at Lowrey Middle School, then the district's director of special education, and finally its executive director of special populations, a role he held since 2020 overseeing special education, English language learner programs, and mental health initiatives. The Dearborn Board of Education selected Esseily from a field of 23 applicants after a national search conducted with the Michigan Leadership Institute, following the departure of longtime superintendent Glenn Maleyko, who left after a decade in the role to become Michigan's state superintendent. The board narrowed the field to three finalists, including two candidates from outside the district, before one withdrew and Esseily won a 5-2 board vote on May 4 over Moussa Hamka, an assistant superintendent in the Grosse Pointe school system. The board later formalized his three-year contract by a unanimous 7-0 vote in June. Esseily's appointment carries particular symbolic weight in Dearborn, a city with the highest concentration of Arab Americans in the country and a school district whose student population is predominantly Arab American. His predecessor as interim superintendent, Lamis Srour, had already broken ground as the first woman, first Arab American, and first Muslim to lead the district — though she said at the time she did not want the position permanently. Esseily's hiring makes him the first to hold the job on a permanent basis. In comments to local media following his selection, Esseily described the moment as deeply personal. "This district — its teachers and its staff — has shaped my life in profound ways," he said, crediting his late father, an immigrant named Suleiman Esseily, with instilling in him a belief in education and opportunity, along with humility and hard work. "Being the first Arab male and Muslim superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools carries a great sense of pride and an even greater responsibility." He steps into the role at a consequential time for the district. Dearborn Public Schools is currently asking voters to approve a $1.51 billion bond on the November ballot to address between $1 billion and $1.5 billion in looming repair and modernization costs across its aging school buildings — one of the largest bond proposals in the district's history. Esseily will be responsible for helping steer that campaign and, if it passes, overseeing its implementation across a district serving more than 20,000 students. Esseily holds a bachelor's degree in education from Wayne State University and a master's degree in special education from Madonna University, along with additional coursework at Henry Ford College and Grand Valley State University. Community members can expect an official meet-and-greet event with the new superintendent, which the district said it planned to hold later in the summer as Esseily settled into the role.