Brooke Ballee-Stone, superintendent of Martin Public Schools for the past three years, will step down effective Sept. 1 and Samantha Ball, current chief financial officer, will succeed her as superintendent.

Ballee-Stone has been at the helm during the difficult two years of Covid-19 pandemic challenges. She came to Martin after serving as supervisor of the Hillsdale Intermediate School District.

“This came out of a lot of soul searching as to what is best for Martin and a half-time superintendent is not what serves this district best, the outgoing superintendent said. “Someone needs to be here in the district all the time and what a better choice than to have someone in the position who not only knows the financial side of things backwards and forwards, but also someone who went through the Martin Public Schools, graduated first in her class, has remained in the area, has worked here for the past eight years, bleeds maroon, and is NOT going anywhere else in her career!

“I must admit that this is a bittersweet time for me because I love everything about this district, the community and the school board and will miss being a part of helping students succeed. I will remain on until Oct. 31 at the very latest to assist Sam with the transition. I may retire or I may try to find a gig elsewhere, but I truly feel that this is what Martin Public Schools needs right now in order to take care of our most precious commodity: our students.”

Ballee-Stone said this change will bring the stability needed at Martin Public Schools.

Ballee-Stone also was superintendent for one year at Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools during the 2016-17 academic year and was director of curriculum and instructional technology at Eaton Rapids Public Schools from 2011 to 2016. She was an elementary principal for two years at Van Buren Public Schools after serving that district as secondary curriculum and district technology supervisor.

A graduate of Michigan State University, she has a master’s degree from Grand Valley State University and is working on her doctorate in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University.