Jefferson Schools

Amy Gee

Amy Gee is Superintendent of Jefferson Schools, bringing a leadership approach centered on relationships, student needs and collective responsibility. Her professional perspective emphasizes listening to educators and families, developing people and creating schools where students feel connected and supported.

Amy Gee believes students need more than a classroom ready for them to learn. At Jefferson Schools, she has built support around the circumstances students bring with them, addressing basic needs and offers several unique academic paths so they can arrive ready to engage. Gee carries that student-first thinking into the way she leads, staying closely connected to administrators, staff, students and families.

Gee’s belief that education cannot happen until basic needs are met extends beyond individual support. It also shapes how she approaches leadership, from strengthening her administration to rethinking the curriculum and building support systems across the district. She has applied that thinking through a K-12 curriculum overhaul, a new academic hybrid pathway, student support systems in every building and a leadership model that gives administrators greater ownership. Together, these efforts show how Gee has translated a student-first philosophy into the way Jefferson Schools is led and supported.

Creating a Culture of Shared Leadership

For Gee, shared leadership is not simply a principle. She puts it into practice through monthly meetings with Jefferson’s administrators, deans and directors. They bring concerns from their buildings, identify where they need support and work through issues with her. The structure gives school leaders a voice in district decisions while allowing Gee to remain closely connected to the challenges they face.

The same leadership structure carried into Jefferson’s curriculum rework. Within a year the district completed a full K-12 curriculum redesign across ELA, math, science and social studies. It now even further prepares students for trades, military service, college and the workforce, with administrators involved in its development before implementation.

Gee takes the same approach when local residents raise concerns about the school. She invites them for coffee and listens to their perspective and works toward understanding without requiring full agreement. She does not let anyone leave her office feeling dismissed. That commitment to relationships has also helped strengthen community support, with residents stepping forward when Jefferson needs donations or food-drive support.

Supporting Students beyond the Classroom

Gee puts her student-first approach into practice by addressing the basic needs that can affect a student’s ability to learn. Under her leadership, Jefferson provides food and clothing closets in every school and washers and dryers across its schools and board office. Students and their families that need laundry access can launder their clothing during the school day free of charge.

Gee applies the same thinking in prioritizing mental health. She expanded mental-health access through Care Solace and a daily school-based therapist provided through the Family Medical Center. Families who struggle to transport children to outside appointments can now access therapy at school, with parent involvement.

She takes a similar approach towards student attendance problems. Rather than treating truancy as a disciplinary issue alone, she looks for the barrier keeping a student from school and, when necessary, visits the family at home to understand how the district can help. It is another example of Gee's approach to leadership, addressing the circumstances affecting students rather than viewing their challenges only through a disciplinary lens.

Making School a Place to Remember

Gee also believes students should enjoy being at school. She encourages staff to attend games, concerts and plays so students see teachers and administrators participating alongside them. Jefferson has expanded event programming to include dances at younger grade levels, outdoor events with bounce houses and food trucks, and senior parking spot painting. For Gee, these experiences help build the kind of memories that make students want to come back.

She wants students to leave prepared for what comes next, supported through the challenges they face and able to look back on school as an experience worth remembering.

The award Top 10 School Superintendents in Michigan recognizes more than individual programs at Jefferson. It reflects a leadership approach that connects student support, academic preparation, shared responsibility and community relationships. Gee has made those priorities part of how the district serves students, leads its educators and prepares young people for what comes next.