Paula Saari

By Journal Staff

MARQUETTE — Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency thanked Paula Saari in a news release for her commitment to educational excellence and for her “unwavering advocacy” for the students, families and local districts in Marquette and Alger counties.

Saari’s contributions and leadership as a board member have made a positive difference for children, educators and our community, the release said. She played an integral role in driving systemic educational change not only in our local region, but at the state level as well.

Friday marks the end of her 26-year tenure on the Marquette-Alger RESA Board.

Saari has supported the agency through many changes since she was first elected to the board in 1997, including:

≤ working along side four different superintendents;

≤ participating in the monumental shift in special education programs from a center-based model to a resident district model;

≤ transforming the former Parkview Elementary School facility and relocating the Marquette-Alger RESA administrative offices there;

≤ changing the agency’s name from that of an Intermediate School District to Regional Educational Service Agency;

≤ rebranding and creating a new logo;

≤ helping to pass a special education millage totaling more than $100 million, aiding the financial stability for all local districts for the next 20 years.

Prior to her commission on the Marquette-Alger RESA Board, she served for eight years on the Marquette Area Public Schools Board of Education where she worked along side three superintendents and contributed to many positive changes, Marquette-Alger RESA said. Her passion for bettering education led her to go “above and beyond” by serving on the Michigan Association of School Boards Board of Directors from 1998 to 2019, where she held the office of president in 2008-2009.

While there, she worked to ensure growth and success for K-12 schools across the state of Michigan.

As her time on the Marquette-Alger RESA Board of Education comes to a close, Marquette-Alger RESA expressed its “sincere gratitude” to Saari. Board service is a demanding role, it said, and she approached her duties as a board member with “dedication, grace and integrity with steadfast devotion” to seeing students, local districts and staff succeed.

“She has helped lay the groundwork for the future of the region for years to come,” Marquette-Alger RESA said. “Her wise direction and allyship have been an asset to Marquette-Alger RESA and the board.”