By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
Staff Writer
Brandon — Kevin Ayer has spent 27 years in education, and now he’s making his mark on the Brandon School District as the new middle school principal.
“I grew up in this area, I went to Kearsley, so Brandon has always been a solid school,” said Ayer. “The community is strong.”
Ayer took the position of middle school principal following the retirement of Mike Tucker, who retired near the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
“I’m looking forward to the connections I can make with the students, staff and community,” he said. “When we can look back and see what we’ve accomplished, I think that’s the best part.”
Ayer graduated with a degree in business and marketing, and he spent a few years in the business world before getting into education through coaching. He later went on to be a teacher and coach for 14 years. He taught at Goodrich for 12 years, and was an administrator at Clio for six years. He also taught at Mt. Morris. Mostly, he taught business and math.
“I think it was a calling to continue into leadership,” he said. “The team environment of the administration here is really easy to feel.”
Ayer has been at the district for a few weeks, and has already gotten the chance to interact with students and parents during registration day.
“It was a really positive experience,” he said. “I got welcomed with excitement.”
Moving forward, Ayer wants to listen to the students, staff and community about what they are looking for in the school.
“I think probably the most important thing to do a lot of is listening, learning and asking questions,” he said. “Another piece is I really want to simplify as much as I can how things are done. And I want to hold myself accountable as principal. I want to create a consistent language with staff to create a positive culture.”
He said he is thankful to have the opportunity to be principal.
“I take very seriously the privilege and the importance of the decisions I make for the students,” said Ayer. “I have spent the bulk of my career at high school. The energy level of the kids is something I’m excited and nervous for. Unpredictable levels of energy, but often I’ve felt the high school kids don’t exhibit that same excitement for school.”