By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

A top administrator in the Brighton Area Schools will be leaving in the near future to go to another area district.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Michael Engelter will be departing at the end of July to accept a like position in the Pinckney Community Schools. Engelter was the assistant superintendent of business and personnel in the Linden School District in Genesee County before he was hired nearly four years ago for the Brighton position.

Pinckney Community Schools Superintendent Rick Todd tells WHMI they are looking forward to having Engelter come to their district. “Mike is extremely well-respected around the state...Good finance people are hard to find; it’s an extremely small pool.” Engelter’s starting salary will be $125,000 per year.

Brighton Supt. Matthew Outlaw says they’ll be extremely sorry to see Engelter go. In his words, “Mike has excelled in this role since joining the Brighton Area Schools in 2019. The district fund balance has increased from 9.3% in 2019-20 to (roughly 16%) during this time frame. The district has received spotless financial audits each year and he has received the highest ratings possible in all of his performance reviews.”

Brighton Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Liz Mosher says Engelter has been a valued employee, saying, “Since his arrival, Mike has been dedicated to this district. His extraordinary knowledge of district finances, systems, and procedures has been such a benefit to BAS during these past four years. He will be missed.” 

Board Treasurer John Conely says Engelter “will be hard to replace,” not only because what he calls good and honest finance directors are a rare breed, but also because of the knowledge he has gained during his tenure in Brighton. Conely says further that Engelter “was certainly an investor in the students; he would get behind them, and I would hope that he would share that same vision with (Pinckney).”

Outlaw says Brighton has posted the position and “is seeking qualified applicants,” but concedes the field will be relatively small for such a demanding position. The superintendent sums it up by saying, quote, “(Mike's) integrity, his caring personality, his collaborative spirit and his sense of humor will all be sorely missed.”