Livernois announces his retirement from WCS

WARREN/STERLING HEIGHTS — After 36 years in education, Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Livernois has decided to retire.

On March 7, the district issued a press release announcing his retirement, effective Aug. 30, 2024.

Livernois, 57, also sent a letter to district families informing them of his retirement.

“My journey with WCS has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding,” he said. “As I reflect on my time here, I am filled with a deep sense of appreciation for the relationships I have formed. It has been an honor to serve as your superintendent, and I remain proud that my own children attended our schools and have grown up to be very successful adults.

“While I am excited about this new chapter in my life, I will certainly miss the camaraderie and collaboration that has defined our district,” he added. “I have no doubt that the culture of respect that we have built will continue, and I am confident that WCS will remain strong, especially since we have an extraordinary Board of Education.”

Warren Consolidated Schools Board of Education President Susan Trombley described Livernois as “an incredibly stable force in our community.”

In the news release, she commended his leadership through several challenges, including the 2008 recession, declines in state funding, facility reconfigurations, curriculum and technology infrastructure upgrades, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is difficult to quantify what he has meant to our district given his steadfast devotion to the students, staff, and the community at large,” Trombley said.

Livernois didn’t plan on becoming an educator. When he graduated from South Lake High School in 1984, he enrolled in college as an economics major and took a side job as a tutor to earn money.

When a family friend noticed how well he related to the students he was tutoring, it was suggested that he consider becoming a teacher. The idea stuck, and soon Livernois switched majors to pursue education.

In 1988, he started out in the classroom as a substitute teacher. His first teaching position was at a school in which he was very familiar: his alma mater, South Lake High School, in St. Clair Shores.

At South Lake, Livernois taught English, speech and drama for 10 years. While he loved the classroom, he also had the desire to work in administration. By 1998, he was impacting students in a different way — as the assistant principal at Warren Woods Tower High School.

Livernois eventually became principal at the high school and then moved on to become the director of curriculum for Warren Woods Public Schools. In 2005, he became the district’s top administrator when he was appointed superintendent. Three years later, in 2008, the longtime educator was named superintendent of the Warren Consolidated Schools district.

Livernois said in his retirement he will pursue education consulting and continue teaching part time at the university level while spending more time with his wife, Jeanne, and their family.

“Part of the reason I want to retire and move on is I want to have the opportunity to pay it forward (with) a lot of what I’ve learned in the profession,” he said in a follow-up interview.

As a veteran superintendent, Livernois would like to share his knowledge with administrators just starting out.

He said the most challenging part of being the Warren Consolidated Schools superintendent was that “the rules for how we operate are constantly changing by the state or federal government.”

“The policymakers are constantly changing funding, what we’re supposed to be teaching in school,” he said, adding it is sometimes “a political football.”

He’s proud, however, that the district continued the learning process for students despite some of the challenges.

“On the student front, I’m so proud of how many opportunities we have been able to maintain and grow for our kids,” he said. “Despite all the obstacles, whether it’s funding, the (COVID-19) pandemic, we didn’t cut fine arts, every student has a computer.”

He is also grateful for the dedicated staff members.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredibly talented people who have carried the load of educating kids,” he said. “It’s been an extraordinary, fulfilling career.”

The Board of Education plans meet to discuss the process for hiring a new superintendent.