Michelle Wagner graduated from the Ohio State School for the Blind in 1990. Today, she’s the principal there. Her title is Director of Teaching and Learning, and it’s a role she never expected to have when she began teaching at OSSB in 2011. She says one thing she has learned during her time in education is to stay open to opportunity. 
“I would have said at one point in my career ‘There’s no way I’ll ever be a principal,’ and here we are,” she laughed.
Wagner says she was happy with classroom teaching and working on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students. But administration was always enticing, even if she didn’t see herself in the top role.
“I originally thought maybe [I’d become] a special ed director somewhere,” she remembered. “And then the opportunity opened up here to move from IEP coordinator to assistant principal to principal.”
Wagner notes that the personal and professional experience she brings to the job has given her a good foundation for success. “I am visually impaired myself,” she shared, explaining that the students she currently serves have some form of visual impairment as well. “I think my various experiences have helped,” she said.
The superintendent of OSSB has long been one of Wagner’s supporters, encouraging her to continue her education and move up to administration. They now work together closely. “She encouraged me to go back and get my superintendent’s license,” Wagner said.
After researching a number of options, Wagner chose the online Superintendent Licensure program at Youngstown State University. She liked the accelerated format and seven-week classes, and found tuition to be reasonable. “I thought that it was a good choice,” Wagner said. “I have been really pleased with the program.”
She enrolled in October 2023 and expects to complete the program by the end of 2024.
Wagner appreciates being able to study online at her convenience. “The program is designed knowing that the people taking the classes are working full time in a pretty demanding position,” she said. “I think the workload has been manageable.”
Wagner is enjoying her studies so far, because she’s been able to apply what she’s learning.
“Whether it’s in facilities or in bargaining unit agreements, knowing the process always helps me to be better at what I do. I know what questions to ask, what supports to say we need,” Wagner observed. “Having the information definitely helps me to be better prepared to advocate for our students and staff.”
Teaching, Leading and Learning
Wagner is an Ohio native. She graduated with her bachelor’s in special education from Ohio Dominican University in 1998, and her first teaching position was with the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Her class included students with multiple disabilities aged 12 to 17. When a preschool position became available at MCBDD, she took it, and discovered she also loved working with younger children. She continued teaching special education preschool after being transferred to the North Central Ohio Educational Service Center.
In the meantime, she earned a master’s in education at Ashland University—studying in the intervention specialist program—then went on to The Ohio State University, earning state licensure for teaching students with visual impairment.
After returning to OSSB in 2011, Wagner continued teaching and served as IEP coordinator while pursuing principal licensure at Ashland. “When you’re a teacher, you influence your classroom, which is amazing,” she said. “But I felt like I wanted to make a bigger impact on education.”
Studying in YSU’s online Superintendent Licensure program has helped Wagner build additional strategic expertise and practical skills for collaboration. One of the first classes she completed was Collective Bargaining & Systems Issues in Human Resource Administration.
“I had never been part of contract negotiations either as a teacher or as an administrator,” she noted. The course gave her a good understanding of how all parties work together during a bargaining period. “I learned a lot about the process, a lot about what to expect, how to engage,” she said.
Her experience in the Technology and Facilities for Learning Organizations course was just as enlightening. Assignments and discussions gave her a new perspective on the challenges she has faced in modernizing parts of the OSSB property, including areas with classrooms and infrastructure more than 70 years old.
“We have an original building that was built in like, 1953, and then we attached a new building that opened in 2012,” Wagner said. The newer facility was designed to support an array of digital technologies that help students learn and thrive in school settings. Upgrades to the historic building required a bit of problem-solving.
“We have had to really figure out, how do we get wi-fi to all of the areas of the original building? How do we get the internet? And then we have large TV screens in all of our classrooms for projecting assignments and videos, so how do we get all of that to work in the original building [since] the electrical system wasn’t designed for all of that technology?”
Wagner has mostly worked through those issues with her staff already, but she’s thankful to have new ideas and facility management tools to aid in her planning, especially when it comes to financing and future renovations.
“I think I will use a lot from that class as I go forward and we are developing a long-term capital budget,” she said. “I had no idea what that process looked like before.”
A New Outlook on Education
Wagner praises the staff at YSU Accessibility Services for their support as she has studied for superintendent licensure. She says they have helped her navigate all aspects of the online program with ease.
“I met with someone from their office as soon as I was accepted into the program,” Wagner shared. “She has been super easy to work with, and when I’ve needed something, she has been super responsive.”
Learning from YSU faculty has gone just as smoothly. “All of my professors have been great to work with,” she said. “It’s been really easy to get answers to questions or help.”
Wagner wasn’t expecting to engage with her classmates at YSU in the same way she did during in-person courses in the past, but she has been pleasantly surprised by how accessible they are. She finds it easy to interact with peers to discuss course content, and she likes that students support each other.
“We’ve kind of formed our own network to be able to text and say, ‘Hey, did you have trouble with this assignment? What do you think this means?’ I think that’s been really helpful,” she said.
Discussing her advanced administrative coursework with OSSB colleagues has also given her more insight on the decisions superintendents make.
“I have a better idea of the bigger picture after taking these courses,” she said. “I do think I have [a] different conversation with district leaders after working closely with my superintendent throughout this process.”
Wagner is now confident she will be prepared when the time is right to become a leader at the district level herself, although she isn’t in a hurry. “I don’t really know what the future holds, but I know that this is where I want to be,” she confirmed. “I like being able to work with staff and still have that close connection to students.”For the moment, Wagner remains focused on finishing the program and using her new knowledge to create the best learning environment possible for students at OSSB.
She urges other administrators ready to build their skillset and pursue career advancement to consider earning superintendent licensure online at YSU.
“Definitely look at Youngstown,” she advised. “The program has been great.”
Learn more about the online Superintendent Licensure program at Youngstown State University.
