What is an Intermediate School District (ISD)?
Don’t feel bad if you don’t know! Unless you work for one of the public school systems in Cass County, you’re not alone. We find most residents are not sure what an ISD is or what it does, and our aim is to change that!
Michigan has 57 ISDs which were formed in 1962 when the 83 county school districts were reorganized by Public Act 190 as intermediate school districts. We are structured to provide a variety of administrative and instructional services to the local school districts in Cass County comprising Cassopolis, Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, and Marcellus. The Cass County ISD has a Superintendent and a Board of Education which operate in much the same fashion as the local school districts. However, our ISD Board members are not elected by the public. Instead, they are chosen by the local Board of Education members from each of the school districts in the County.
Heritage Southwest ISD provides many services from accounting and auditing of student enrollment numbers for each local district to the oversight of early childhood education, special education, and career-technical programs in the County. We also provide general education services for professional development, curriculum support, and mental health services.
All in all, Heritage Southwest ISD’s mission and purpose is SERVICE! We serve as a liaison between the local school districts and the Michigan Department of Education and as your educational service agency “helping Cass County Schools help kids.”