Meet the candidates vying for 3 seats on the Detroit school board

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Subscribe to their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Nearly two dozen people are running for three seats on the Detroit school board at a pivotal time for the school district.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District is struggling with high rates of chronic absenteeism among students, low academic achievement, declining enrollment and climate and culture issues within school buildings.

The 16 candidates who answered questions in Chalkbeat Detroit’s voter guide have plenty of ideas for tackling these issues and more.

There will be 22 candidates on the ballot. One of the candidates, Jason Malone, said he would not run due to injury. Only one of the three incumbents, Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, is seeking re-election. This means there will be two new faces on the board, with members Misha Stallworth and Sonya Mays opting not to stand for re-election.

The new faces could change the composition of the board, particularly if they are candidates who do not match the priorities of current board members and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who received a contract extension earlier this year.

Below, you’ll find candidate bios and their answers to some critical questions about the district. For more information on voting, including early voting and absentee voting, click here.

Lori Higgins is the Chalkbeat Detroit bureau chief. You can reach her at [email protected]. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational changes in public schools.