Detroit voters have dozens of candidates to sift through as they decide two separate public school board races on the Nov. 3 ballot.
A number of influential slates, political action committees and prominent union groups are backing certain candidates and sharing their picks, but those haven’t yielded a consensus.
The head of the first grassroots slate in the history of Detroit, a civic nonprofit and current and former Detroit Public School Community District board members weighed in on the importance of the endorsement process among voters and the qualities Detroiters should be looking for as they decide which of the 34 candidates deserve seats on the board in the consequential races that will determine the district’s trajectory in the years ahead.
Here’s a list of some of the groups making endorsements and who they are supporting:
VIEW FULL SCREEN – Endorsements – DETROIT SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATESWe reached out to half a dozen organizations and individuals who have endorsed candidates in the DPSCD races. The Black Slate was the only group to respond. If you are making endorsements and would like to speak with us, send an email to bridgedetroit@bridgedetroit.com.
Need more information? Check out our interactive that breaks down each candidate with their experience, biography, endorsements and interviews/videos with Chalkbeat, BridgeDetroit, CitizenDetroit and 482Forward.
BridgeDetroit talked with former DPSCD board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, CitizenDetroit CEO Sheila Cockrel, outgoing DPSCD Board President LaTrice McClendon and Chairman of the Black Slate Kandia Milton to find out what voters should be asking, the process of making endorsements and what impact they can have on the race.
What should voters be looking for in a candidate?
Gay-Dagnogo, a former state lawmaker, DPSCD teacher and board member, said it’s critical for DPSCD board hopefuls to understand the current state of education and the role and responsibilities of being part of the seven-member board.
“There is this belief that they can somehow, as one member, magically make some things happen. If you can’t count your way to four (votes) and you’re not astute on finances, pedagogy, procurement – it’s just you’re elected to a seat to raise emotions rather than real substantive change,” said Gay-Dagnogo, who was appointed last year as the city of Detroit’s ombudsman.
Gay-Dagnogo said voters should seek to understand the missions of candidates, their prior track records and bridge-building abilities.
“What skill set – other than popularity – do they bring to understanding policy, procurement, budgeting and how to get to a place where you can advance an agenda that is beneficial to all of our schoolchildren,” she said.
When it comes to endorsements, Gay-Dagnogo, who formerly secured endorsements during her own run for the board, said, as a candidate, “I’d rather have them than not.” But she noted that there are so many candidates in a divided field and that “endorsements alone don’t win races.”
“You have people who are not part of the inner loop in politics and are looking and relying on that guidance. But it’s rare they have all endorsed the same people,” she said. “You kind of also have to do your own research. But as a candidate, although I got a lot of endorsements, I didn’t rely on just the endorsements because endorsements don’t always yield a winning candidate.”
She said she’s seen few endorsement mailers leading up to the general election, and since many voters are weighing in via absentee ballot, the impact the endorsements will have if organizations are relying on poll day voters “will be down significantly.”
Cockrel, CEO of the nonprofit civic engagement organization CitizenDetroit, said for her, the No. 1 priority for voters in the DPSCD board races is an understanding of the difference between the role and powers of a board member and the administration of the school system.
CitizenDetroit put together a comprehensive set of interviews and information to educate and inform voters on the 2026 board races.
“There’s a profound difference between the governance role and the administrative role,” she said. “They (the board members) are providing policy.”
School board members are responsible for creating policies for the district and overseeing the superintendent’s performance, according to the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), a nonprofit of local and intermediate boards of education located throughout the state.
The board can hire or fire a superintendent, adopts and enforces rules for the school district’s management and approves the annual operating budget. The board also makes decisions on district facilities, technology and contracts, including collective bargaining agreements and administrator contracts.
Board members do not manage day-to-day operations, and individual members cannot make decisions on their own and have no power outside of school board meetings.
McClendon, DPSCD’s outgoing Board President, said the election matters – since five seats are on the ballot, voters will elect a new board majority.
“Look for candidates who understand that a board seat is a governance role. Ask how they’d read a budget, how they’d hold the superintendent accountable, and how they’d work with colleagues they disagree with,” she said. “Be cautious about candidates who promise things a board member can’t directly control. The best board members are prepared, independent, and focused on student outcomes for the long haul.”
Why are candidate endorsements important and how does the process work?
Milton said The Black Slate is the city’s oldest slate and was founded on the belief the school system should be responsive to the needs of Detroit’s children.
Milton said that for voters, two things are important to consider when reviewing endorsements: the credibility of the organization that’s screening the contenders and trusting the process that the organization undertakes.
“Given our history, they (voters) trust The Black Slate. The unfortunate piece is that there’s so often so many candidates,” he said. “But also, it’s a downballot issue that doesn’t get a lot of attention. One of the most important and underestimated races is our school board. They are determining the future leaders and what that policy and education looks like.”
For Nov. 3, The Black Slate has endorsed LaMar D. Lemmons, Cidney Calloway, Jameel Montgomery Smith and C. Allan Hubbard, he noted.
Milton said the Slate’s process is rigorous. To be considered, candidates have to reach out to request an interview by the Slate’s committee. The committee that conducts the interviews and makes the endorsement decisions is diverse in age and professional background, and all have an interest in the future of the city’s children.
Once a request is made by a candidate, the Slate asks each to submit materials, conducts an independent evaluation and then does an interview. The selection process is not a supermajority, it’s a “one member, one vote” organization, he said. Milton said 12 candidates were interviewed by the Slate for endorsement consideration in the Nov. 3 races.
Endorsing organization rationale may vary, but the Slate has a broader focus on making sure that whatever the future looks like for DPSCD, policy is at the center of it.
“We believe those four candidates really embody the diversity of thought that brings critical thinking and checks and balances and policy to the conversation and are not singularly focused, in our estimation, on not just ‘get rid of the superintendent,’” Milton said of the Slate’s candidate endorsements for November.
The likelihood of superintendent turnover was not a factor in the Slate’s decision-making, but Milton said that with someone holding the role as long as Nikolai Vitti has (since 2017), there should be a rigorous evaluation of performance and outcomes.
“Anybody who has been there for that long or any period of time, that ought to be a constant given all that’s at stake,” he added.
Milton said that the unpaid volunteer slate puts together “a slate you can trust” when you walk into the voting booth.
To get the word out about the Slate’s endorsement, the group held a forum and it also drops off fliers, goes door-to-door on Election Day and has poll workers at polling sites to pass out Black Slate literature.
“It’s critical simply because people don’t do the research on their own, and it doesn’t get the time, and it doesn’t get the funding that these top-of-the-ballot races get,” he said.
Milton said that he knows a number of organizations that follow a similar process for endorsement consideration.
“Trust and credibility is important when it comes to these slates,” he said. “Too few people are determining the outcomes of elections in Detroit. In order for us to really have a democracy that represents the entirety of Detroit, we really need more people voting.”
If elected, how can board members be successful?
McClendon was elected in November 2022 and took office Jan. 1, 2023.
She previously told BridgeDetroit and Chalkbeat that she decided not to pursue a second term and would instead prioritize family.
McClendon said the next board should be aware of the demands that come with the position.
“What I’d tell any new member is to be ready for the volume of the work: hundreds of pages of reading before each meeting, committee responsibilities and constant contact with families,” she told BridgeDetroit. “A well-prepared board member who asks the right question at the right time can shape the direction of a $1 billion district.”
McClendon said board members “don’t always vote the same way, and we shouldn’t.” With the superintendent, she said, the relationship works best when the roles are clear.
She said board members should do their homework, ask for data behind every recommendation and remember that their role is governance, not management.
“Stay connected to families and teachers, be persistent on the issues that matter, and before every vote ask yourself one question: is this best for our children?” she said.
