The Detroit school board’s new majority, according to unofficial results, brings a mix of history, institutional knowledge, outspoken criticism, and fresh ideas.
Voters chose five new members for the Detroit Public School Community District’s board Tuesday in an election that may alter the future of Michigan’s largest school system. Ten years after the district’s creation, the new board will have to address stagnant enrollment, high chronic absenteeism, and struggling academic achievement.
Unofficial results show Georgia and LaMar Lemmons, Jameel Smith, and Bessie Harris won four-year terms, while Aliya Moore secured the partial two-year term.
The new members will be sworn into office in January.
Terry Whitfield, a nonprofit consultant, lost a seat to Harris by 56 votes, according to unofficial results.
He said Wednesday that despite the close race, he will not pursue a recount.
Outgoing board president LaTrice McClendon said in a statement the election “marks a new chapter in our district’s governance.”
“Four Board members, including myself, will complete our service at the end of this year, while three will continue,” said McClendon. “Together, we have set clear priorities, invested strategically in our schools, and raised expectations for student achievement. That work continues.”
McClendon said on a call Wednesday she believes the new board will build on the district’s progress, thanks to the new membership’s mix of unique experiences and perspectives.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti previously said the board election could be a watershed moment for the district, but has not publicly said much else.
“The District cannot afford to go backwards,” he wrote in a July email.
Vitti did not respond to a request Wednesday for comment on the election results.
In recent months, parents, community members, and some on the current board have loudly criticized Vitti. They have called for urgent improvements to early literacy, building conditions, and administrative transparency.
The superintendent’s most vocal detractors, who called for his firing during the board race, didn’t get elected. But the board’s new makeup could spark more clashes between the governing body and the administrator.
One newly elected member — Moore — has consistently called Vitti’s leadership into question during public comment at board meetings for years. Another elected member — Harris — has more recently questioned Vitti’s strategies, in particular early literacy curriculum and support. Georgia Lemmons has disagreed with some of Vitti’s policies over the years and her husband, LaMar Lemmons, has often spoken against district leadership. Smith said she needs more information to assess his performance.
Read more information on the projected board seat winners below.
Georgia Lemmons
Georgia Lemmons, a retired Detroit Public Schools teacher who served on the DPSCD board from 2017 to 2022, earned the most votes in the full-term race, unofficial results show.
Lemmons said Wednesday she decided to come back to the board to hold Vitti and his administration accountable to the promises he made during her first term.
“I want to see where we are now and what steps we need to take to move farther, because our children are, in my opinion, still not where they need to be,” said Lemmons.
Lemmons said she thinks Vitti has made some improvements, including by filling teacher vacancies and raising their pay.
She added, however, DPSCD has not made enough progress in improving academic achievement, reducing chronic absenteeism, and increasing enrollment.
The incoming board member said she expects to have a good working relationship with Vitti. She said she needs more information to decide whether he should stay in his role, but voted against extending his contract in 2020.
LaMar Lemmons
LaMar Lemmons was a DPS board member during emergency management from 2012 to 2016, then served the next two years on the then-new DPSCD board. He garnered the third highest votes Tuesday, unofficial results show.
Lemmons, who also served as a state representative, said Wednesday he believes he was elected for his knowledge of the district, education policy, and politics.
DPSCD faces the same issues it did when it was created, said Lemmons.
“The challenges remain the same … in terms of the outstanding debt that the state has not even been asked to remediate, the damages that the state caused, the constitutional violations, and a myriad of other issues that were never addressed,” said Lemmons.
Lemmons has both approved and criticized Vitti’s past actions. Most recently, Lemmons spoke out against the accelerated closures of four small schools.
In 2017, Lemmons initially voted against hiring Vitti. He later changed his vote because he said he wanted the new school leader to have unanimous support from the board.
Lemmons said he needs more information about the superintendent’s recent performance to decide whether he should continue to lead the district.
Jameel Smith
Smith, a clinical psychologist, received the second-highest number of votes, unofficial results show. It was her first time running for public office.
She said Wednesday she believes her campaign resonated with voters because of her previous experience as a teacher, her current role as a school psychologist, and her past work on a different Detroit city board.
When she takes office, Smith said her priorities include learning how the board works and getting to know her colleagues — then finding ways to improve student mental health.
“I want to take a look at what the district has prioritized around mental wellness and health, and then think about where the opportunities [are] to expand or to think differently about taking care of more of our students,” said Smith.
Smith said she did not know whether she would vote to remove Vitti from office.
“I know that there are members of the board who renewed his contract, so I just want to look at what the data is saying and be able to assess what the next steps will be,” she said.
Smith plans to follow current board business until her appointment.
Bessie Harris
Harris, a retired DPSCD principal, is an incumbent who was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the board last year. Unofficial results show she secured the final full-term seat.
Harris did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Harris previously said her priorities for the district include improving special education, providing “transparent accountability,” as well as creating safe and clean school buildings.
he said she wants to see more aggressive support in reading and math in first through third grade, renewed home economics and woodshop classes in middle schools, and a unified curriculum in schools across the district.
In recent months, Harris has criticized Vitti, questioning why early literacy has not improved more.
Aliya Moore
The DPSCD parent and vocal advocate in the district handily won the partial term seat with more than 53% of the vote against two other candidates, unofficial results show.
Moore did not comment after multiple requests Wednesday.
Moore, also a member of DPSCD’s advisory committee, has attended board and committee meetings for 13 years.
She is a longtime critic of Vitti and his administration, often calling for his removal from office.
Moore previously said her top priorities are improving academics, safety, and student support.
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Micah Walker is a reporter for BridgeDetroit. You can reach her at mwalker@bridgedetroit.com.