On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters will elect three people who will take seats on the Detroit school board during a critical period in the district’s turnaround efforts. Fourteen people are running for the three, four-year terms. The candidates include three incumbents, several former school board members, community activists and retired educators.
Read below to learn more about the candidates and their views on some key issues.

Note: Candidates Elena Herrada, LaMar Lemmons, and Terrance Lemmons did not respond to our request for information. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Richard Clement

About the candidate
Occupation: Computer consultant.
Education: Graduate of Mumford High School, bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University.
Political/community experience: Precinct delegate, worked for Detroit Councilman George Cushingberry, ran for secretary of state, ran for state Senate, volunteered for legalization of marijuana ballot initiatives in 2008 and 2018.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
“I’ve taught in Lansing Community College as an adjunct professor, I was in the computers department,” Clement said. He taught programming, basic computer use, Microsoft Office products. Clement also cited his own experiences as a student in the district.
“It’s a redemption tour for me,” he added. “I wasn’t the greatest student in the world. But I made it to 63, and now maybe I can help the district be what it was and make an improvement. When we were taken over by the emergency managers, we lost a lot. We’re going to get it back.”
Sherry Gay-Dagnogo

About the candidate
Occupation: Completing third term as a state House representative for Michigan’s 8th district, which serves northwest Detroit.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wayne State University.
Political/community experience: canvassed for Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, a former Michigan congresswoman, worked for the Detroit City Council, former district teacher, studied education reform through various fellowships, served on a district improvement team, worked with United Way on a kindergarten readiness initiative.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Gay-Dagnogo said her work as a state legislator, community leader, and educator have given her insight on how to work with leaders of different ideologies and interests.
“I’m an organizer. I’m a legislator,” she said. “I have the ability to pick up the phone, or go to Lansing, and advocate for my district, because I have institutional memory of what has happened to our district. I worked under emergency managers. I studied education reform. I’m a teacher with pedagogical competency. I have relationships with every sector in this state of civic, faith, grassroots and community leadership. And so I’m prepared to not just speak to academic improvement, but how do we advance a community-inclusive plan to move our district forward? And how do we go and negotiate policies that are also beneficial for our district? I have those relationships, and I have a proven track record.”
Bessie Harris

About the candidate
Occupation: Retired DPSCD principal (Palmer Park Preparatory Academy, 2007-2016).
Education: Graduate of Murray-Wright High School. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education administration from the University of Detroit-Mercy.
Political/community experience: Volunteers in mentoring program at Second Ebenezer Church, with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and with Detroit Unity Temple.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
Special education is the biggest challenge, said Harris, whose background is in that area. Special education has been a low priority. “Parents of special ed students are frustrated. Their concerns are their child’s IEPs. I think the biggest disservice the board is doing right now is not addressing special education,” she said.
Harris said there should be a school board committee assigned to monitor the special ed department.
“There should be a hotline where parents can call to state what the complaint is, and it should be pipelined to the special ed committee” in addition to the department, she said.
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Zsa Zsa Chantel Hubbard

About the candidate
Occupation: Media and radio personality and social entrepreneur.
Education: Graduate of Mackenzie High School. Studied at Bowling Green State University. Expected spring 2021 graduate of Wayne County Community College District.
Political/community experience: Has been politically active since high school. Worked for Wayne County Clerk’s office for nearly a decade as deputy clerk and performed many duties, including voter registration and voter awareness.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Jermain Jones

About the candidate
Occupation: Political activist.
Education: Studied at Marygrove College.
Political/community experience: Has been involved in the political scene in Detroit since 2006 and opened a political consulting firm in 2009.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Sonya Mays

About the candidate
Occupation: Chief Executive Officer, Develop Detroit.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan.
Political/community experience: Has served as board member and treasurer of the Detroit school board for four years. Founding CEO of an affordable housing and real estate development nonprofit. Board member of a number of organizations, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Public Theatre, Greater Detroit Area Health Council, Alumni Board of Governors for Michigan Ross School of Business.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Ida Short

About the candidate
Occupation: Professor of English, teaches full time at Schoolcraft College and part time at the Wayne County Community College District.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Michigan and doctorate from Ferris State University. Graduate of Western High School in Detroit.
Political/community experience: Served on the Detroit school board when state-appointed emergency managers were in control. Former Girl Scout leader. On the board of the YWCA.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Chico Frank Sorrell

About the candidate
Occupation: retired district teacher, current high school district basketball coach.
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Howard University, master’s degree from University of Detroit-Mercy.
Political/community experience: Volunteering and working with a local youth football league, building community in McDougall Farms through nonprofit work.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
Sorrell said it’s hard to grade the superintendent because he doesn’t know the criteria, but he did give him credit for the district’s efforts to bridge the digital divide. “I do like the fact that he was able to get the business leaders and Southeast Michigan to help provide tablets for the students” he said. “So in that regard, I think that was wonderful. I gave him high marks.”
He was more critical of Vitti’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis.
“I heard a lot of complaints about how some of the decisions are being made. Forcing teachers back into buildings when there’s a pandemic,” he said. He’s also heard from teacher colleagues about the challenges of adapting to the school year.
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
Misha Stallworth

About the candidate
Occupation: Deputy CEO, CitizenDetroit.
Education: Bachelor’s from the University of Chicago, master’s from the University of Michigan School of Social Work.
Political/community experience: Served four years on the DPSCD board of education. Volunteered or worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cody Rouge Community Action Alliance, Developing KIDS, Meals on Wheels, Michigan Senior Advocates Council, Senior Housing Preservation Detroit, City Year, New Leaders in African-Centered Social Work, City Year Los Angeles, Upward Bound, Drug Free Youth in Detroit, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., National Association of Black Social Workers, Detroit Global Shapers, Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolkids.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
“As a current member of the DPSCD board, I have been tackling the District’s most pressing challenges,” Stallworth said. “At the top of the list is our students’ proficiency and opportunities to excel in literacy and math. Their quality of life depends on it, their access to future opportunities depends on it, and the district itself depends on it since academic quality is at the core of a family’s school choice for their child.”
The district has reformed curriculum in math and science, but more improvements must be made to science and elective classes, she added. Safe school buildings are also important to allow students to focus on academics.
“That means addressing the challenges with our buildings and ensuring we have the right staff in the right roles,” she said, adding that recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers and support staff, especially those focused on social and emotional support, is critical.
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
“I believe Dr. Vitti has been a very strong superintendent,” Stallworth said, noting that he has created new opportunities for students and followed through on the board’s vision.
“He has been driven by strong values in support and love for children as well as determination to tangibly improve the district using data driven approaches,” she added.
She credits a long list of successes to Dr. Vitti, including improvement on the M-STEP exam that outpaced statewide improvement, as well as data showing more than half of K-8 students made at least one year of growth in reading, and more than a quarter made at least a year of growth in math. Stallworth also cited declines in the rate of chronic absenteeism. She pointed out that all K-8 students have access to art, music, or performing arts, up from 50% in 2017, when Vitti was hired. She also noted that Vitti implemented teacher trainings that address oppression and trauma, and established career training pathways for all high schools.
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
“The last four years of serving on the board have been invaluable experience,” she said.
“We’ve consistently had to make tough decisions while prioritizing academic excellence and rebuilding the integrity of the district. Given the uncertain times we face now, that experience is critical for the future.”
“I have also spent most of my career as a youth development specialist in schools and after school settings,” she added. “So, I have a unique understanding about the needs of young people and the families trying to support them.”
Stallworth said it is critical for board members to understand the difference between policy/governance and operations. The Detroit Board of Education is a policy board, making it especially important to recognize the separation between board members and the superintendent. She noted that the superintendent is the primary employee of the board who must be supervised and evaluated by the board.
“An effective board member should also be prepared to receive feedback from the community,” she said. “I have led the revision of the student code of conduct, and established the Sanctuary District policy protecting the rights of immigrant students and families. I’m also very vocal about my support for adding the Muslim holidays of Eid to our school calendar and intend to finally accomplish this within my next term.”
Iris A. Taylor

About the candidate
Occupation: Healthcare Consultant/ Retired President DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and doctorate from Wayne State University. Fellow at the Wharton School of Business.
Political/community experience: Current member and president, DPSCD school board.
What is the biggest challenge facing the school district and how should the board address it?
Taylor said the most pressing challenges, aside from the pandemic, are addressing the district’s aging infrastructure, being removed from oversight by the state Detroit Financial Review Commission, lobbying for more equitable state and federal funding, and continuing to provide resources that help students with achievement.
“We will continue to strengthen our relationship with the community and business partnerships,” Taylor said. “We have started to build trust and will continue to demonstrate the district’s leadership and board are responsible stewards.”
How would you grade Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s progress in turning around the district?
What metrics do you believe the district should use to gauge whether it is safe to hold in-person school?
What experiences/background would you bring to the board?
“My collective experiences as a hospital president, mediator, and community board memberships enables me to be an effective school board member. I understand the role as a leader to inform policy and governance and the superintendent’s role to navigate operations and academic reform.
“During the past four years as board president, we hired one of the best urban reform superintendents in the nation. We developed a sound strategic plan with accountability metrics that indicate we were on pace for success prior to the pandemic. I have facilitated our active support and implementation of the strategic plan objectives.”
John Telford

About the candidate
Occupation: Retired educator. Previously interim superintendent, Detroit Public Schools. Also held leadership roles in the Madison Heights, Rochester, Plymouth-Canton, and Berkley school districts.
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and doctorate from Wayne State University. Graduate of Denby High School.
Political/community experience: Previously ran for county commission and Detroit mayor. Has run some community agencies. Member of the Keep the Vote/No Takeover Coalition. Lifetime member of the National Action Network. Vice president of Detroit Track Old-Timers.