Election Day is less than three weeks away, and there’s a lot at stake when it comes to the school board race in Michigan’s largest district.
There are 31 candidates running for four Detroit Public Schools Community District board seats with 4-year terms, and three other candidates are vying for one partial term that will end in 2028.
But as voters research the candidates, they may ask themselves, “What does the school board even do?”
Before filling out an absentee ballot or heading out to a polling place, here’s what to know about the roles and responsibilities of a school board member.
What does a school board member do?
School board members are responsible for creating policies for districts 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, and it adopts and enforces rules for the school district’s management and approves the annual operating budget.
A major part of a school board member’s role is to make decisions on a range of issues like district plans for facilities and technology, overseeing educational programs and approving contracts, including collective bargaining agreements and administrator contracts.
Other responsibilities include providing for the safety and welfare of students, acquiring and disposing of school property and determining matters relating to school employees and contractors.
The DPSCD board is responsible for developing the district’s four-year strategic plan. The latest plan, which the district calls Blueprint 2027, includes priorities such as fostering safe and supportive schools; raising academic performance and increasing student proficiency in literacy and math; and providing mental health resources, enrichment and wraparound services.
The board members elected in November will help shape the district’s next four-year strategic plan, face decisions about school buildings, academic programs, school safety, chronic absenteeism and what happens when funding from Detroit’s literacy lawsuit runs out.
What doesn’t the school board do?
School board members do not manage day-to-day operations, nor do they oversee district communications to parents and students, states the MASB. Individual board members cannot make decisions on their own and have no power outside of school board meetings. The board is meant to represent the entire school community.
What’s the difference between the role of the school board and that of the superintendent?
The school board helps set district policy and oversees the budget. The superintendent handles day-to-day operations of the district, including supervising employees and administering the policies set by the board.
What are the eligibility requirements to become a school board member?
To run for a local school board, the candidate must be:
- A US citizen
- At least 18 years of age
- A resident of Michigan for at least 30 days
- A resident of the school district on or before the 30th day prior to the date of the election
- A registered voter in the school district the candidate intends to run in
Under the Michigan Constitution, a person is ineligible for election or appointment to any state or local elective office if the person was convicted of a felony involving dishonesty, deceit, fraud or a breach of the public trust within the past 20 years, and the conviction was related to the person’s official capacity while holding any elective office or position of employment in local, state or federal government.
How long can members serve on the school board?
Detroit Public Schools Community District Schools has a seven-member board that is elected by voters to four-year terms. Candidates can also run for partial terms for seats on the board that have been vacated.
For DPSCD, the partial term on the Nov. 3 ballot is for a seat formerly held by Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, who left last year to become ombudsman for the city of Detroit. The former teacher and state lawmaker was reelected to the board in 2024, which leaves two more years of her term.
Do Detroit school board members get paid for their service?
In DPSCD, members receive a $250 stipend per meeting. That includes regular school board meetings, committee meetings, special school board meetings, a community meeting organized or convened by the district and assigned school visits and graduation ceremonies.
Members do not receive stipends when they participate in speaking engagements, non-district events, volunteer activities organized and/or hosted by an organization other than the district, and workshops, conferences or seminars. However, members may be reimbursed for parking, mileage, meals and housing expenses after attending a conference.
DPSCD only approves reimbursement for conferences and workshops that focus on education or local and state policy matters that directly impact the district, like the MASB Annual Leadership Conference, the National Alliance of Black School Educators and the Mackinac Policy Conference.
Can the board close schools or open new ones?
Under the Michigan Legislature, school boards have the power to open or close schools, for reasons like low enrollment or financial issues.
The DPSCD board accelerated the closure of four schools last school year – Ann Arbor Trail Magnet School, Catherine Blackwell Institute, J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy and Greenfield Union Elementary-Middle School – due to low enrollment and to save the district between $10 and $19 million.
Additionally, the district plans to close Thurgood Marshall Elementary-Middle School at the end of the school year.
How can parents and residents influence board decisions?
Parents and community members can make their voices heard during the public comment period at DPSCD’s monthly regular and committee board meetings, as well as board study sessions and special board meetings.
How can voters get information about the candidates?
See endorsements, interviews and videos with the candidates here.
- Hear from the candidates: Where they stand on the issues
- What’s at stake: Why this race is so impactful to Detroiters
- BAMN slate: Self-described “militant,” “anti-fascist” activist group seeks to oust Vitti
- Don’t spoil your ballot: Why there are two school board races on the ballot
- Q&A: How DPSCD board candidates would keep key interventions
- Q&A: How Detroit school board candidates would address chronic absenteeism
- Q&A: Candidates on parental accountability and chronic absenteeism
- Q&A: Are Detroit students better off under DPSCD?
- Q&A: Candidates on closing small schools
- Election page: All of BridgeDetroit’s election-related coverage in one place
- Complete voter guide: How to register, vote absentee, vote early, vote in person, learn about candidates and more
- Print voter guide: Take it to the polls with you
- How to vet candidates: What you need to look for