School board
Two races, one ballot.
Detroit voters are electing 5 of the 7 members of the Detroit Public Schools Community District Board of Education, the board that governs Michigan's largest school district.
How to vote this section
Four seats are open, so you get four votes. Use all four to have your full say. 31 candidates.
A separate race for one seat with two years left on its term. Pick one. 3 candidates.
Use all your votes, but no more. Marking 5 in the first race (or 2 in the second) is an overvote, and none of your votes in that race count.
Straight-ticket doesn't cover this. School board races are nonpartisan, so you have to mark them individually.
What the board does
- Hires, evaluates and oversees the superintendent, who runs the district day to day (currently Dr. Nikolai Vitti, since 2017).
- Adopts the budget, which is $1.1 billion for 2026–27.
- Sets district policy and approves labor contracts.
- Fills its own vacancies by appointment until the next election.
Why there's a partial-term seat
Board member Sherry Gay-Dagnogo left in 2025 to become Detroit's ombudsman, and the board appointed Bessie Harris to the seat. Appointees serve only until the next November board election, so voters now fill the last two years of that term.
A little history
In 2016, state law ended emergency management of Detroit's schools and created the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The first elected board took office in January 2017. A state Financial Review Commission still reviews the district's budget.
Who's running
Listed exactly as they appear on Detroit's official sample ballot (Michigan Voter Information Center). Check your sample ballot.
Watch before you vote. CitizenDetroit filmed short interviews with 25 of the 34 candidates. Underlined names link to that candidate's video on YouTube, or play all 25. Candidates without a link weren't filmed.
4-Year Term
Mark 4- Natalie Bien-Aime
- Steve Bland, Jr. (incumbent)
- Michelle Broughton
- Katrina Brown
- Cidney Calloway
- Bobby Christian
- Nicole Conaway
- Vilma Escamilla Duran
- Daniel Ferguson III
- Duane Larry Grigsby, Jr.
- Bessie L. Harris (incumbent)
- David Harris
- C. Allan Hubbard
- Henrietta Ivey
- Tabrian C. Joe
- Shinese Johnson
- Theodore Jones
- Georgia Mae Lemmons
- LaMar D. Lemmons
- Clement O. Lett
- Phil Lloyd II
- Darious Morris
- Liana Mulholland
- Tyshea Pope
- DaNetta L. Simpson
- Tawanna Simpson
- Jameel Montgomery Smith
- Calesther Smith-Arnold
- Terry E. Whitfield
- Elizabeth A. Williams
- Theresa Williams
Hear from the candidates
These nonpartisan guides publish candidates' own answers:
- Chalkbeat Detroit voter guide: bios and questionnaire answers
- Candidates on the district's progress (Chalkbeat, Oct. 2)
- Candidates on small schools (Chalkbeat, Oct. 8)
- CitizenDetroit candidate videos: all 25 interviews on YouTube
Sources
- Wayne County Clerk, Official Candidate List, Nov. 3, 2026 (Sept. 10, 2026)
- Chalkbeat/BridgeDetroit, Detroiters to vote on two-year, four-year terms (Sept. 24, 2026)
- Chalkbeat, Detroit board OKs $1.1B budget (June 16, 2026)
- CitizenDetroit, DPSCD Candidate Videos 2026 (YouTube)
- Chalkbeat, DPSCD early enrollment (Sept. 11, 2025)
- DPSCD, Who We Are
- Senate Fiscal Agency, analysis of SB 711 et al. (2016)