The July 23 filing deadline for three seats on the Detroit school board is fast approaching in what could be a consequential election for the state’s largest district.
Current board member Misha Stallworth isn’t running for re-election, meaning at least one new person for the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s seven-member board. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo said she is unsure whether she’ll run to keep her seat. Member Sonya Mays didn’t comment for this story.
New members could determine whether Superintendent Nikolai Vitti’s direction for improving student achievement, school climate and culture, and increasing teacher pay will move forward, or be stalled by board division.
Members have strongly supported Vitti since his hiring in May 2017, just a few months after the first DPSCD board was seated, and nearly a year after a historic legislative initiative created the district as part of a broad effort to address mounting debt.
Mario Morrow, a political analyst with a background in education, said this could change if the election introduces members less supportive of Vitti’s vision.
“Board members don’t always see eye to eye, and you will have differences. You’ll have people who disagree, which is a good thing, you know, in a democratic society,” Morrow said. “You’ve had a pretty stable board for some time that have pretty much been all on the same page.”
Vitti told BridgeDetroit in May that the district and board will need to communicate and solve problems together in order to remain focused on district reform.
“The opportunity to sustain and accelerate the improvement the District has experienced over the past seven years rests heavily with the elected School Board and future School Board elections,” Vitti wrote in an email last week to Chalkbeat. “I am optimistic that the community will continue to elect those whose agenda and experience continues a positive synergy of elected officials to govern DPSCD.”
Stallworth leaves at least one vacant seat on the board
Stallworth and Mays were among original board members elected in 2016 to oversee DPSCD.
Stallworth said she is stepping down to make room for new energy and perspectives on the board.
“We’ve accomplished a lot of things and I think it’d be great to see what some other community voices have to say.”
Stallworth has faced criticism from some because of her absenteeism from board meetings. She has missed seven of 10 regular board meetings and three of seven special board meetings since August, though her attendance record for finance and policy committee meetings were more regular. She said her busy schedule as a full-time working mother has made it difficult to attend regular board meetings.
Stallworth said being on the board has been one of the most rewarding but challenging things she’s ever done.
“It was the first elected board leaving emergency management, we immediately got hit with a list of school closures from the state that we had to navigate around, and were able to avoid succumbing to that list. A lot of schools that were on it” have made considerable progress, Stallworth said.
She watches online the meetings she misses in person, but since 2022, the state Open Meetings Act has prohibited elected officials from participating remotely unless they are on military duty. Stallworth said this makes public service inaccessible to working moms like her and people with disabilities.
Gay-Dagnogo said the overwhelming workload of being a board member has made her hesitant to run for re-election.
When she represented a portion of Detroit in the Michigan House, assistants helped Gay-Dagnogo handle the high volume of calls and legislation. Independent agencies helped her make quality decisions by providing fiscal analysis on action items. Gay-Dagnogo said school board members do not get similar assistance, so they must investigate each action item which makes it hard for members to make informed decisions.
“Most people run for the school board to catapult themselves to a higher office,” Gay-Dagnogo said. “I left a higher office, and came to really be a customer service rep with no real way to address the systemic problems that exist.”
Board may face challenges after election
New board members bring new ideas and visions, but there’s a learning curve, and new members must catch up quickly with how the board works and operates, Morrow said.
Gay-Dagnogo thinks the learning curve will slow board operations, especially because the board has to replace Stallworth, who chairs the policy committee, and potentially Mays, who chairs the finance committee.
Board members are responsible for hiring and firing superintendents, and Vitti’s evaluations could change as new members replace long-standing ones who’ve served throughout Vitti’s entire tenure, Morrow said.
“New board members tend to have a higher bar for superintendents because they want to prove they are making a difference sooner than later,” he said.
Stallworth thinks a leadership shift will require the board to get to know each other and find the best ways to work effectively together.
“The main thing is that as a community, we are really thoughtful and engaged in the election process so that we select board members that are equipped, that are committed, and that really have their eye on the prize of continuing the reform of the district to make sure our students are getting what they need academically and holistically,” Stallworth said.
Members reflect on their time in office
Gay-Dagnogo thinks her constituent services have been her biggest accomplishment while on the board. She’s proud that she has been a voice for her community.
Stallworth is proud of some of her individual accomplishments, like work to reform the Code of Conduct, navigating district operations through the COVID-19 pandemic, and time chairing the policy committee. She’s also proud of leading the policy committee because she believes policies and procedures are crucial infrastructure to build an organization.
Stallworth said she will continue to dedicate herself to improving the district.
“I won’t be satisfied until we’re looking at proficiency numbers that demonstrate that our kids are really ready for the next level in their lives.”
Alex Klaus is a summer intern for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at aklaus@chalkbeat.org.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Misha Stallworth’s attendance at committee and special board meetings in addition to her attendance at regular board meetings.
