Occupation / Current Position
Member Michigan State Board of Education
Education
Bachelor Degree in Secondary Education; Master Degree in Curriculum; Education Specialist Degree in Curriculum & Leadership; PhD in Educational Leadership
Qualifications and Experience
25 Years of experience in public education in Michigan. I served as a teacher, building administrator, central office administrator, Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer at the ISD level
I am a retired public school educator with over 25 years experience as a teacher, building administrator, central office administrator, Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer at the ISD level. I have served on the Michigan State Board of Education for the past 7 years and hold the position of Secretary, Chair of the Legislative Committee and a member of the ad Hoc Special Education Committee. I am committed to providing equitable opportunities for all students in Michigan as I continue to work with fellow Board members, the Michigan Department of Education, members of the Michigan Legislature.
Michigan's current education system with over 800 local districts (including Charter Schools) governed by locally elected school boards is facing financial challenges along with teacher shortages and standardized test results that are concerning. We know there are solutions to these issues. For examlple, over the past several years, in collaboration with the Michigan legislature, we have funded and provided programming to assist with our educator shortage across the state. We also know there is much more to do. Research indicates that we need to look seriously at equitable funding for all public schools in the state.
Priorities would include funding, the threat of vouchers, literacy achievement and equitable opportunities for all students as it relates to adequate facilities, qualified teachers in our classrooms, and fair and consistent wages for public educators and support staff. Over the past 7 years, in my role as a State Board member and as a public educator for over 25 years, I have experience in researching, listening and acting upon solutions that will make a difference with these challenges. Student information is protected by FERPA and any requests for individualized data should and has been rejected by the Board and Administration.
Occupation / Current Position
Professor
Education
MBA from U of D Mercy; B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Communications from Rochester University; B.A. in Corporate Communications from the University of Michigan-Dearborn (Incomplete)
Qualifications and Experience
Current Co-Vice President of the State Board of Education, former ECE Teacher, STEM Instructor, support staff and current Professor.
I bring 20+ years of experience in education, public policy, nonprofit leadership, community development, and public service, including serving as an ECE Teacher, STEM Instructor, Adjunct Professor, paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and current Michigan State Board of Education member. I have authored and advanced resolutions that led to greater educational access and stability for foster youth, increased recognition and protection for students with autism, stronger school safety, expanded culturally responsive learning, and greater opportunity for all students. I seek another term to continue turning policy into meaningful change.
Michigan has strong educators and students, but our system still faces inequities in quality, funding, staffing, and outcomes. I support a funding model that better reflects student needs, stronger investments in teacher recruitment, retention, pay and professional development, and greater support for hard to staff schools. Standardized testing should inform instruction and identify gaps, not define a student, teacher, or school. I would support reducing overreliance on testing while strengthening meaningful measures of student growth, school quality, and college and career readiness.
My priorities are improving student achievement, equitable funding, early childhood education, literacy, career and technical education, support for students with special needs and foster youth, and stronger pathways to college, careers and economic opportunity. I would continue bringing students, families and educators to the table and turning their concerns into policy and measurable action. I also believe every student deserves to learn in a safe, supportive environment. I also believe we must address the whole child by strengthening mental health supports, school climate, and adequate resources.
Occupation / Current Position
Senior Financial Analyst
Education
BA Communication
Qualifications and Experience
30 + years in automotive leadership positions. Former Public School Board Member Grosse Pointe
I bring more than 35 years of leadership experience in manufacturing and business, including 16 years at General Motors, where I have been recognized for performance and results. I also served on the Grosse Pointe Board of Education and understand school governance, budgeting, labor issues and accountability. As a father of three public-school graduates, I have seen education from both the parent and policymaker perspectives. I am seeking this seat because Michigan’s academic results have declined and our children need leadership focused on literacy, math, student achievement and parental trust.
Michigan has dedicated substantial resources to education, yet student outcomes—especially reading and math—remain unacceptable. More money alone will not solve the problem; funding must reach classrooms and produce measurable results. We must recruit, support and retain excellent teachers while reducing administrative burdens that pull them away from instruction. Standardized tests should be age-appropriate, transparent and used as diagnostic and accountability tools—not as substitutes for teaching. I support proven literacy practices, clear performance reporting and directing resources toward programs that demonstrate results.
My priorities are improving literacy and math, restoring accountability, supporting effective teachers, strengthening parental rights and keeping political agendas from displacing instruction. I would use the Board’s policy, oversight and public-reporting authority to demand measurable goals, transparent results and evidence-based practices. Student privacy must be nonnegotiable. I would oppose unnecessary collection or disclosure of personally identifiable information, require legal review of federal requests, insist on data minimization and strong security, and ensure parents receive notice and transparency whenever legally permitted.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Occupation / Current Position
Small Business Owner
Education
Evart High School, Ferris State University, Kettering University
Qualifications and Experience
Founder of MFG for Liberty an education and entrepreneurship organization. Helping people gain real world skills.
I am a small business owner, parent, and lifelong learner seeking a State Board of Education seat to help Michigan live up to its Constitution: schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. I run a manufacturing and engineering firm and founded MFG for Liberty, teaching vocational skills, economics, and entrepreneurship. I also mentor undergraduates through the Sigma Chi. As a member of several boards I help facilitate meetings, compliance, and support public comment. I want statewide policy that is practical, accountable, and worthy of trust, because funding and programs alone do not make children learn.
Michigan spends at record per pupil levels while results remain poor, so spending cuts and better use of existing dollars are needed. The funding system is broken, yet more money has not produced more learning. Quality suffers when extra years and credentials are treated as education. Schooling signals persistence more than it builds usable knowledge. Education cultivates judgment; training builds practical skill. They are not the same. I would support transparent budgets, stronger vocational pathways, and less reliance on tests and diplomas as the whole measure of success. Competence and community priorities matter more than added spending.
My priorities are public trust, real learning, and student privacy. People are not equal in aptitude. Policy should not pretend they are. Education cultivates judgment for those ready for it; training builds useful skill for many more. I would restrain spending after record per pupil costs with weak results and expand vocational pathways. Michigan’s Constitution encourages education. The federal Constitution does not. Under the Tenth Amendment, this belongs to the states. Federal requests for student data should default to no. Share only when a narrow legal duty requires it, and keep families informed.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Occupation / Current Position
Receptionist
Education
High School Diploma
Qualifications and Experience
A Michigan resident and taxpayer. Served 4 years on local board of education and former home-school educator
As a resident and taxpayer, I am concerned about the condition of our public education system and believe I can bring valuable insight into the decision making on the Board. I served 4 years on a local school board and am a former home-school educator.
The education "system" in Michigan is broken and needs a total overhaul. Students are not receiving even the basics and the test scores prove it. Money is being wasted on inadequate and unproven methods of instruction. There needs to be a return to that which served our students in the past, true academic standards.
To ensure the efficient use of the funds available to our schools will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary for employment, college or advanced education for a specialized trade. I will promote excellence in education with strong proven academic instruction as well as encouraging healthy social behaviors. The Federal Government has no Constitutional claim in the education system of Michigan, therefore there is no reason to provide student information to them. Parents determine the privacy of their children, not the school system.
I am a software engineer, entrepreneur, educator, and community advocate with decades of experience in technology, organizational leadership, youth programs, and family engagement. I bring a practical understanding of how education, workforce readiness, and emerging technology intersect. I am seeking a seat on the State Board of Education to strengthen academic outcomes, expand computer science education, improve educational technology standards, support teachers and parents, and help prepare Michigan students for the economy and challenges of the future.
Michigan has strong schools and dedicated educators, but outcomes remain too uneven across districts and student populations. Funding matters, but so does how effectively those dollars reach classrooms. I support competitive teacher compensation, stronger recruitment and retention, reduced administrative burdens, and greater support for classroom instruction. Standardized testing should remain a useful accountability and diagnostic tool, but it should not dominate education. Michigan should focus more on literacy, math, science, computer science, career readiness, parental engagement, and transparent measurement of student progress.
My top priorities are improving literacy and math outcomes, expanding computer science and career-ready education, strengthening teacher recruitment and retention, and setting clear standards for educational technology and AI in schools. I would push for accountability tied to measurable student progress and greater transparency for parents.
Student privacy must be treated as a fundamental responsibility. Michigan should collect only necessary data, limit retention and sharing, require strong cybersecurity standards, and carefully scrutinize federal requests for student information. Any disclosure should comply with the law, serve a legitima
Occupation / Current Position
Retired community college teacher/organizer in the working class
Education
MSU graduate degree; life experience education in working class organizing
Qualifications and Experience
long time teacher and advocate for excellent public education for all children
As a long-time community college teacher I have an inside perspective on how and if students come prepared academically from our K-12 system. I have been organizing in the working class for years, and since 2016, myself and other WCP members have talked to thousands of school employees, families and students about the problems they have faced in the schools and this system. I can be a voice to speak out about the lack of access to a quality public school education in many school districts, and for all school employees, from Detroit, Ann Arbor, to Walkerville and Negaunee, who deserve respect, high wages and good working conditions.
This current education system is not the same. There is a sharp contrast between test scores, literacy rates, access to services and programs, between working class and rural areas, vs. upper middle and upper class areas. There may be a per pupil funding amount for each child in the state, but other means of funding make for greater divides. All education should be excellent for all children. Funding for public education should be at THE TOP of all federal and state expenditures. Public money should be put towards our public school system, including for decent working conditions and good pay for all school employees. The money is there.
ALL the economic resources needed to provide an excellent quality education in all public school districts. Change doesn’t happen because a politician or a Board member makes promises. It happens because ordinary people decide to do something. I would use the resources of the SBE office has to help in the social fight it’s going to take for public money, our tax money, to go for excellent public education for all.
In this current political climate, I agree with the State Superintendent in his response to the DOJ: putting students first and making sure children can learn, so needing them to be healthy and safe and feel included.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
