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Three incumbents, multiple former school board members, and several people who have run before are among a crowded field of 35 people running for five open seats on the Detroit school board.
It’s the largest number of candidates to run for the board since 2016, the year the Detroit Public Schools Community District was created and more than 60 people vied for seats on the new board.
Incumbent board members Steve Bland, Jr., Bessie Lee Harris, and Iris Taylor are running to reclaim their seats on the seven member board in the Nov. 3 election. Two other incumbents, board chair LaTrice McClendon and vice chair Corletta Vaughn, were disqualified from the ballot. McClendon had already decided not to run for reelection, while Vaughn chose not to run on Tuesday.
Two incumbents, Bland and Harris, were appointed to seats in 2025 to fill out the terms of board members who stepped down.
With five open seats and 35 candidates, the November election has the potential to change the direction of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, something Superintendent Nikolai Vitti acknowledged in a statement to Chalkbeat Wednesday.
“We all know that the November 2026 election would be a watershed for the District. We will either move forward with greater progress and momentum or backwards,” Vitti said.
“Our progress has been built by a strong majority-led School Board that believes and implements the difficult but proven standard that the School Board governs the District and holds a Superintendent accountable to manage and lead the District day to day,” Vitti said. “School Board challenges in DPS are well documented prior to the establishment of DPSCD. The District cannot afford to go backwards.”
There are a number of other familiar names on the ballot. Georgia Lemmons and LaMar Lemmons, who are married, previously served on the DPSCD board. LaMar Lemmons also served on the board for Detroit Public Schools. Other former board members include Tawanna Simpson.
Also on the ballot are candidates who have previously run unsuccessfully for the board, including Nicole Conaway, Tabrian Joe, and Aliya Moore.
Here’s a full list of candidates, provided by the Detroit clerk’s office:
- Natalie La’Vonne Bien-Aime
- Steve Bland, Jr.
- Michelle Rene’ Broughton
- Katrina Lanise Brown
- Cidney Julia-Angela Calloway
- Bobby Lee Christian
- Nicole Marie Conaway
- Vilma Valeria Escamilla-Durán
- Daniel Franklin Ferguson, III
- Duane Larry Grisby, Jr.
- Bessie Lee Harris
- David Dwayne Harris, II
- Henrietta Ivey
- Christopher Allen Hubbard
- Ijazz Johnnay Jackson
- Tabrian Chas Joe
- Shinese DeCarol Johnson
- Theodore Rhett Jones
- Georgia Mae Lemmons
- LaMar Demetri Lemmons
- Clement Ogden Lett
- Phillip E. Lloyd, II
- Aliya Rebekah Moore
- Darious Lamar Morris
- Liana Stern Mulholland
- Tyshea Elaine Pope
- Danetta Lynese Simpson
- Tawanna Simpson
- Jameel Montgomery Smith
- Calesther J. Smith-Arnold
- Iris Alice Taylor
- Shawn Vaughn
- Terry Eugene Whitfield
- Elizabeth Ann Williams
- Theresa Arleen Williams
Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.
July 28, 2026: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Vilma Valeria Escamilla-Durán and Natalie La’Vonne Bien-Aime, whose names were misspelled in a list of candidates provided by the city.
