why we vote
Our members have fought for years to make policy changes that will improve our schools and our children’s futures. Whether it’s DPS’s debt, emergency management, school closures, zero tolerance policies, school funding, or translation services, the final say almost always rests with elected officials. During election season, we have the opportunity to choose who these elected officials will be and to ensure that they share our values and our vision for our schools.
School board election RESOURCES
CANDIDATE TOPIC RESPONSES
Our youth collective spent two months interviewing every school board candidate willing to sit and talk with them, with the goal of enlightening the public to each candidate's stance on the issues most important to them. View the playlist here:
Introductions to Candidates: Bessie Harris, Monique Bryant, John Telford, Ridgeley Hudson Jr., Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Jamaal Muhammad & Latrice McClendon
Introduction to Candidates (Part 2): Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Ida Short, Regina Ann Campbell, Dr. Iris Taylor, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill
Candidate Response: Mental Health Funding
Candidates: Jamaal Muhammad, Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Monique Bryant, John Telford, Ridgeley Hudson Jr., Bessie Harris & Latrice McClendon
Candidate Response (Part 2): Mental Health Funding
Candidates: Dr. Iris Taylor, Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Regina Ann Hall, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill
Candidate Response: Community Engagement
Candidates: Monique Bryant, John Telford, Bessie Harris, Latrice McClendon, Ridgeley Hudson Jr., Jamaal Muhammad & Angelique Peterson-Mayberry
Candidate Response (Part 2): Community Engagement
Candidates: Dr. Iris Taylor, Ida Short, Regina Ann Campbell, Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn & Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill
Candidate Response: Police Funding
Candidates: Ridgeley Hudson Jr., Monique Bryant, Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Bessie Harris, John Telford, Jamaal Muhammad, Latrice McClendon
Candidate Response (Part 2): Police Funding
Candidates: Dr.Iris Taylor, Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill, Regina Ann Campbell, Ida Short
Candidate Response: School Curriculum
Candidates: Monique Bryant, Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Bessie Harris, Ridgeley Hudson Jr., Latrice McClendon, John Telford
Candidate Response (Part 2): School Curriculum
Candidates: Dr. Iris Taylor, Regina Ann Campbell, Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Ida Short, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill
Candidate Response : LGBTQ+ Student Equity
Candidates: Monique Bryant, Jamaal Muhammad, Bessie Harris, Ridgeley Hudson jr., Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Latrice McClendon, John Telford
Candidate Response (Part 2): LGBTQ+ Student Equity
Candidates: Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Regina Ann Campbell, Dr. Iris Taylor, Ida Short, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill
Candidate Response: Language Accessibility
Candidates: Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Latrice McClendon, Jamaal Muhammad, Bessie Harris, Ridgeley Hudson jr., Monique Bryant
Candidate Response (Part 2): Language Accessibility
Candidates: Regina Ann Campbell, Dr. Iris Taylor, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill, Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Ida Short
Candidate Response: Uniform Policy
Candidates: Bessie Harris, Ridgeley Hudson Jr., Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Jamaal Muhammad, Latrice McClendon, Monique Bryant, John Telford
Candidate Response (Part 2): Uniform Policy
Candidates: Regina Ann Campbell, Bishop Corletta J. Vaughn, Dr. Deborah Hunter-Harvill, Dr. Iris Taylor, Ida Short
FULL CANDIDATE RESPONSES (bios from chalkbeat)
Jamaal Muhammad: Formerly a second grade teacher in DPSCD, Muhammad now works for the district as an attendance agent.
Angelique Peterson-Mayberry: The incumbent and board president was first elected in 2016. She is the diversity, equity, and inclusion employee experience strategist for manufacturing for Ford Motor Company.
Deborah Hunter-Harvill: Incumbent and current board vice president, she was first elected to the board in November 2016. She was a principal in DPSCD, and previously served as a school superintendent in the now dissolved Buena Vista school district.
Ida Simmons Short: She served on the board previously, including during emergency management. She ran again in 2020. She is a professor of English and teaches full time at Schoolcraft College and part time at the Wayne County Community College District.
Bessie Harris: Now retired, she has 33 years of experience as an educator, special education teacher, and principal. She ran but was not elected to the board in the 2020 general election.
Latrice McClendon: The DPSCD parent works as the community president for Detroit at Huntington Bank.
Monique Bryant: The Detroit native is the co-founder and president of The Triangle Society, a non-profit dedicated to raising money for Cass Technical High School.
John Telford: The retired longtime educator served as superintendent of Detroit Public Schools when the district was under emergency management. He has run for the board before, most recently in 2020.
Ridgeley Hudson Jr.: A 2020 graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, he is a former school culture facilitator for DPSCD.
Bishop Corletta Vaughn: The incumbent was elected to the board in 2018. She is a bishop and leads the Holy Ghost Cathedral Church.
Regina Ann Campbell: The DPSCD graduate and parent works as an economic developer in the public nonprofit sector. She also is a longtime volunteer for Detroit schools.
Iris Taylor: The former board member led the board as president from 2017 until she lost her re-election bid in 2020. When she ran for re-election, she was a healthcare consultant and was the retired president of DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center.