On July 28 during a special meeting of the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Board of Education, the well sought-after vacant seat was officially filled. A seven-member board is more than symbolic when a city has spent years fighting to govern its own schools. This vote, following days of interviews with 14 candidates, led to the appointment and swearing-in of Reverend Dr. Steve Bland, Jr.—a longtime faith leader, public education supporter, and Detroit resident.
His selection comes at a critical moment, not just for the board, but for a district still reclaiming itself from years of state oversight, school closures, and broken trust. The board, now complete again, is continuing to push forward its strategic plan, Blueprint 2027, with a sharper focus and a louder call for accountability that starts with leadership grounded in the community.
Rev. Dr. Bland’s name may be new to the board table, but his voice is not new to the fight.
“I’m honored and humbled to receive this notable appointment as the next school board member of the Detroit Public School Community District,” Bland said after taking the oath. “I look forward to working collaboratively with a gifted and awesome group of current school board members that I can support and work alongside in fulfilling DPSCD’s mission, students and families across Detroit.”
His addition comes as the board works to deliver on the vision laid out when local control was restored in 2017. That return wasn’t ceremonial—it was fought for by Detroiters who demanded an end to state-appointed emergency managers that gutted resources, stripped the city of educational decision-making, and left students in schools with leaky ceilings and broken heat.
At the center of that restoration was a newly elected board. Seven seats. No guarantees. But what followed was one of the most significant shifts in Detroit education in decades. Within a year, the board hired Dr. Nikolai Vitti as superintendent and engaged Detroiters citywide to build a plan from the ground up—Blueprint 2020, now Blueprint 2027. The foundation: restore trust, elevate instruction, stop the bleeding from years of dysfunction, and protect every school on the brink of closure.
“We have been intentional about student-centered leadership,” said Board President Bishop Corletta Vaughn, Ph.D. “Namely appointing Dr. Vitti, adopting a bold strategic vision, preventing school closures, and regaining full operational independence.”
That work is real. In 2017, the newly elected board was still under financial oversight from the state. Every dollar spent had to be reported. Every decision was second-guessed. By 2020, DPSCD exited that oversight—becoming fully independent for the first time in years. But independence doesn’t mean the work is finished. It means the responsibility now lives squarely with the board, the administration, and the community to hold one another to the vision they set together.
Rev. Dr. Bland steps into a board that has shown what’s possible when Detroit governs Detroit. The selection process itself reflected that. Transparent. Public. Deliberate. No rushed rubber stamp. Just 14 candidates showing up, putting their names and commitments on the line, and facing the community.
“Our Board remains steadfast in its mission to make DPSCD the best public education option for all children in metro Detroit,” said Vaughn. “We believe Rev. Dr. Bland shares our commitment to that mission and will be a valuable partner as we continue advancing Blueprint 2027 and improving outcomes for all students across Detroit.”
That mission goes deeper than academics. It’s about infrastructure, cultural relevance, discipline reform, and making sure no child in Detroit feels like an afterthought in their own city. It’s about confronting years of redlining and disinvestment that still show up in the walls of old buildings and the gaps in special education funding. DPSCD can’t afford leaders who are disconnected. The people on this board have to know the cost of silence, the weight of advocacy, and the importance of showing up even when the cameras aren’t.
Board Vice President LaTrice McClendon spoke to what it meant for so many to step up.
“We appreciate every candidate who stepped forward in service to our students and families,” she said. “We had some exceptional candidates who went through this process and look forward to continuing to work with them moving forward. This process affirmed the deep civic commitment within our community.”
The seat Rev. Dr. Bland now fills was left open by Angelique Peterson Mayberry. It won’t come up again until the next general election in November 2026. That gives him time—not to ease in, but to get to work. The board has made it clear that this isn’t about maintaining power. It’s about distributing it, listening to community input, and turning public meetings into spaces where real change is built out loud.
His background brings a bridge between spiritual leadership and educational advocacy—something Detroit knows well. Faith leaders have long stood in the gap when systems fell short. Whether it was fighting for fair enrollment policies, supporting students navigating under-resourced schools, or showing up to defend youth targeted by police presence in schools, Black clergy have been on the frontlines. Dr. Bland joins that lineage with his appointment, not as an outsider, but as someone already doing the work.
The appointment also comes with urgency. As the city wrestles with youth mental health, pandemic learning loss, staff shortages, and racialized curriculum policies across the country, DPSCD is being watched closely. The board’s recent progress report points to measurable improvements—but it doesn’t paint over the gaps that remain.
This is the same board that fought off the closure of more than 39 schools after working in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education. It’s the same district that rebuilt early childhood programs, launched culturally responsive initiatives, and pushed for more Black educators in every building. But these wins don’t exist without continued pressure. They require board members who know what it means when a child doesn’t have a counselor, when an IEP goes ignored, or when a parent’s voice is dismissed because they didn’t go to the right meeting.
Rev. Dr. Bland’s appointment was never about filling a seat. It was about anchoring a vision in someone rooted enough to understand the weight of the role, and ready enough to match that weight with clarity and care.
Detroit’s public schools are no longer in the hands of emergency managers. They’re in the hands of Detroiters. That alone is something to protect—and something to push further. With this full board now in place, the district has a chance to not only sustain local control but to reimagine what accountability, equity, and excellence look like when the community stays at the center.
This isn’t just a new chapter for one board member. It’s another step in a larger story—one Detroit has been writing for years, together.
About Post Author
