Our education boards play a crucial role in ensuring that Michigan’s children receive affordable quality education, and one that guarantees a future for them after graduation.
Several education boards are up for grabs in this election cycle, leaving open the opportunity to elected candidates with the vision and requisite preparation to serve on these boards.
In Detroit, there are two seats that will be made vacant by the departures of Democrats Debbie Dingell and Eugene Driker on the Wayne State University Board of Governors.
Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly, and University of Michigan law professor Dana Alicia Thompson are the two Democratic nominees vying for those seats.
Kelly, a longtime public servant and educator in the Detroit Public Schools, is qualified to serve on the WSU board. She has long been a champion for public education and will help to strengthen the university’s academic and research programs and expand educational opportunities to all students.
Thompson, who first taught at WSU law school where she founded the Small Business and Nonprofit Corporation Clinic, is a leader in entrepreneurial and legal education serving as the director of the U-M Entrepreneurship Clinic. She will push for affordability, retention and diversity among other issues facing higher education at Wayne.
Voters should give Kelly and Thompson the opportunity on Nov. 4 to serve on the Wayne State University Board of Governors. Both candidates will bring meaningful and positive change to the university.
State Board of Education: Ulbrich & Smith
The State Board of Education is an important arm of state government, which is crucial in providing an overall education policy for Michigan’s schools.
Two candidates who have demonstrated a penchant for fighting for public education are Dr. Pamela Pugh Smith and Casandra Ulbrich. Both Smith, and Ulbrich who is running for reelection
to the board, understand fully what it takes to make public education a priority in our state government and in the community.
Their commitment to ensuring that charter schools are accountable in the state is important in light of the challenges that public education is facing. They will be strong public education voices in Lansing. Voters should give Smith and Ulbrich seats on the State Board of Education.
University of Michigan Board of Regent: Kathy White
University of Michigan Regent Kathy White, a law professor at Wayne State University who is seeking re-election, deserves to be returned to the Board of Regents. Currently chair of the board, White is positioned to help the university address some of the problems it has been facing, including diversity and access to an affordable education. She believes that the University of Michigan must continue to build a bridge between education, science, industry, and government to create the synergy needed to sustain and improve the quality of higher education in this state.
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