Michigan State Board of Education candidates highlight their priorities 

Eight candidates are vying for the opportunity to serve on the Michigan State Board of Education. There are two Republican incumbents, two Democrats, a libertarian, and other parties. 

Although they have different focus points, most candidates say school funding is a top concern. 

Democratic candidate Dr. Theodore Jones says that if elected, he would fight to increase education spending in Michigan. 

“Our state’s chronic disinvestment in education since 2008, local and state level spending on education is down by $5 billion and that has had serious real-world effects,” he said. “Our position is now 41st in the nation when it comes to education. We have 72% of our 4th graders not reading at grade level.”

Jones, a former teacher and social worker, has also worked in the administrative offices of the Detroit public schools. He says studying and remedying the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning and achievement is also important. 

“It has had detrimental effects for our students in terms of learning delays, social challenges,” Jones said. 

Adam Frederick Zemke is a Democrat from Ann Arbor who served in the state House of Representatives from 2013-2018. He says student safety is the most pressing issue. 

“Ensuring that there is good statutory support from our legislative partners to prevent gun violence and also sufficient funding for real school safety aspects is going to be very important,” Zemke said. 

Tom McMillin, one of the Republican incumbents, has served on the board for the last eight years. He emphasized the importance of defending parents and kids in special education. He has argued against the Department of Education’s handling of a lawsuit by its federal counterpart over special education violations. 

McMillin says the board should also better protect parents’ rights to choose between public schools, charter schools or homeschooling for more personalized learning. He says that kids all learn differently and that, “the assembly line way of doing things is outdated.” 

McMillin also acknowledges that being a conservative member of the board comes with its challenges. 

“We’ve had concerns, and I know some people say oh you know you’re trying to ban books. We’re not. There’s certainly books that have inappropriate material. And so you know a lot of times we get tagged as wanting to be right-wing or whatever, but really we’re just looking for reasonable policies,” McMillin said. 

The state board does not create education policy, but it does give recommendations to the Michigan Department of Education, legislators, and the state superintendent of schools. It also has the authority to hire or fire the superintendent. 

The board has recommended a list of changes it says would increase transparency in the operations of charter schools in the states. It recently challenged budget cuts to mental health and school safety funding. 

Mary Anne Hering is a candidate for the Working Class Party. She’s a long-time teacher in local community colleges. Hering says funding schools should be a top priority. 

“The money is there in this society for there to be a full tidal wave of funding in all the school districts, and I’m talking about all the way up to the Upper Peninsula, the rural areas, the urban areas,” Hering said. 

Scotty Boman, a libertarian, teaches physics, astronomy and mathematics at the Wayne County Community College and Macomb Community College. He also serves on Detroit’s Zoning Appeals Board and the city’s District 4 Community Advisory Council. 

Boman is against what he calls coercive means of funding. 

“What I’m referring to is taxation, that people are forced to pay for something that they may or may not use. I would support tax breaks on people who choose to spend money out-of-pocket to educate their children differently than through the public system,” Boman said. 

Ted Gerrard and Christine Schwarz are running for the Michigan Board of Education as members of the U.S. Taxpayers Party. 

Gerrard is a U.S. Navy veteran and electrical contractor. He stresses the need for strong vocational programs and for high school graduates to be prepared for the workforce. 

“We should not be training just college entrants. We need skilled trade out in the field, and I need people that can show up on my job site as a high school graduate and do basic math,” Gerrard said. 

Republican Nikki Snyder has been a board member since 2016. Snyder is running for reelection. Snyder and Christine Schwartz have not responded to WDET’s request for an interview. 

The two winners of this race will each serve an eight-year term on the State Board of Education. The election takes place on November 5.